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Solskjaer reveals why Manchester United made no substitutions against West Ham
Speaking to the press after the win over West Ham (h/t Manchester Evening News), Ole Gunnar Solskjaer stated that he did not feel the need to make any substitution against West Ham due to his team’s defensive solidity.
Manchester United were dominating the game from the first whistle and came close to opening the scoring several times. It took an own goal from Craig Dawson from a Bruno Fernandes corner to put the Red Devils in front.
The goal came in the 53rd minute and United still pushed for a second. West Ham did not really look like a threat despite going down and Solskjaer’s team hung on to keep their fourth clean sheet in a row.
The Norwegian also did not use the full quota of his 3 substitutes in the draws against Chelsea and Newcastle United. And regarding the West Ham game, Solskjaer stated that it was because no player deserved to come off.
“We want to attack by defending really high and being on the front foot defensively. It takes a lot of energy to do that but modern football requires that and we’ve got players… I didn’t feel a need today to take them off because every single one did their job to a tee defensively.”
Top-4 within reach
The former Cardiff City boss was rightly happy with his team’s defensive effort in the game. We did not allow the hammers to have any shots on target all game. (h/t SofaScore)
And more impressively, West Ham could not breach United’s defence to attempt even a single shot in the first half. Seven of the nine outfield players on the bench warmed up, but Solskjaer did not see a reason to make any changes on the field.
The win puts United in the driving seat for the top-4 race as they cemented their place in second spot on the table.
More Manchester United News:
- Jamie Carragher weighs in on Dean Henderson continuing as Manchester United number one
- Solskjaer keen to sell four Manchester United stars to boost his summer transfer kitty
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to hold final say on Manchester United transfers
The title is surely not within reach, as a 14-point gap separates us from Manchester City, but we have a healthy 9-point gap from 5th-placed West Ham United.
