Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was critical of the referee after Manchester United’s 2-0 loss against Arsenal.
Manchester United faced their first league defeat under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as Arsenal registered a 2-0 win over the side.
Granit Xhaka scored the first goal of the game as De Gea made a mistake in front of the goal. A fan invaded the pitch to celebrate with the Arsenal players in the immediate aftermath of the goal and slapped Manchester United’s defender Chris Smalling.
Aubameyang sealed the result late in the second half as he calmly converted the penalty to beat De Gea. Arsenal are now fourth in the Premier League table, while United drops to 5th position.
Solskjaer insisted that the side was slow in the game, but was upbeat about Manchester United’s upcoming challenge in the quarterfinal of the FA Cup.
“Well we started slow and maybe a backlash from Wednesday,” Solskjaer said. “We created chances but when they get the first goal it’s a different game.
“We played a better game today than in the cup. We had more chances. Sometimes this happens.”
Solskjaer was also critical of the referee, stating that the official will be ‘disappointed’ by the fact that he awarded a penalty to Arsenal in the second half.
“Today I can’t remember any proper saves De Gea has to make.
“I think the referee will be disappointed when he sees the penalty again.”
However, Solskjaer conceded that the side was at fault for the first goal.
“The ball moves so strangely and when you see it again it’s one of those things, but we were too slow. First fifteen minutes we didn’t put them under pressure. We gave him time to hit that ball.
One of those games that you have, it’s now about how we respond against Wolves in the cup.”
How Twitter reacted..
Frustrating game. Solskjaer has repeatedly said football is about the fine margins. Today, our goalie made a mistake and the ref awarded a pen for a dive. At the other end, we’ve hit the woodwork twice and not been clinical enough with other great chances. Just one of those days.
— Scott Patterson (@R_o_M) March 10, 2019
Manchester United have no given right to win every game. Solskjaer will lose games as manager. Players will have an off day.
That’s football. It happens.
— (@AdamLiterally) March 10, 2019
“Maybe a backlash from Wednesday night.” ♂
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reacts to his first domestic defeat as @ManUtd manager, saying his side played better today than when they beat @Arsenal in the FA Cup.
Match report and highlights: https://t.co/9pVMTZ5AFz pic.twitter.com/QCx74DEEl3
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 10, 2019
Doubt Solskjaer will be too disheartened. Created enough chances to win the game, didn’t take any, and lost. First game since he took over that they haven’t been clinical.
— Rob Dawson (@RobDawsonESPN) March 10, 2019
What next?
Manchester United will return to action next week as the side takes on Wolverhampton Wanderers in the quarterfinal of the FA Cup.
