"Some time ago, you could sometimes see a team," Bruno Fernandes says as he is interviewed by BT Sport alongside Marcus Rashford on the Old Trafford pitch following the Manchester derby. "Now, you see a proper team that works for each other."
As the interview concludes, Fernandes and Rashford are the only players remaining on the pitch. Both have scored as Manchester United mounted an exceptional comeback from a goal down to beat Manchester City.
Emphasising the growing sense of collectivity at United, Fernandes - seemingly acknowledging the value of such a result to his Manchester-born team-mate - pushes Rashford ahead of him and encourages the Stretford End to serenade the scorer of the winning goal.
It was a display of humility from the man who is captaining United when Harry Maguire doesn't feature - proof that key figures within the dressing room are aligned with Ten Hag's desires for a good team ethic.
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On the pitch, the derby started in a manner that signified an intense tactical battle.
Ten Hag opted to hand Fred only his fourth Premier League start of the season, with acknowledgement that the midfield battle would be a crucial aspect of the match. He replaced Antony as Ten Hag looked to pack the midfield, with Fred joining Casemiro and Christian Eriksen as a three, and Fernandes shifted to the right flank.
Starting Fred did mean a trade-off of some possessional quality for defensive intensity, but that fitted with Ten Hag's approach.
City were afforded the majority of possession, but United were structured without the ball, disrupting their opponent's attempts at progressing up the pitch. United's rigid formation made City often try to force the issue, with loose passes ensuing, which meant attacks frequently broke down.
The structural organisation was achieved largely by each players' knowledge of their roles, credit to the drilling of ideas by Ten Hag.
Man-to-man marking was one concept used, with Fred's touch-tight approach to defending against Kevin de Bruyne effective in shackling City's main creative hub - taking one of their attack-minded midfielders out of the game in part. Fred was combative against De Bruyne, performing in a manner akin to Ander Herrera against Eden Hazard in 2017.
United were considerably less open than at the Etihad from the very early stages, showing patience and biding their time for an opportunity to counter attack. And there were occasions that they won the ball and found space to exploit, launching some fast transitional attacks.
Pep Guardiola had his own innovations, such as having Erling Haaland drop into deeper areas, but it was United who carried the greater threat throughout the first half having managed to defend against City's main threats.
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Despite not dominating possession, it actually felt United were in control for a while having marshalled City so effectively. Their first half solidity was such that City didn't manage any shots on target.
The only issue marring an assured United performance was wastefulness, whether with their final ball or ultimate chance. Fernandes missed a chance to slot Tyrell Malacia in around the half-hour mark, while Rashford saw two chances go begging - first after rounding Ederson but being forced wide, later finding the City goalkeeper deny him after a heavy touch.
Into the second half, however, City started to find solutions to defy United's resistance. With their high levels of possession, City managed to start to dominate.
They started to find more space in the final third and around the penalty area. And on the hour mark, De Bruyne found himself free, moving into the box unmanned to cross towards the far post, where Jack Grealish had made a run unmarked to head past David de Gea.
Ten Hag could be criticised for a more defensive approach, but United would likely have had much less of a foothold on the game if they had left more space for City's plethora of attacking players to operate in. Throughout the first-half, they hardly invited pressure.
Anthony Martial's half-time withdrawal did impact United's structure, with Antony replacing him and initially playing through the middle. Martial was ineffectual, often lacklustre in his manner, appearing not to be fully fit after an injury during the week. But at least he was a focal point for the side.
Ten Hag - a manager proven to be adaptable - did decide to put Rashford in the central role in due course. Alejandro Garnacho was then introduced in place of Christian Eriksen in the 72nd minute, with Fernandes moving to the No.10 role and Garnacho lining up on the left.
This was another crucial in-game switch from Ten Hag.
Introducing another attacker in place of a midfielder signified a significant change of plan in reaction to falling behind. United would sacrifice some of their solidity in order to attack the game, risking being more open but increasing their chances of scoring.
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And, as it worked out, Ten Hag found effective solutions to counteract City's solutions.
Still, as the tactical battle was notched up another level again, United's players also showed resilience after falling behind - something which is to Ten Hag's credit, with noteworthy improvements in mentality under his reign thus far.
Ten Hag switched to a more front-footed attacking approach at the right time, and United equalised 18 minutes after City's go-ahead goal.
It was a contentious leveller, with offside initially ruled with Rashford in an offside position from Casemiro's through ball prior to Fernandes producing a composed finish. But the rules are such that Rashford, having not touched the ball, was adjudged by VAR to have not interfered with play.
It was attentive from both Rashford and Fernandes, with the former aware of the latter's oncoming run, ensuring to slow his run as to not touch the ball. Fernandes' determined run was worthy of the eventual finish and representative of the proactivity instilled into United's play by Ten Hag.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who has proven a beneficiary of Ten Hag's ability to develop players, played a key role by turning and playing the ball to Casemiro, who provided the assist.
