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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says that everyone at Manchester United should look in the mirror after Crystal Palace punished his team’s weak display.
Having finished the Norwegian’s first full season on the bench with three cup semi-finals and a third place in the Premier League, the 2020/21 campaign got off to an alarming start at an empty Old Trafford.
United’s response to Andros Townsend’s first game was poor, with the familiar face of Wilfried Zaha compounding matters after video assistant referee Jon Moss judged David De Gea off his line when he saved Jordan Ayew’s penalty.
Zaha shot home to retake the penalty and the former United player clinched an impressive 3-1 victory at Old Trafford, where rookie Donny van de Beek had temporarily reduced the deficit.
“Yes, you can see that we are short and they deserved the points,” Solskjaer said. “They were sharper than us on challenges, tackles.
“We started slowly and that had a domino effect for the rest of the game when they got the first goal.
“We had a long season last season and we didn’t finish until August 16, and we haven’t had enough preparation time to be sharper.
“Of course we have worked hard with those who have been here, there have been some players who have been away in international matches.
“But Roy [Hodgson] He said they had four friendlies and this is their third competitive game, which is a bit different than ours against Aston Villa last week. “
Executive Vice President Ed Woodward was at Old Trafford for defeat on a day when he spoke of the need to be “responsible in the use of resources during this extraordinarily challenging time.”
But the performance only highlighted the need to add to the Van de Beek acquisition before the October 5 deadline, to the dismay of fans at the lack of signings palpable online in the absence of supporters present.
“We can play a lot better than today,” Solskjaer said. “If you look at the players we have on the field and on the bench and not here today, I think we all need to look inward first.
“We have to look at ourselves and we know we have to do better.
“On the other hand, we are always, always looking to improve if something is available at the right price.
“We always want to strengthen ourselves, but I think that today we can all look in the mirror.”
Solskjaer did not believe that Palace should receive a handball penalty against Victor Lindelof, but he understood why it was retaken, even if the United manager called the decision “tough”.
The 1999 hat-trick accepted his team as second-best Saturday night when the Eagles began a season in the top flight with back-to-back victories for the first time in their history.
“It was a very difficult start,” said Palace manager Hodgson, who also oversaw the victory at Old Trafford last season.
“When the matches came out, we saw Southampton, who of course finished last season so well and had a brilliant road record, and a trip to Old Trafford, and then Everton, who we knew were getting tremendously stronger, and then to Chelsea.
“We were looking down the barrel of a gun to some extent, especially with all our wounds on defense.
“But we survived, we handled the first two games extremely well and that’s very good because those six points in the bag no one can take away from us.
Hodgson also hopes no one will take Zaha after the former United striker scored three goals in two league games.
“I am very happy for him and very happy for the club he plays for,” he said.
“I don’t think one should always connect performances with what happened in someone’s life six years ago. As far as I’m concerned, it’s about the present and the future.
“I am delighted with Wilf’s present and I look forward to working with him in the future and seeing more performances like today.”
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