The Manchester United boss was speaking after his side came from behind to seal a dramatic and astonishing 2-1 victory over West Ham at the London Stadium. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer joked that the overreaction to Manchester United’s midweek defeat left him feeling like he was about to lose his job.
The Red Devils lost to Young Boys in the Champions League on Tuesday but came back to win a memorable victory at the London Stadium with a 2-1 victory. Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Jesse Lingard had put Solskjaer’s side in front with just a minute of normal time remaining but were almost forced to settle for a point.
The hosts had a chance to level the scores from the spot after their penalty protests were overturned. Luke Shaw was the one who handled the ball inside the box. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s continued their unbeaten start to the season with a dramatic win over West Ham.
But five minutes into stoppage time, Mark Noble, who came on specifically to take the penalty, saw his effort acrobatically saved by David de Gea. The win sparked wild scenes of jubilation both in the away end and on the pitch, as United’s entire squad engulfed the Spanish ‘keeper.
It’s a result that sees United move level on points with Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table, but Solskjaer quipped it was a victory that was desperately needed, such as the scrutiny surrounding his position.
“Five games into the season, I was probably down and out and lost my job yesterday,” Solskjaer laughed, “That’s the way it is at Man United. We deserved three points. it’s a hard place to come, hopefully, these points can make a difference.”
On the game itself, he added: “We are very happy with the win and we deserved the win. We played some very good football, created good chances, we pressed them into making loads of mistakes. David saved that penalty at half-time.”
“I’ve seen Mark Noble score so many penalties, you did feel down and out and expected to come home with one point but luckily David has continued his good form.”
United’s outgoing executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has again backed the Norwegian this week, but Solskjaer won’t be taking too much notice, having previously suggested he is never more than six games from the sack.
“Of course, you’ve got to look at the short-term results as well but my vision is long term and my discussions with the club have always been long term,” he said at the end of 2020. Short term, however, it’s impossible to not think about six more games.”
“You’ve got to think about the next game and the next six. You also have to plan and think for the bigger picture. For me, I can only speak from my experience.”