Solskjaer hails 'massive' result against Chelsea

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer revelled in Manchester United's victory over Chelsea in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Monday.

Published : Feb 19, 2019 10:46 IST

Manchester United caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer celebrates
Manchester United caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer celebrates
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Manchester United caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer celebrates

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer described Manchester United's FA Cup fifth-round win against Chelsea as "massive" following its loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.

United's unbeaten run under caretaker manager Solskjaer was ended by PSG in the first leg of its last-16 tie last week but the Red Devils responded with a comfortable 2-0 away victory over Chelsea on Monday.

Ander Herrera and Paul Pogba guided United to its 11th win in 13 matches in all competitions following Solskjaer's appointment in December.

"Massive [result], of course," Solskjaer told reporters. "You want to see a reaction.

"The players have been brilliant in training. We were quite confident going into this game that we had found the right team selection and temperament.

"There's a balance between being too eager after losing a game, so today was brilliant."

Related: United visits Wolves in FA Cup last eight, Swansea hosts City

Herrera opened the scoring just past the half-hour mark at Stamford Bridge, where Pogba added a second on the stroke of half-time as United – which lost to Chelsea in last season's FA Cup final – beat the Blues away from home for the first time since 2012.

With Wolves awaiting in the quarterfinals, Solskjaer added: "We lost the final to Chelsea last year. My last game was a loss to Chelsea in the FA Cup final. Last time we beat them in the Cup was 20 years ago, apparently. We want to get to the final.

"It'll be a tough away game against Wolves, but it seems like both we and our fans love the away games. It didn't feel like an away game with that support behind the goal."

United, which has only lost once since Solskjaer replaced Jose Mourinho, is fourth in the Premier League and a point above sixth-placed Chelsea ahead of Sunday's visit of Liverpool.

Asked if United have gained a psychological advantage over Chelsea in the league following Monday's triumph, Solskjaer said: "We've got to build on the positives tonight. We play Liverpool next week, but Chelsea, Arsenal and us will fight for that fourth position.

"There are three good teams fighting for that one position. But this was about getting through to the next round."

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