'Leave them to it': Solskjaer criticises players for putting pressure on referee Attwell
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has criticised Manchester United and Chelsea players for putting pressure on Stuart Attwell while the referee checked the touchline monitor to decide whether Callum Hudson-Odoi had committed a handball in Sunday’s draw at Chelsea.
The official was advised by the VAR to consult the screen after he initially ruled against awarding a penalty. To United’s fury, he stuck with that view despite it appearing that HudsonOdoi’s hand had stopped Mason Greenwood winning possession. Afterwards Solskjaer claimed “outside influences”, including an article on Chelsea’s website, meant his team were not being given decisions.
On Tuesday United’s manager was asked for his view on players gathering near Attwell as he made his judgment on the incident. Chelsea’s César Azpilicueta and Hudson-Odoi had appeared to make their feelings known behind the referee, and United’s Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford were among others in close proximity.
“The refs have a difficult enough job without extra pressure, so we should just leave them to it, make as many good decisions as they can,” Solskjaer said.
His captain, Harry Maguire, remonstrated with Attwell following the VAR check.
Solskjaer’s stance is a U-turn from one offered in January after key decisions in the 2-1 loss to Sheffield United went against his team when the VAR did not ask the referee to check the pitchside monitor. He said: “Maybe we should have made more of a fuss about it. We are a bunch of nice lads: maybe we should have really made them look at it before the game started again.”
He shrugged off a question about the penalty incident at Chelsea. “That’s water under the bridge,” he said.
Despite his perception that officials are being influenced to rule against United, Solskjaer will not take up the practice.“I believe in fairness, karma,” he said. “I’m just made the way I am.”
He has not ruled out United becoming champions despite the big gap to Manchester City. “Jackie Stewart’s first win in Formula One – I think we’ve all heard about that one,” he said. “You never know what’s going to happen in life and definitely not in football and sports.”
At the 1965 Italian GP Stewart’s first grand prix victory came after Jim Clark had a mechanical breakdown and then Stewart’s teammate, Graham Hill, made an error when leading.
Edinson Cavani may be fit for Wednesday’s trip to Crystal Palace after a muscle problem.