Stoke City manager Mark Hughes says Manchester United are suffering a crisis of confidence.
Hughes guided his team to a comfortable 2-0 win over the 20-time English league champions and said he always knew United would fold if the right pressure was applied; such is their lack of confidence.
"We talked about their levels of confidence because you have to drain as much of that as you can from the opposition because that allows you to grow as a team," Hughes said
"I think that's exactly what we did in the first half. We didn't allow them to settle - any anxiety they had or apprehension about the game was borne out because in that opening period, we were really dominant."
Hughes' theory proved right and once Stoke took a 1-0 lead through Bojan Krkic after a terrible mishap in defence from United winger Memphis Depay.
The addition of a second goal in the first half after a Marko Arnautovic thunderbolt sealed United's fate and their fourth loss in a row, and Hughes said unless United get back to winning ways soon, their lack of confidence will continue to present opportunities to the opposition.
"United have gone three or four games without a win so it's a confidence thing," Hughes said after his team's 2-0 win.
"It does you give you an opportunity to get a better performance and play well as a team."
Hughes will hope for another strong performance from his side when they host Everton, while Manchester United will look to break its winless streak at home against Chelsea on Monday.
‘After Manchester City’s recent form, maybe they’re the underdogs against Manchester United!’ Former Red Devils defender on this weekend’s derby
‘Arteta, Alonso, Emery, me… none of us were physical players – we needed the understanding of the game. That probably helped us move into management’: Premier League boss reveals reasons for natural career progression
