Manchester United bounced back from their disappointing midweek Champions League defeat in Switzerland with a 2-1 win against West Ham at the London Stadium on Sunday
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Post West Ham United
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sprinted onto the pitch to congratulate goalkeeper David de Gea following his penalty saving heroics against West Ham on Sunday.
United beat the Hammers 2-1 at the London Stadium courtesy of de Gea’s last minute save from substitute Mark Noble – who came on just to take the spot kick.
Said Benrahma opened the scoring with a deflected shot which left the Spanish goalkeeper with no chance, before Cristiano Ronaldo equalised five minutes later.
The game looked as if it was going to end in a draw until Jesse Lingard’s spectacular curling effort found its way past Lukasz Fabianski.
But then came even more drama when Luke Shaw handled Andriy Yarmolenko’s cross to concede a VAR-awarded penalty which Noble couldn’t convert.
And as the full-time whistle blew, the United boss ran straight towards his goalkeeper, who admitted he was as surprised as everyone else to see Noble step up to the mark.
“I saw Rice with the ball I was expecting him to take the penalty then I seen Noble with the ball was the last minute of the game and I made the save. Great goal from Jesse and a massive three points for us,” said de Gea.
However, the goalkeeper played down the pressure he faced when tasked with ensuring his side left the London Stadium with all three points.
“Save the ball, save the penalty and help the team to win. It’s always difficult to play here so I’m really happy,” he added.
Lingard meanwhile, was left ecstatic after his shambolic back-pass on Wednesday against the Swiss champions led to the disappointing defeat.
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“Over the moon. Got a brilliant reception when I came on, had a good time at West Ham but got to move on with Man United and do my best for United, as I said I’ve been working hard and to overcome last week wasn’t easy but to get minutes and score is brilliant,” said Lingard.
The England midfielder also said that mistakes like those are all part and parcel of the game when asked to share his thoughts on the incident.
“Mistakes happen in football and that’s one of the only mistakes I’ve made my career in football but you’ve got to overcome them, things happen and bounce back,” he said.
The United boss was pleased for his midfielder after his winner ensured his side move up to second in the table and remain unbeaten.
“Great goal, ah so happy for Jesse, of course he had a tough evening on Tuesday but he’s knuckled down, he’s worked hard, his same bright positive lad, what a goal so happy for him,” said Solskjaer. “Great pass from Nemanja, good turn and a great finish.”
United will face West Ham again on Wednesday in the EFL Cup, before they look to build on their impressive start to the new campaign when they host Aston Villa at Old Trafford in the early kick-off on Saturday.
