Solskjaer Refuses To Concede Defeat In The Title Race After Man United Win Against Newcastle
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is refusing to concede defeat in the Premier League title race after his Manchester United side saw off Newcastle to reclaim second spot from Leicester and stay within 10 points of leaders Manchester City.
The Red Devils took the lead against the strugglers thanks to a piece of individual Marcus Rashford brilliance on the half-hour mark before Allan Saint-Maximin hit back six minutes later.
Solskjaer’s men got their noses back in front thanks to Daniel James before Bruno Fernandes tucked home from the spot to seal a 3-1 win after Rashford had been clipped by Arsenal loanee Joe Willock.
Despite City claiming their 18th successive win in all competitions after beating Arsenal 1-0, the United legend is not giving up hope of reeling in their arch rivals.
‘I’m never going to say it’s done until it’s done,’ he added. ‘You’ve seen so many examples of teams hanging in there: do your own jobs and something might happen.
‘We just think about our own games. It’s not like we are going to think we’ll lose as there’s no point. We’ve loads to play for.
‘We’ve got to be there just in case, but every game is important. Every time we get three points we’ve done our job. That’s what we’ve got to do and then see what other teams do.
‘We had to find a way to win it in the second half. The first half wasn’t up to the standard we wanted. It took us to half time to get our legs and energy.’
By contrast, Steve Bruce’s charges are looking over their shoulder after 18th-placed Fulham cut the gap between them to just three points on Saturday following a nailbiting win over Sheffield United.
‘I agree it’s gloomy, but I was pleased with the performance today. I’m still quietly confident that we’ll get the results we need,’ insisted under-pressure Magpies boss Steve Bruce.
‘Everyone near the bottom will be looking nervously over their shoulder. I’ve been saying for many years it is about the accumulation of points.
‘We’ve been stuck on 25 points for a little while. We have to win a few games to get to that magic figure, whatever it is.’