Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag leapt to the defence of his players after they set a new record for shots conceded in 2024.

The Red Devils gave up a 28 shots during Thursday night’s 4-3 loss at Chelsea in which the hosts scored in the 100th and 101st minutes to complete a memorable comeback.

This followed on from Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Brentford in which the Bees had 31 attempts and were unlucky not to have won.

United have now faced 225 shots in 2024 alone, more than any other side in Europe’s top-five leagues, but Ten Hag insisted after the game that while such stats are “ridiculous”, he believes his defenders and goalkeeper are still of the requisite standard.

“It is ridiculous. We showed we were fourth-ranking goals in conceding and everyone is talking to each other after, we are good and we have good defending as a team and a good goalkeeper so I cannot do nothing,” he said.

“[The loss is] definitely a setback and now we have to deal with this and get up – we are resilient and you have seen that today.

“The quality of our football is really high, but football is about results and you have to bring it over time.”

United are now 11 points adrift of Aston Villa in fourth and nine of Tottenham Hotspur in fifth, meaning their hopes of Champions League qualification are incredibly slim.

They return to action on Sunday with the visit of rivals Liverpool, who moved back to the top of the Premier League table with a 3-1 win at home to Sheffield United elsewhere on Thursday.

“The team will be there on Sunday. They have character. They showed it today, fighting ourselves into the game,” Ten Hag added.