Solskjaer reacts to Manchester derby defeat

Two second-half goals from Bernardo Silva and Leroy Sane were enough for the Blues to leave Old Trafford with three points, although the Reds rallied in the first half after a disappointing performance on Easter Sunday against Everton.

Fred and Jesse Lingard had early chances as United put the Premier League leaders under the cosh in the early stages before ultimately falling away after the break.

When he spoke to MUTV, Sky Sports and in his post-match press conference after the game, Ole was happy he saw a response from the defeat at Goodison Park, discussed the standards of the club that need maintaining and the desire to fight back against Chelsea on Sunday.

THE WORK RATE WAS THERE
"We got a reaction and, in the end, we were beaten by a better team. But we got a reaction from the fans, the players. We had a go, had efforts, didn’t hit the target too many times, but you can see the work rate and everything was there. It just wasn’t good enough."

EVERYONE WAS RUNNING
"You can’t say that none of the players ran. Everyone was running. I don’t know the stats and all this, but you could see clearly there was an intent, there was a focus. Rashy [Marcus Rashford] had a terrific first half. He’s always threatening, he’s running in behind. That attitude of wanting to create something was great to see. Of course, they stopped him a few times. He was close today and Rashy will be important for us and he’s got the right attitude. We’ve just got to keep working on it."

WE HAVE TO COME BACK FIGHTING
"I think David [De Gea] made some terrific saves today. It’s everyday work for everyone and David’s got high standards he’s set himself. He’s working really hard to improve, so when we are now having a time like this, we have just got to stick together, batten the hatches down and make sure we don’t do anything rash, anything stupid and keep working and stick together as a team, because we have to come back fighting on Sunday."

A LACK OF GOALS
"I’m not reflecting on the statistic, but I’m reflecting that we don’t score goals or make efforts. We created chances today but didn’t take them. That’s something we need to improve on. It’s not a lack of effort but the quality in the end today wasn’t good enough."

IT'S A CHALLENGE
"You’re at home against a very good team, but still, at home, you want to win games like this. But they’ve set the standard - the last couple of seasons, they have been the best team in the country and that’s the challenge for us to get to. We’re clearly not there now and I think everyone can see that, but that’s what I’m in the job for, to make sure we improve and get closer to them."

RESPONDING TO ROY KEANE'S CRITICISM OF THE PLAYERS
"I’ve always had a great relationship with Roy and I value his opinion very highly. He’s a Man United guy and he hurts as much as anyone. It’s my job that, when we come back in pre-season, that I have the right characters in the squad. When you’re at Man United, the spotlight will be on you and you need to make sure you come into work every day and give 100 per cent."

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