Short of snaring a win, the Red Devils did manage an epic comeback at Bramall Lane and forced a 3-3 draw against Sheffield United, netting all the goals in a span of seven minutes in the last half. However, Manchester United Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was quick to admit that overall, his team played mediocre football.
The Reds' late surge in the game would have resulted in a 3-2 win, which could have been incredible as United trailed from 0-2, but the Blades turned things back to the host's favor with an equalizer from Ollie McBurnie.
United avoided the humiliation of defeat but Solskjaer was not completely happy. The Red Devils played quite a poor game, according to the Norwegian.
"I was angry, disappointed, you had to wake them up. You had to do something about it. I could have changed every player at half-time, apart from the keeper," Metro reported the United coach as saying.
He added what seen when the Reds faced the Blades was uncharacteristic of United, explaining that the outcome suited with the level of the game displayed by the players.
"It wasn't about tactics. It was about the desire first half, getting first to the ball, tackling, winning challenges. Sometimes tactics go out of the window. You have to earn the right to win a game and we didn't have any right to win the game after 70 minutes. We were nowhere near a Man United team," Solskjaer said.
In a related report, BBC described the United squad as "awful" during the opening half though the club managed a redemption by netting three goals in quick successions, and at a time when the Bramall crowd had already assumed a win for Sheffield.
The spoilers turned out to be Brandon Williams, Mason Greenwood, and Marcus Rashford. And collectively, they represent a young United team that will not easily stand down even in the face of certain defeat.
"But this group won't give in, don't give in. We've made massive strides and would have a learned a lot today," Solskjaer boasted.
It used to be that being down by two points at the first half would automatically lead to a loss but the United coach pointed out that his players flashed the character required on the pitch. Solskjaer said there was a hint of disappointment in him but he was glad that his young team learned a valuable lesson.
"Even though the big part of this game is a negative and we are disappointed with it, the overriding feeling is a positive because of the character to stick in there and turn it around," explained the Norwegian boss.
