Solskjaer reacts to Carabao Cup progress

Speaking at a press conference and to MUTV, the boss was pleased to get through to set up a Manchester derby in the last four but admits there is still room for improvement in his young squad...

GOALS CHANGE GAMES

"I thought we played well in the first half but we were wasteful. I think we played miles better in the first half than the second half, but we scored. In games like this, you need the first goal to settle any doubt and then spaces will come and it will flow more. I thought we did okay, actually. They kept a clean sheet against [Crystal] Palace and Tottenham. We knew they were going to be hard to break down and, in the end, the first time they really went for it and had a chance, we counter-attacked and that settled everything."

BREAKING THE DEADLOCK

"Sometimes, in games like this, you don’t take those opportunities. There won’t be many - it was the first time we had one and we really went for it. A great pass from Nemanja [Matic] and a great finish by Marcus [Rashford], but Sergio [Romero]’s intent at going forward was the key."

WE EASED UP

"I thought we took our foot off the pedal, we didn’t press them. We let them have the ball, we started making decisions that we don’t normally do. We wanted to beat men when there was no space, shoot from not the right distances. It’s about learning and decision-making all the time. Of course, missing chances, that can happen, like we did in the first half. But, still, we prodded, we were patient and we probed and we created chances." 

BRING ON THE BLUES

"No, I don't believe in things being written in the stars. But we take what comes our way. We've got a good memory from the last time we played them. We played well but there are things we need to improve on, and I'm sure they will look at that game and there are things they need to improve on. I think it will be two fantastic nights in Manchester."

ON THE RIGHT PATH

"We’re in a good place and the momentum is there at the moment. We’ve taken steps forward - sometimes, yeah, it’s a step backwards with a couple of draws that we’ve had, but if you look at the performances and results that we’ve had lately - I think in the last eight or nine games, we’ve scored. If you take away Astana, which was a great experience anyway for the kids, in the last nine, since we got beat at Bournemouth, we’ve won six and drawn three, and scored loads of goals. So, we’re on the right track."

THE YEAR AHEAD

"Hopefully, we’ll keep on improving. Of course, you can look at the table and the points tally and they are very similar to last year. But it’s a decision we made to rebuild. We’re a younger, more proactive and hungrier squad. We’re the youngest squad in the Premier League. It’s a joy to work with - it was a joy when I came in a year ago, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes you have to make decisions which you think are the right ones."

Reading this in our app? If not, you might miss some exclusive features not found on ManUtd.com. Download the Official App here.