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Rob DawsonCorrespondent
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said this week that winning the Europa League would not necessarily show that Manchester United are progressing, but results like this are a good indicator.
Solskjaer’s argument is that a trophy can fill the cracks, but the way his team beat Milan 1-0 in their own backyard to advance to the quarterfinals should give the Norwegians the belief that these players are learning to win important games when what matters most.
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Paul Pogba, as a substitute at half time, was the winner of the match with a clever goal at the start of the second half. He has been missed for six weeks with a thigh injury during which United have won just five of their 10 games.
“When you win a soccer game away from home in a stadium like this, against a team like this you are very happy,” Solskjaer said. “We started very well the first 20 minutes, we looked like a very good team, then a period from the middle of the first half to halftime when we rush things, we lost the ball too often, we made it a long game to come back. to tackle a couple of things and the second half I thought we were better.
“Let’s see who we are in the next draw. Today we are very happy because we have beaten a historically fantastic club and a very good team that is really on the rise. Very happy with everyone and of course we want to.” Going all the way was difficult to lose in the semifinal last season. “
Make no mistake, Solskjaer wants to win the Europa League this season, but speaking on Wednesday he was firm in his opinion that winning any old trophy would not just be a sign of progress.
He didn’t say so, but he could easily have been talking about lifting the FA Cup with Louis van Gaal in 2016 or winning the League Cup and Europa League with José Mourinho in 2017.
Arsenal, also in the quarter-final draw, won the FA Cup last season but are currently 10th in the Premier League. You won’t find many Arsenal fans saying “we’re back” and Solskjaer doesn’t think United are either, but winning at the San Siro against the second team in Serie A is proof that they are on the right track.
Solskjaer has beaten Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea since taking over as manager, but his side has struggled when the stakes are high. They are on a four-game losing streak in the semi-finals, but with an early exit from the Europa League in Milan they showed the maturity and composure to navigate a tough European night.
Pogba’s goal, a deft clip on Gianluigi Donnarumma after tricking the Milan goalkeeper with a feint, less than three minutes after replacing Marcus Rashford was the difference.
“Paul looked like he had been out for six weeks,” Solskjaer said. “He’s been working hard, but when you play it’s different. He couldn’t play more than 45 minutes, but he will improve and it’s a huge boost to have him back. We know his qualities.”
The Frenchman, playing from the left, was superb in his raised comeback to United after a disjointed display in the first half. Later, Luke Shaw called the first 45 minutes “horrible.”
Fred and Victor Lindelof were excellent and Dean Henderson further strengthened his case to be No. 1 with a wonderful save to stop Zlatan Ibrahimovic heading into the tie.
Working as an insider for BT Sports, Paul Scholes said he believes Henderson should now replace David De Gea as a first choice.
“It was a great save,” Solskjaer said. “Dean is always giving us everything. He starts from the front with the pressure of a really high pressure and the six in the back plus the goalkeeper know what they can, very happy with our defensive base that gives you the platform to win games.
“We pushed from the front, great attitude to defend from the front four and of course we have been drilling the back four, but it is a team effort and the coaches have really worked on the details that we are improving in every game.”
Before kickoff, Scholes said he was “worried” for United, but even after scoring they didn’t sink to defend the edge of their area and instead showed the calm and quality to control the second half.
It was United’s first victory at the San Siro since a 3-2 Champions League win in 2010; a time when they were one of the best teams in Europe having reached the final three times in four years between 2008 and 2011.
Solskjaer has work to do to bring his team back to that level, but it is the standard he aspires to. Results like this make you feel one step closer.
