Newcastle United will struggle to believe what Erik ten Hag said about them after beating Man Utd

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag gave credit to Newcastle United for their 1-0 victory at St James' Park on Saturday night.

Newcastle recorded a sixth straight Premier League win on home soil and at the same time moved above their visitors in the table following Anthony Gordon's 56th-minute winner.

It was also the first time the Magpies had won three consecutive games against the Red Devils since 1922 after surviving a late scare when Harry Maguire's goal was disallowed for offside in the closing stage.

"We have to give credit to Newcastle, they played better than us tonight," said Ten Hag. "We started well, had a chance with [Alejandro] Garnacho, but then after that they were better.

"For a long period they were better than us, and we went 1-0 down. To be fair at the end of the game we came back and had some good opportunities. [Sergio] Reguilon, very good chance. The offside goal. So yes in the end we fought back but we need to do this over a whole game.

"You could say we defended quite well, but I prefer for us to stay further away from our goal. I'd prefer us to have more of the ball and play in their half. We had our moments where we could make good movements but it was not enough. We need to be more dominant in a game.

The Dutchman's praise for Newcastle will come as a surprise to many given his comments last season. Ten Hag accused Howe's side of time-wasting, quotes the Magpies boss used during his pre-match team talk ahead of the 2-0 victory on Tyneside in April.

"It's a great team with a clear philosophy," said Ten Hag. "It's an annoying team to play against, so we have to find a way. They try to annoy you, so we have to focus on our game.

When asked to expand on what he meant, he said: “Annoying. They try to annoy you. If you see from the FA, referees want to play effective time. [Newcastle] have the lowest in the league, they are quite successful with it. It's up to us to get speed in the game, but we are dependent on the refereeing as well.

"I don't know the instructions of the opponents. I can't influence that. We have to make it our job to focus on the game. If we concentrate on that and don't get distracted, we can find the moments when we can strike. Don't get distracted from whatever is on the pitch. We have to find our way.”

Ten Hag has managed five games against Newcastle will his only victory being the 2-0 Carabao Cup win in February.