UEL 2022-23: 'You do not always get what you deserve' - Ten Hag after United fails to grab top spot

Manchester United finished in the second spot of its UEFA Europa League group table despite defeating Real Sociedad 1-0 on Friday. Meanwhile, Red Devils' boss, Erik ten Hag, is disappointed.

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English giants Manchester United is already through to the next round of the UEFA Europa League (UEL) 2022-23. On Thursday, it defeated Spanish giants Real Sociedad 1-0 at the Reale Arena in Sociedad. However, the victory was not enough to hand the former a top spot, as it needed to win by a margin of two goals or more. Nevertheless, it has managed to qualify for the playoffs in the upcoming round, where it would take on a third-placed group side from the UEFA Champions League (UCL), while the White and Blues have entered the pre-quarters. Meanwhile, the Red Devils' head coach, Erik ten Hag, has expressed his disappointment.

Speaking to BT Sport, ten Hag said, "You do not always get what you deserve. Of course, we are disappointed we didn't score two goals because that's what we needed. We want always to be number one, and when we aren't, we are disappointed." However, he was all-praise for Alejandro Garnacho, who was a sensation, having scored the winning goal.

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"Today, we won, and I am happy with that, and some other things like the performance of Alejandro Garnacho. We had problems there [on the wing]. Antony was out, and Jadon Sancho was not available. I hope he can keep the process going. He was a threat. If he can keep this going, I am delighted," concluded ten Hag.