United's full-backs weren't their first choices, but both Wan-Bissaka and Malacia were valuable defensively and going forward. Malacia was hooked at half-time in the derby at the Etihad, but he shelved that to perform in complete fashion.
Malacia started as a result of Ten Hag taking the bold call to start Luke Shaw as his left-sided centre-back again, and it was another case of his bravery paying off as Shaw, along with Raphael Varane, restricted Haaland.
The 'no favourites' policy of Ten Hag continues to be evident, with Lisandro Martinez still not a regular feature the side following his World Cup success as Ten Hag continues to reward form.
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Having equalised, United didn't settle for just a point, evidencing the standards expected by Ten Hag even against sides rendered superior.
Only four minutes after scoring, Fernandes was involved again with a burst into space and through ball to Garnacho - giving a sense of vindications to Ten Hag's switch.
Garnacho showed his typical exuberance, even against such high echelon opposition. He carried the ball into the penalty area, and after an initial cross was blocked, he showed awareness to neglect playing to Fred on the edge of the box, favouring producing a deceiving turn before playing a low, left-footed ball across to Rashford.
Moving Rashford centrally also proved pivotal for Ten Hag - another shrewd decision. Rashford's movement saw him ahead of Manuel Akanji and Rodri, with Garnacho's vision key in picking his team-mate out. Rashford was potent as he tapped the ball through Ederson's legs.
Rashford has become a prolific player under Ten Hag. He has become the first player to score in nine successive matches at Old Trafford since 1959, while he is on a run of eight goals in seven consecutive scoring matches home and away. He has now notched 16 goals and a further five assists this season.
Rashford embodied the resilience aspect of United's performance against City. His match looked over after a seeming hip injury late in the first-half, but he plugged away and that paid dividends. He did seem apprehensive about running too much, but he showed intelligence to manage what he described merely as a "knock", ensuring not to over-exert.
"Players have to be resilient," Ten Hag said. "You get kicked in the game, it happened, it hurts, but you have to keep going to get the right results. Games go on. In top football you have to suffer and sacrifice to get something."
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It is crucial that Ten Hag has a group of players that are working as a collective; this United side have shown an ability to pull together to turn games around, which often wasn't the case last season. "We suffered together," Marcus Rashford said.
Ten Hag has recently spoken about desiring personalities in his squad, pointing towards "mental quality, that mental resilience" as necessary attributes for his players to possess.
"People talk about tactics but one of the most important things a manager changes is mentality and resilience," he expressed after the derby.
And it is becoming clear that this is being forged already - starkly apparent against the toughest of opponents. Ten Hag is reinstating a culture of fighters, with a DNA of perseverance becoming ubiquitous once more.
As well as the bounce-back ability which saw the derby turned around, resilience was exhibited through the defensive display - both in the first-half and once leading.
There were crucial interventions from Varane and Shaw, while late introductions of Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez and Scott McTominay helped United to hold firm. Casemiro again offered a layer of security, and his unwavering commitment was shown in concrete form as he embraced supporters during celebrations of the winning goal.
But, as much as individual performances can be singled out and 'big game players' are crucial, it comes back to the fact that Ten Hag has created a match-winning team ethic.
"All my players were brilliant," Ten Hag said. "The spirit in the team is so huge."
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It is the aforementioned collectiveness and mental qualities that have been massively important in United's turnaround of fortunes since losing 6-3 against City in humiliating fashion at the Etihad in October. They looked lost on that occasion - scared into inferiority.
Since, rhythm has been built and consistency established, with more developed patterns.
The development has been shown by results improving - with Saturday's win meaning United have won 16 of their 19 matches since the 6-3 loss - but also by improvements regarding aspects of their game (which have contributed to their recent run). They are, for instance, the most successful counter-pressing team in the Premier League.
In terms of derbies, United's progress is marked by the fact they had lost the last three meetings with City at Old Trafford, losing nine of the 14 meetings home and away prior to Saturday.
City had avoided defeat in 42 consecutive matches in which they had taken the lead, but United ended that run.
It was a completely different United performance: they went toe-to-toe with City and executed a defined plan without losing their way from very early on like at the Etihad. They may only have had 29% of possession, but was a performance still consisting of proactivity and a sense of control.
It remains early stages, but there is a sense that Old Trafford is being built back up into a fortress. United have won all four meetings against 'big six' sides at home this season: first against Liverpool, then league-leaders Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, and now City.
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United's recent run of wins was often undermined by the fact they were 'winnable' matches. But, with it now once again proven that they can overcome more elite sides, that run should be given some more respect.
There remains hesitation to suggest United are in a title race given they remain nine points behind Arsenal, but they are now within a single point of City and face Arsenal next weekend.
A week of big matches has started in a strong vein for United as other rivals continue to falter. But, even amid the rapid progress in the early stages under Ten Hag, bumps in the road still have to be accounted for as being likely.
However, beating City is most certainly a statement of serious intent. Ten Hag is working wonders.
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