Ole explains why Man Utd draw is ‘such a big stride forward’

Will Ford

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admitted Sheffield United “wanted it more” in the first half but insists they would not have come back to get a result last season, as the Red Devils drew 3-3 at Bramall Lane.

United were woeful for the first 70 minutes of the game and were completely outplayed by the Blades who looked to be cruising to victory after John Fleck and Lys Mousset had put them two goals up.

But goals from Brandon Williams, Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford in the space of seven minutes looked to have completed a remarkable turnaround for the Red Devils, before Oli BcBurnie’s 90th minute strike secured a deserved point for the home side.

Solskjaer told Sky Sports: “Sometimes football is beyond tactics. The energy compared to ours in the first half and then we get that goal and we start to believe.

“The difference in the team this year compared to last is huge.

“At 2-0 down, my mind goes back to Everton last year.

“I have no doubt about the attitude of these boys… they never give in.”

“Last year we would have gone four or five down instead of coming back. This is such a big stride forward for them, coming back from 2-0 down.

Solskjaer was asked why United were so poor for an hour.

“Sheffield United looked like they wanted it more than us and believed in their game plan more than we did. We did not have a shot on target first half which is not acceptable.

“When you are 2-0 down you have to go for it, play with less fear and just go for it. The average ages of the goals is less than 20, it’s something we are proud of.

“It’s a great experience for our young players because it’s not easy to comeback at a place like this.

“It’s mixed emotions. We cannot be happy, we have not performed for the majority of the game but we turned it around and we showed what we could be capable of.

“We have to do it now for a whole game. We know we can, we just have to show it.”