New Straits Times

SOLSKJAER ‘NOT CONNED’ BY SON

Man Utd take revenge on Spurs in fightback win

- LONDON

OLE Gunnar Solskjaer said Manchester United were sparked into life by the injustice of seeing Edinson Cavani’s opening goal controvers­ially ruled out as the Red Devils roared back to beat Tottenham 3-1 on Sunday.

United came from behind to win for the ninth time in the league this season as second-half goals from Fred, Cavani and Mason Greenwood cancelled out Son Heung-min’s opener.

However, Solskjaer still took aim at Son for his role in the goal United had ruled out.

Paul Pogba and Cavani combined brilliantl­y for the Uruguayan to drill the ball low between the legs of Hugo Lloris on 36 minutes.

But a VAR review by referee Chris Kavanagh resulted in a Tottenham free-kick for a foul by Scott McTominay on Son in the build-up.

The Scottish internatio­nal made minimal contact with Son’s face as he swatted the South Korean aside.

“The game is absolutely gone if that’s a clear and obvious error,” said Solskjaer. “It was a perfectly good goal. I think that kickstarte­d us, the performanc­e from then till the end of the game was so much better.

“We shouldn’t be conned. I have to say, if my son stays down like this for three minutes and needs his 10 mates to help him up, he won’t get any food. “We weren’t (conned), the referee was.”

Victory for United avenged Tottenham’s stunning 6-1 win when the sides last met at Old Trafford in October and kept alive their slim title hopes by cutting the gap on local rivals Manchester City to 11 points.

Even if they do not manage to reel in City in their final seven games of the campaign, United opened up a nine-point cushion over fifth-placed Chelsea in the battle for a place in next season’s Champions League.

Tottenham’s hopes of a return to Europe’s premier club competitio­n are dwindling fast as they are now six points adrift of West Ham in fourth and could slip to eighth if Everton win at Brighton on Monday.

 ?? AFP PIC ?? Manchester United’s Edinson Cavani heads the ball and scores during their Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
AFP PIC Manchester United’s Edinson Cavani heads the ball and scores during their Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

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