ERIK TEN HAG equalled an astonishing Manchester United record that has stood for 118 years with the last-gasp victory at Fulham.
Bruno Fernandes struck in the 91st minute to break the deadlock and grab the only goal of the game.
The result ended a miserable week on a high after back-to-back 3-0 defeats at home to Manchester City and Newcastle.
But it also saw manager Ten Hag reach a landmark milestone.
That is because the victory was his 50th win as Manchester United gaffer since accepting the job ahead of the 2022-23 season.
And no boss has done it quicker in the club’s history.
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Saturday’s trip to Craven Cottage was Ten Hag’s 79th match in charge of the Red Devils – across five different competitions.
Of the 79, 30 have come in the Premier League, seven in the League Cup – including last season’s Wembley final – four in the FA Cup, eight in the Europa League and one in the Champions League thanks to Andre Onana’s injury-time penalty save against Copenhagen in October.
The 79-match tally equals the record set by Ernest Mangnall.
Mangnall was United’s third boss and was in the dugout between October 1903 and September 1912.
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He racked up 373 matches in charge across his nine years, leading the club to their first major trophy – the 1908 First Division title.
Like Ten Hag, Mangnall earned his 50th win in his 79th match – also a 1-0 away, that time at Blackpool’s Bloomfield Road.
During that time, United only played in the league and FA Cup – hence it took Mangnall two years until 1905 to reach the milestone.
Jose Mourinho came closest to breaking Mangnall’s record but needed 81 matches to record win No50 against Benfica in the Champions League.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is fourth on the list with 95 matches, one ahead of the legendary Sir Matt Busby, who himself was one clear of Ron Atkinson.
Iconic boss Sir Alex Ferguson, though, endured a slower start to life at Old Trafford before his unparalleled success.
He took 105 matches to notch up the half-century of victories as manager, securing it with a 3-0 win over Millwall in 1989.
For Ten Hag, though, the success over Fulham was far from convincing and required multiple important saves from Onana before Fernandes pounced on defensive errors to grab all three points.
But asked by Rio Ferdinand when fans can expect to see an effective and consistent style under the Dutchman, he snapped back in a tense live TV interview.
Ten Hag said: “With all due respect, didn’t we see it last season?”
Ferdinand replied: “Last season I saw it but this season we haven’t.”
A stumbling Ten Hag then added: “No. Anyone knows why – because we have so many injuries.
“Every time you have to swap, you have to make changes and the routines are not there.
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“That is what you see in these moments in our team. You have to be more pragmatic but I’ve always said it’s not an excuse for not winning matches.
“You know as well, you need performances and then the points will come. I always want to improve the process and then the points will come.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
