Crisis averted as Man United and Solskjaer come out fighting
Manchester United’s players came out fighting for their under-fire manager on Saturday.
After his team’s stirring comeback in a 3-1 win at Everton in the Premier League, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer didn’t hold back, either.
“The authorities set us up to fail,” an angry Solskjaer said, in reference to United having to play around 48 hours after returning from a grueling trip to Turkey for a Champions League game.
“We’ve had enough of that. I’ve had enough.”
It was a release of energy and emotion by Solskjaer at the end of a week when his managerial credentials were widely questioned — not for the first time.
A 1- 0 home loss to
Arsenal, which plunged United to 15th place in the fledgling league standings, was followed by a 2- 1 defeat at Istanbul Basaksehir, a Champions League newcomer containing a number of Premier League castoffs.
Acknowledging he was back under pressure, Solskjaer called for patience from the club’s ownership and fans. The man known as the “Baby-Faced Assassin” during his playing days at United has had a habit of getting a result when he needs one most during his time as the club’s manager — and he did it again at Goodison Park.
United responded to going behind in the 19th minute to a goal from Brazilian winger Bernard by scoring twice — both times through playmaker Bruno Fernandes — before halftime. Edinson
Cavani capped the fightback with his first goal for United deep in stoppage time.
“We’ve been questioned,” United captain Harry Maguire said. “But we know we don’t answer them in 90 minutes, we answer them day in, day out.
“The lads are working tirelessly for this club, everyone wants to improve and do better. The manager has to pull the lads off the training ground.”
Another defeat would have left Solskjaer in a difficult and uncomfortable position heading into a two-week international break, but he can breathe easier now as he approaches two years in charge of United.
ZIYECH STARS
Like United, Chelsea also fought back from conceding an early goal
and ultimately swept aside Sheffield United in a 4-1 win.
And like United, Chelsea had a creative playmaker pulling the strings as the catalyst for the recovery.
Hakim Ziyech has had a slow start to life at Stamford Bridge, having picked up an injury during Chelsea’s short preseason to rule him out of the team’s opening games after joining from Ajax. The Morocco winger is fit now, though, and is proving to be Chelsea’s main supply line from the right.
Ziyech’s delivery from free kicks set up goals for Ben Chilwell and Thiago Silva while Timo Werner -- the scorer of Chelsea’s fourth goal -- squandered a gilt-edged chance from Ziyech’s through- ball in the second half.