Solskjaer: These boys find a way to win
Composure, character and quality - as well as some clinical finishing - were the keys to Manchester United's latest Premier League victory, according to manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Less spirited and more impatient sides might have suffered after falling behind to Danny Welbeck's surprise opener in the first half, especially against a team like Brighton & Hove Albion who themselves looked assured in possession and well organised by their boss Graham Potter, playing in a manner that belied their relegation-battling status.
But the Reds, roused by Solskjaer's words in the interval, found a way back into the contest when Marcus Rashford found the net with the manager's favourite type of finish and then Mason Greenwood dived in to prove his training-ground work on heading is proving fruitful.
Here are the main comments from Ole's post-match interviews for club media and BT Sport...
But the Reds, roused by Solskjaer's words in the interval, found a way back into the contest when Marcus Rashford found the net with the manager's favourite type of finish and then Mason Greenwood dived in to prove his training-ground work on heading is proving fruitful.
Here are the main comments from Ole's post-match interviews for club media and BT Sport...
Ole: We showed excellent spirit Video
Ole: We showed excellent spirit
Solskjaer gives his take after the Reds come from a goal down to secure the win at Old Trafford...
FIRST HALF v SECOND HALF
"I thought we started well but when they scored, after that we couldn't find our rhythm again and we needed half-time to compose ourselves and go again. In the second half we played some good stuff.”
INSTRUCTIONS AT THE INTERVAL
"It was nothing tactically [different] from what we wanted in the first half. It was more runs in behind, more movement, better movement. Sometimes after international breaks it takes time and then maybe the fireworks have to be lit at half-time. It was a very good second half."
"I thought we started well but when they scored, after that we couldn't find our rhythm again and we needed half-time to compose ourselves and go again. In the second half we played some good stuff.”
INSTRUCTIONS AT THE INTERVAL
"It was nothing tactically [different] from what we wanted in the first half. It was more runs in behind, more movement, better movement. Sometimes after international breaks it takes time and then maybe the fireworks have to be lit at half-time. It was a very good second half."
CLINICAL GOALS
"The first one was from good play by Bruno, with a great finish by Marcus. That's my favourite type of finish, when the striker's in control. He's in control of the whole situation. The corners are always open and it's a big goal, so a good finish. And the second goal overall [from Greenwood] was a very, very good goal - a diving header, or a header inside the six-yard box."
MASON'S MATURING
"He's coming good at the right time. We've said it for months really, he's played some great football, he's maturing. Today I thought he was one of our best performers in the first half. Neat and tidy, he got hold of the ball. Sometimes he had a change of pace, he drove past people, he hit the post. He hit one that goes over the bar which was a bit scuffed, but he was there, he's always there."
CAVANI'S INFLUENCE
"He [Mason] has learned from Edi! And of course it's important when Edinson is here now, he's not going to play football forever, but the traits, his movement, he [Mason] has probably picked up. Mason needs to add goals like that to his tally, because we know what a wonderful talent he is. He played really well tonight and when he can add those goals, we know we've got a top forward there."
"The first one was from good play by Bruno, with a great finish by Marcus. That's my favourite type of finish, when the striker's in control. He's in control of the whole situation. The corners are always open and it's a big goal, so a good finish. And the second goal overall [from Greenwood] was a very, very good goal - a diving header, or a header inside the six-yard box."
MASON'S MATURING
"He's coming good at the right time. We've said it for months really, he's played some great football, he's maturing. Today I thought he was one of our best performers in the first half. Neat and tidy, he got hold of the ball. Sometimes he had a change of pace, he drove past people, he hit the post. He hit one that goes over the bar which was a bit scuffed, but he was there, he's always there."
CAVANI'S INFLUENCE
"He [Mason] has learned from Edi! And of course it's important when Edinson is here now, he's not going to play football forever, but the traits, his movement, he [Mason] has probably picked up. Mason needs to add goals like that to his tally, because we know what a wonderful talent he is. He played really well tonight and when he can add those goals, we know we've got a top forward there."
90 in 20: United 2 Brighton 1 Video
90 in 20: United 2 Brighton 1
Watch the extended cut of Sunday's valuable Premier League victory in Manchester...
TWENTY-FIVE POINTS GAINED FROM LOSING POSITIONS
"[That shows] excellent spirit, attitude, character and of course, quality to come back. Sometimes the game doesn't work you the way you want it to. I thought we started brightly, played some good stuff, but if you make some easy mistakes in your own half too many times, you'll get punished and they punished us. So we had to react again - as you've said, we've done that so many times. It's not a position you want to be in but these boys now have showed time and time again that we can compose ourselves and keep building momentum and creating chances."
RESULTS v PERFORMANCES AT THIS TIME OF YEAR
"You always want to perform because the better you perform, the more chance you have of getting a result. But sometimes you've just got to find a way to win. We've built momentum, we've built pressure, we've got players with quality and we managed to find a way."
FOUR POINTS CLEAR IN SECOND PLACE
"Yes but we're not going to rest. We fight for our lives, the boys fight to play in the team. I've got a good squad, they know that there's competition for places. We fight as long as we can to move up the table. It doesn't really matter what anyone else does, as long as we win and we get our points because we're in second place. It's a long way up [to first] but second place we want to consolidate that one. We want to at least keep that one and we've got a big game on Thursday [in the Europa League] as well."
"[That shows] excellent spirit, attitude, character and of course, quality to come back. Sometimes the game doesn't work you the way you want it to. I thought we started brightly, played some good stuff, but if you make some easy mistakes in your own half too many times, you'll get punished and they punished us. So we had to react again - as you've said, we've done that so many times. It's not a position you want to be in but these boys now have showed time and time again that we can compose ourselves and keep building momentum and creating chances."
RESULTS v PERFORMANCES AT THIS TIME OF YEAR
"You always want to perform because the better you perform, the more chance you have of getting a result. But sometimes you've just got to find a way to win. We've built momentum, we've built pressure, we've got players with quality and we managed to find a way."
FOUR POINTS CLEAR IN SECOND PLACE
"Yes but we're not going to rest. We fight for our lives, the boys fight to play in the team. I've got a good squad, they know that there's competition for places. We fight as long as we can to move up the table. It doesn't really matter what anyone else does, as long as we win and we get our points because we're in second place. It's a long way up [to first] but second place we want to consolidate that one. We want to at least keep that one and we've got a big game on Thursday [in the Europa League] as well."