Ole Gunnar Solskjaer backs Fernandes despite missing penalty as Villa stun Man Utd 1-0
Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer consoles Bruno Fernandes after he missed a penalty against Aston Villa on Saturday. Pic/AFP
Bruno Fernandes missed a stoppage-time penalty as Aston Villa shocked Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford on Saturday to prevent the Red Devils moving top of the Premier League.
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The Portuguese midfielder blasted his 93rd-minute spot-kick over the bar minutes after Kortney Hause’s late headed goal, which earned Villa their first win against United since December 2009.
‘He’ll step forward again’
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer claimed Villa’s players tried to distract Fernandes but backed his player to rebound after he missed just his second penalty for United in 23 attempts. “The way they get round the penalty spot, get round Bruno, that’s not to my liking,” he said. “It [the miss] doesn’t get in Bruno’s head. He’s strong mentally and he’ll step forward again.”
United drew a blank in the league for the first time this season despite boasting the top-flight’s best attacking record and a star-studded line-up featuring Cristiano Ronaldo, Fernandes, Paul Pogba and Mason Greenwood. Jadon Sancho, Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard—last week’s match-winner at West Ham— were unused substitutes and Edinson Cavani only entered the fray with eight minutes remaining.
United have now lost three of their past four matches in all competitions after exiting the League Cup on Wednesday and conceding a late winner in their Champions League opener at Young Boys the previous week.
Man City beat Chelsea 1-0
Meanwhile, Manchester City took revenge for their Champions League final loss to Chelsea and secured a big three points in the early running for the Premier League title with a 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge.
Gabriel Jesus’s deflected effort eight minutes into the second-half separated the sides, but City should have been more convincing winners as they laid down a marker after losing to Chelsea three times towards the end of last season. The most painful of those came in Porto as Chelsea lifted the Champions League to deny City the crowning glory of the club’s rise since an Abu Dhabi takeover in 2008.
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