Solskjaer admits Man Utd ‘quality and execution’ lacking after flops fall 2-0 to West Ham
OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER admitted his Manchester United side are lacking in their "quality and execution" after they fell to defeat at drab West Ham.
Goals from Andriy Yarmolenko and Aaron Cresswell secured the points for the Hammers and ensured the Red Devils have still not won an away Premier League game since February.
But while Solskjaer could not fault his players' effort, he was left wondering what might have been if they were more clinical in the final third.
He said: "It's a good group to work with. They are determined. Sometimes along the road you will hit bumps, some highs and lows they showed the desire to get out, it was a good atmosphere in the dressing room. They got the focus right.
"This group - they want to do what we're trying to do. It's about key moments in games that can tip them in our favour instead of theirs. It may be a bad decision on a pass left right or centre.
"But the attitude and desire is there - that's not the problem. It's the quality in our decision-making and sometimes in the execution."
The two chances we had in the second half if we could have again I'm sure we will score more than we miss.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Daniel James slid just wide while Harry Maguire was denied by Lukasz Fabianski in the best chances for the visitors..
David De Gea, meanwhile, could do nothing to deny Yarmolenko's neat finish before the break or Cresswell's free-kick which sealed the points.
Solskjaer added: "We lost here last year. It's always a difficult ground to go to we should do better than we did. We hope for better.
"The key moments, they grasped and we didn't. It was two fantastic finishes from left feet. We just didn't take our chances when we had them.
"We didn't create enough chances, we created big moments we didn't take. It's a game that could have gone both ways.
"A few in the first half we turned down a key pass. The two chances we had in the second half if we could have again I'm sure we will score more than we miss."
STRIKER STRUGGLES
As well as the defeat, Solskjaer looks to have lost Marcus Rashford for a few weeks. He pulled up with an hour played and hobbled off holding his upper leg.
With Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood out, Romelu Lukaku sold and Alexis Sanchez loaned out for the season, it cranks up the pressure up front with Rochdale and Arsenal heading to Old Trafford over the next eight days.
The United boss said: "No update on Marcus, we need to scan him tomorrow. He felt it in his groin. He will probably be out for a little while but I will update you later.
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"Historically, we have had loads of centre-backs struggling with injuries. At the moment it's strikers, that's just how it's gone.
"Hopefully Mason and Anthony will be back definitely for Arsenal, and hopefully one of them for Rochdale.
"We made a decision on Sanchez [being loaned to Inter] and I still think it was the best one for us and Alexis."
