Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insists Donny van de Beek “played really well” as Man Utd beat West Ham in the FA Cup on Tuesday night.
Having seen victory ripped from their grasp with the last kick of the ball on Saturday, the Red Devils produced a positive response to that frustrating 3-3 Premier League draw against Everton.
Man Utd had to dig deep against former manager David Moyes’ in-form West Ham side, with substitute Scott McTominay meeting Marcus Rashford’s fine lay-off with a thumping strike to secure a 1-0 victory in extra time.
OPINION: Van De Beek and Manchester United are a rotten match
Solskjaer made six changes for Tuesday’s fifth-round tie, then made five substitutions to sway a tight game his side’s way.
One of those substitutions was Van de Beek, who was taken off on 73 minutes, with the Dutchman facing criticism for failing to have an impact on the game.
However, Solskjaer thought that Van de Beek had a good game, he said: “I thought the first half we and Donny played really well. We created the spaces we wanted to and he was part of that.
“He did his job really well, he was clean and tidy, had half a chance when Alex pulled the ball back to him. Of course, the second half the whole team fell off a little bit and we wanted to make a few changes.”
On his side’s performance in general, Solskjaer added: “Of course going through is always the main thing in the cup.
“And for us bouncing back after the disappointing last kick of the ball the other day, so very pleased with the mentality, how they reset their attitude and we’re positive about going through.
“I think the players saw the game out really well. We are getting stronger and fitter.”
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