Erik ten Hag: Manchester United Boss Explains Decision to Substitute Varane and Martinez in Newcastle Loss

• Manchester United fell to a humbling defeat against Newcastle United on Sunday
• The Red Devils were sloppy throughout the game giving the Toons an advantage
• Erik ten Hag made a decision late in the game which left players and fans fuming

Manchester United and Newcastle United clashed for the first time since the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on February 26, which United won 2-0 thanks to goals from Casemiro and Marcus Rashford.

Newcastle got their revenge by beating the Red Devils 2-0 at St James Park with goals from former Arsenal player, Joe Willock and striker, Calum Wilson wrapping up a determined performance.

The win moved the Magpies ahead of United - they are level on points but Newcastle have the goal advantage - and the Red Devils could fall out of the top four if Tottenham beat Everton later today.

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Ten Hag had a blip of his own. In the 83rd minute, with the scores still at 1-0, he subbed off centre-backs Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane, a decision termed bizarre by the Manchester Evening News.

Ten Hag explains defender subs

The Dutch manager's decision came under scrutiny and Argentine defender, Martinez reacted angrily to the decision by smacking a chair in the dugout, as observed by Sun UK.

The decision did not pay off as Newcastle doubled their lead five minutes later through Wilson.

Ten Hag explained the decision after the game, as quoted by Metro UK:

‘‘We were not happy. We played too high in midfield and it was easy for their two centre-halves to go and attack. We had to play a little bit deeper. Therefore we made the sub. Then we made changes to bring more energy,’’ he said.

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‘‘Then in the end, we were losing, so we decided to go with three at the back and play an extra offensive player and I decided to take both centre-backs off with Lindelof to defend the spaces.’’

Antony and Dalot clash

During the same game, Sports Brief also reported that Brazilian attacker, Antony and Portuguese defender, Diogo Dalot clashed at the final whistle.

It was an evening of high drama and overflowing tempers in the Manchester United camp and the cause of the duo's disagreement is not known.

The players are both on the right side of the field and it has been speculated that Antony and Dalot argued over possible misplaced passes.