Ole Gunnar Solskjær was thrilled after Manchester United beat a “fantastic” Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 in the first group game of the Champions League and Marcus Rashford scored another late winner against the French champions.
The manager praised an all-round team effort in which Scott McTominay played most of the first half without one of his contact lenses, Axel Tuanzebe admirably defended after 10 months and Bruno Fernandes scored a penalty after a first attempt.
Solskjær said of the United substitute captain: “I’m not surprised – you know he’s got a great character and after that of Newcastle [he missed on Saturday] and I was sure that he would want to take it again. “
Fernandes’ opener came in the 23rd minute and while Anthony Martial’s second-half own goal closed the Group H game, Rashford’s 83rd-minute goal took the win after beating PSG out of the last 16 as the teams split last met at Parc des Princes in 2019.
Solskjær said: “We won against one of the best teams in the world – a fantastic one. winner [Lindelof] and Axel played tremendously. It’s a better performance this time than last time, even though we won 3-1 last time. The performance showed that we had developed. Scott [McTominay] and Fred were superb. Scotty played with only one eye in the first half – that was the most impressive thing because he lost his contact lens. “
Commenting on Rashford’s composure to score the winner, Solskjær said: “He’s quality and hit his target very well, a great turn and a good finish in the corner.”
The win follows their 4-1 win at Newcastle on Saturday, which means United have responded to Tottenham’s 6-1 humiliation with two impressive performances. Solskjær is now looking forward to Chelsea’s visit on Saturday. “When you win games and perform well, you get confidence. We will go into this game with confidence. I’m looking forward to the next few months. “
The win came without the injured Harry Maguire and Mason Greenwood and with Paul Pogba downgraded to the bench. “We showed that we have a good squad,” said Solskjær.
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