Manchester United players must prove they can fulfil Erik ten Hag's main demand after Man City loss

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag cited a 'lack of belief' from his players as the catalyst for Sunday's 6-3 Manchester derby defeat to City at the Etihad Stadium.

United, who will be looking to get back on track when they face Omonia Nicosia in the Europa League in Cyprus on Thursday evening, were blown away by their cross-city rivals, finding themselves 4-0 down by half-time. Phil Foden and Erling Haaland each scored twice before the interval and then completed their respective hat-tricks after the break, putting City 6-1 up.

While there is no denying that City remain lightyears ahead of United, both on and off the pitch, and boast far superior quality, Ten Hag's players made it far too easy for them. Haaland and Foden, as well as Kevin De Bruyne, ripped United to shreds with ease, gliding past Reds defenders as though they weren't even there.

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It was a far cry from the performance levels that United had produced in the recent encounters with Liverpool and Arsenal. The Reds were superb in those two victories, inspired by every player performing at the peak of their powers and leaving everything on the pitch.

Against City, however, they looked nervous from the first minute and appeared startled by the occasion. It is a situation that cannot be repeated.

"The last five games, we brought that attitude [belief] on the pitch," said Ten Hag, speaking in his post-match press conference on Sunday. "We had a strong belief and convincing, and you bring the opponents problems.

"Today, it was the other way around, but I think it's normal in our process. The pattern has to go up, and I see, clearly, it goes up, but you will have setbacks during the process,