Solskjaer reacts to draw at The Hawthorns
Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was understandably frustrated with the 1-1 draw at West Brom.
The manager felt his team did not do enough to deserve all three points, although a penalty for a foul on Harry Maguire was overturned in the second half after a VAR review, and the skipper also forced a flying save out of Sam Johnstone, who tipped the ball onto a post deep into stoppage time.
Referee Craig Pawson also interrupted an extremely promising break to blow the half-time whistle, which upset Ole, as the rub of green was definitely against the Reds.
Ole's post-match interview
The manager gives his thoughts on Fernandes’s goal, Johnstone’s save and the VAR incident…
Speaking to MUTV's Stewart Gardner and at his press conference, Solskjaer made the following points...
FALLING SHORT
"[The performance?] Not worthy of three points. We didn't do enough to win the game. To earn three points in the Premier League always requires a lot of things - quality, tempo, attitude. We've got the right attitude and the work-rate is there. We just didn't have the quality in the last moments to have the right cross or be in the right place to tap it in."
VAR CONTROVERSY
"You know, when Harry's goal against Burnley is disallowed, that is more of a foul [Mbaye Diagne's challenge on Victor Lindelof for the opening goal]. But, as a striker, I don't like to see any of those goals taken away. But we want some consistency. It's definitely more of a foul than what Harry did to the Burnley lad. It would be harsh to lose a goal like this but both of them should have stood for me. I've not looked at it again, I just saw it live and have not seen it. Consistency is what we need and it was definitely more of a foul than what Harry did against the Burnley lad. The VAR decision [on United's penalty]? It's a foul - as clear as day but he's offside as well. I think the lad in the VAR room must be asleep [laughs] as he's not even clocked that he's off. Consistency and clarity is what we all want and that was a strange moment."
OUT OF LUCK
"It's a good save by Sam [at the death]. I thought we were going to score just before half-time on the break, three versus one but then he blows the whistle and that was a big moment for us."
Talking Points: West Brom 1 United 1
ArticleRead our alternative take on a hard-fought battle between the Reds and the Baggies.
BRUNO'S BRILLIANT GOAL
"It's fantastic and also fantastic play because we built pressure and kept playing and playing and playing. We didn't give the ball away and it was a great cross by Luke [Shaw]. It was great technique by Bruno. They defended well, take nothing away from the defending, or Sam's save at the end. We had to produce more quality and more magic than we did."
NO ATTITUDE PROBLEM
"The attitude is right. I have seen the focus, the work the coaches have done and the focus and their attitude is right. I cannot fault it at all. It's about the quality in games. It doesn't matter in the Premier League, if you play the fifth team, the 18th team or the 10th team. You've got to produce quality in the big moments. We just lacked that little bit of ruthlessness and clinical finishing. Definitely."
UNBEATEN AWAY RUN EXTENDED
"At the moment, that record doesn't mean anything. We are in desperate need for three points. We want to move up the table and you don't do that by getting one point away from home. Of course, it's a disappointing outcome today. Then again, some of our play was really good and some of our performances were really good. There are some positives but, overall, we're disappointed with only one point."