Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says their 6-1 hammering at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League (EPL) on Sunday is his worst day at the club.
It was Manchester United’s joint worst loss in the Premier League era —- equalling their 6-1 defeat by Manchester City in 2011.
“It’s a horrible feeling, the worst day I’ve had as a Manchester United manager and player,” said the Norwegian after his side, reduced to 10 men for the last hour, were ripped apart by Jose Mourinho’s Spurs.
“I’ve been part of big defeats before and we’ve bounced back. So, we’ve just got to let the boys go away on international duty, find their mojo themselves and the others that are going to stay here, we’ve got to help them. After a result like this, you need to clear your mind and head and look forward,” said Solskjaer.
The defeat, coming before Monday’s transfer deadline, is sure to spark even more criticism of Manchester United’s failure to significantly strengthen Solskjaer’s squad during the summer window.
Solskjaer was a member of the Manchester United squad which won the UEFA Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup under Alex Ferguson in 1999.
But he said he was not going to use the situation to shield himself from criticism.
“If it’s a different shape, mentality, I don’t know, but it will be different. We can’t accept performances like this. I hold my hands up, I’m in charge and I’m responsible for this,” he said.
Manchester United’s defending was shambolic as they trailed 4-1 at the break.
“Sometimes you make mistakes. That’s part of life and we made too many mistakes in one game of football and that shows in the result against a very good football team,” Solskjaer said.
“They are a team full of quality and we got punished almost every time we made a mistake.
