Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag has said that his side were unable to "match the determination, passion and desire" of Newcastle United in Sunday's Premier League affair.

Joe Willock sent Newcastle ahead in the 65th minute of the contest before Callum Wilson scored a second late on, with the result moving the Magpies above Man United and into third position in the Premier League table.

Ten Hag has said that a lack of desire cost his side at St James' Park, while the Dutchman also admitted that the Red Devils struggled in the final third of the field.

"I was surprised we couldn't match the determination, passion and desire of the opponent. When you travel to St James' Park you know what will be going on, especially after we win the [Carabao] Cup," the Man United manager told reporters after Sunday's affair.

© Reuters

"If you want to win big games, you have to be mature and I didn't see that today on the pitch. I don't think we underestimated Newcastle. They play above their levels because they're so eager but you could expect that.

"They were determined to win this game, but you have to match that and be aware of the situation from the start. We didn't enter the final third, the box, too many times of the opponent, but they could easily enter our box. We have to do much better.

"I think our attacking game was not good enough. I don't want to be focused on one person. It was about team performance. We didn't break them down. In the first half we had a trap on the right side with Antony and Diogo [Dalot] but on the left we had almost nothing.

"That is the conclusion of the game. Today we didn't create many chances and when we were there, we weren't determined enough to score a goal. That's the truth. The best chance was maybe for the equaliser for [Anthony] Martial, the deflected shot. But we didn't create enough."

© Reuters

Man United will now be aiming to bounce back when they welcome Brentford to Old Trafford on Wednesday night, with the Red Devils looking to win in the league for the first time since the middle of February.

"I don't think about two home games. I think about Brentford. That's the first game. Go game by game and definitely we need a different attitude," Ten Hag added.

"I can't say the intentions were wrong. They tried to do it but the opponent showed more hunger and willingness than we [did].

"It's normal. In a season you have setbacks, and you have to deal with that. We did that so many times, recently after Liverpool we came back so I don't have that concern. I believe in my team. I believe they will bounce back."

Man United will follow the Brentford clash with a fixture against Everton on Saturday, before welcoming Sevilla for the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final on April 13.