Man Utd: Solskjaer questions influence over penalty decisions
Manchester United drew blank against Chelsea in a less than thrilling encounter at Stamford Bridge. However, one man clearly caught the eye of United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who has full praise for the star who has struggled at times.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was delighted with Dan James' performance against Chelsea (Image: GETTY)
And Solskjaer was full of praise for James at full time, saying: “He [Daniel James] did really well.
“His defending, his pressing, his energy. What we asked for, he gave us. They kicked him between pillar and post, so top, top marks for him."
The Norwegian wasn’t entirely upbeat after securing a draw in the capital though, and lamented their lack of goals.
“We’re not scoring enough goals, that’s for sure,” he said. “We came away and it’s another good clean sheet but the next step for this team is to win these games and score a goal.
James was a constant threat for the Chelsea defence (Image: GETTY)
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“We needed to get three points and, of course, we should have had a penalty, which probably I would back Bruno [Fernandes] every day of the week.
“We didn’t have the right weight of pass, good quality at the end in the four or five good breakaways we had in the second half."
The first half was shrouded in controversy as Callum Hudson-Odoi was not adjudged to have handled the ball inside the penalty area, despite a VAR review.
But Solskjaer admitted that he wholeheartedly disagreed with the outcome, hinting that outside influences may even be affecting refereeing decisions.
“We could’ve had a penalty,” he added. “It’s so clear and nailed on that you can’t even fathom why he never gave it, when he was told to have a look at it.
“They probably thought his hand was in a very natural position, when he flicked that ball. It’s gone now.
“We should have had a penalty, that’s clear, and I’m a bit concerned we don’t get those penalties after what noises were made a month or two ago about us getting penalties.
“Clearly, there is a point of managers influencing the referees, which they shouldn’t do.“