Man United boss Erik ten Hag bemoans VAR decision in defeat at West Ham

Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag criticised "the process" of VAR, with his side suffering a last-gasp defeat to West Ham United in Sunday's Premier League clash at the London Stadium.

Crysencio Summerville sent West Ham ahead in the 74th minute of the contest, but it did appear that the points would be shared in the capital, with Casemiro heading a leveller in the 81st minute.

West Ham were awarded a late penalty following a VAR check, though, with Matthijs de Ligt adjudged to have brought Danny Ings to the ground inside the box despite contact appearing to be minimal.

Referee David Coote was sent across to the monitor to review the incident, and he pointed to the spot, with the resulting penalty being dispatched by Jarrod Bowen to make it another unhappy game in the capital for the Red Devils.

Ten Hag criticised the decision after the match, claiming that it had a "big impact" on the final outcome.

Ten Hag says "big personality" was needed to "recall" VAR incident

"In football not always the best team is winning. Today was clear and obvious. But clear and obvious wasn't how VAR worked. I'm not criticising any person, I am criticising the process. You have to show big personality to recall this decision. Big impact on score," Ten Hag told reporters at his post-match press conference.

Man United had a number of chances to score in the first half of the contest, with Alejandro Garnacho smashing the crossbar before firing wide, while Marcus Rashford, Rasmus Hojlund and Diogo Dalot also had big opportunities.

Ten Hag remains confident that his side will start to find the back of the net on a consistent basis despite their issues in that area of the field during the 2024-25 campaign.

"We create so many chances, first half is exactly how I want to see my team playing. So dominant. Six or seven 100% chances we should score. When you don't you have to keep calm. That is a point of improvement but I had not so many criticisms of my team," he said.

"In this moment definitely the luck is not on our side. It is not about me. Last season was not different but in the end we turned it around. We are so determined it will be the same again. We have to turn it around and we will."

When are Man United back in action?

Man United will continue their season with a clash against Leicester City in the last-16 stage of the EFL Cup on Wednesday night, before welcoming Chelsea to Old Trafford in the Premier League next weekend.

The 20-time English champions will then host PAOK in the Europa League on November 7, before welcoming Leicester in the league in their final fixture before the November international break.

Sunday's result has left Man United down in 14th spot in the Premier League table, boasting 11 points from their first nine matches of the campaign, while they have only found the back of the net on eight occasions.