Following a heartbreaking 21 kick penalty shootout that eventually ended in defeat for Manchester United, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has given a brutally honest assessment.
Wednesday night’s game saw the Red Devils square off against Spanish side Villarreal.
After opening the game’s scoring and despite Edinson Cavani pegging them back, Unai Emery’s Yellow Submarine managed to hold the Red Devils at bay all the way to penalties.
After 11 spot kicks for Villarreal and 10 for United, goalkeeper David De Gea was tasked with scoring to keep his side’s hopes alive.
Unfortunately, the Spaniard was unable to successfully convert his spot-kick and in turn gifted Villarreal the trophy.
Speaking after the game, Solskjaer, when assessing the match said: “We didn’t turn up.
“We didn’t play as well as we know we can do. I think we started alright – they got the goal [with] the only shot they had on target, they scored. […] After we scored, we couldn’t control the game and dominate as well as we wanted.”
“We didn’t turn up, we didn’t play as well as we know we can do.”
“We didn’t create enough big chances.”
Ole Gunnar Solskjær reflects on a bitterly dissapointing evening…
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— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 26, 2021
Read more: Photo: Villarreal celebrate Europa League triumph v Manchester United
If the team didn’t turn up as the manager correctly points out I then wonder why it took him so long to make substitutions that would have injected a fresh impetus into the team.