Europa League final: We didn’t play as well as we know we can, laments Manchester United coach Solskjaer

By ANI

GDANSK: After defeat in Europa League final, Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on Thursday has said the dressing room is disappointed and the team didn’t play as well as it can

“It’s quiet, a disappointed dressing room. That’s football for you. Sometimes it’s decided on one kick — and that’s the difference between winning and losing. We have to learn from that one, not savour this feeling but taste this feeling and make sure we don’t get it again,” Solskjaer told BT Sport, as reported by Goal.com.

“We didn’t turn up. We didn’t play as well as we know we can. We started all right and they got the goal, their only shot on target. We were disappointed to concede a goal on a set play. Now is not the time to point the finger at what I’d have done differently. But when you come out without the trophy you haven’t done everything right,” he added.

The last trophy United won was the Europa League, way back in 2016-17 season after defeating Ajax in the final. The club recently lost in the FA Cup quarter-final to Leicester City and the Carabao Cup semifinal to Mancheste City.

When asked whether this season was a success, Solskjaer said: “No”.

Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea ended up missing the decisive penalty in the shootout and this gave Villarreal a famous victory in the final. The normal match saw a 1-1 draw being played and as a result, the match went into a penalty shootout.

In the shootout, the first 21 penalties combined by both the teams were successfully converted, but as United goalkeeper De Gea missed his spot-kick, Villarreal got the victory.

This is United’s sixth loss in seven shootouts and Unai Emery (Villarreal manager) won a record fourth Europa League crown. Manchester United had finished the 2020-21 Premier League season at the second spot behind Manchester City.