Man Utd's subject bid damaged by West Brom draw
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insists Manchester United may still catch Premier League leaders Manchester City despite a damaging 1-1 draw at struggling West Brom found on Sunday.
Solskjaer's area were rocked by Mbaye Diagne's second-minute opener for Albion at the Hawthorns.
Portugal midfielder Bruno Fernandes levelled just before half-time along with his 19th goal of the growing season in all competitions.
United were not able to break down second-bottom Albion again and possessed to stay for a third damaging draw in their last 4 league matches.
They moved above Leicester into second place, but sit seven points behind City, who have a game at hand.
"We ought to play better but we offered ourselves a hardcore start. You have 90 a few minutes to create amends but we didn't build that momentum until later in the first fifty percent," Solskjaer said.
"They put a cross found in and the boy finished well. We did get down the sides sometimes but didn't possess anybody to tap them in. Among nowadays we weren't where we have to have been."
United have lost only once in 18 group games and so are unbeaten in 19 away league matches, nonetheless they left the icy West Midlands well informed City are actually firmly in pole posture to win the subject.
"It's a compliment for the boys that we experienced (the) position we are actually. We won't let them try to escape with it," Solskjaer said.
"We're playing them quickly. We're not presenting it away early on, no, we're not!"
Following the blistering form that carried them into the title race across December and January, United are stumbling while City have won their last 11 league games.
Alert to the physical threat posed by Sam Allardyce's clubs, Solskjaer had warned his players to put their "bodies on the line" to deal with Albion's aerial assault.
But that message evidently didn't sink in as Albion took the business lead after just 83 seconds.
Conor Gallagher swung over a teasing cross from the proper and Diagne overpowered United defender Victor Lindelof as he muscled recent him before thumping a diving header beyond David de Gea.
It had been the 29-year-out of date Senegal striker's first aim in four appearances since his loan move from Galatasaray found in January.
- Fernandes to the rescue -
Diagne won another duel with Lindelof, but to the pain relief of the United centre-back, this time the header sailed wide of the far post.
United's defenders had been struggling each and every time Albion put the ball in the air and Conor Townsend's cross found Robert Snodgrass for a header that De Gea tipped over.
But, just as he has frequently since signing from Sporting Lisbon this past year, Fernandes bailed United out found in the 44th minute.
Harry Maguire showed some much-needed urgency as he advanced from the trunk to look for Luke Shaw, who underlined the dramatic improvement he comes with displayed this season with an excellent cross from the kept towards Fernandes.
Swivelling to meet it with a excellent left-ft . volley, Fernandes thundered his shot in to the top corner from 12 yards.
Since his group debut for United in February 2020, only Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski have been directly involved with more goals in Europe's five key divisions than Fernandes.
United had been denied a penalty when referee Craig Pawson consulted the pitchside monitor to overturn his initial decision after Seyi Ajayi built contact with Maguire.
Mason Greenwood forced an excellent preserve from Sam Johnstone immediately after replacing the ineffective Anthony Martial, with Scott McTominay's follow-up kicked off the series by Darnell Furlong.
Diagne must have won it for West Brom in the closing stages, but he missed some golden opportunities.
After barging past Maguire, Diagne saw De Gea save his tame close-range effort, in that case in the final moments he shot woefully wide from six yards.
To United's powerful frustration, their former keeper Johnstone built a brilliant finger-hint save in stoppage period to carefully turn Maguire's header onto the post.
