It was a disappointing afternoon altogether for the Reds, who attempted to make a strong start to the season’s run-in, but ultimately left the north-east with nothing after decisive second-half goals from Joe Willock and Callum Wilson.
Despite a difficult 90 minutes for his side, Ten Hag’s belief in his players remained after the final whistle, and his words suggested confidence in their ability to respond in our next outing, at home to Brentford on Wednesday.
“It's normal. In a season you have setbacks, and you have to deal with that,” he insisted post-match.
“We did that so many times, recently after [losing to] Liverpool we came back so I don’t have that concern.