Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says Man Utd's thrilling win over Leeds could have been 12-4 to his side
Scott McTominay and Bruno Fernandes doubles and further goals from Victor Lindelof and Dan James took Man Utd to a huge win over Leeds - and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was delighted with the fitness and performance of his players
Monday 21 December 2020 06:12, UK
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said there could have been even more goals in Manchester United's thrilling 6-2 win over Leeds and says his team are now fit and hitting form.
Solskjaer's side - who have been such slow starters this season - burst out of the traps on Sunday evening, with Scott McTominay scoring twice in the first three minutes before further strikes from Bruno Fernandes (two), Victor Lindelof and Dan James took the hosts to a big win at Old Trafford.
The three points lift Manchester United to third in the Premier League table at Christmas, five points off leaders Liverpool with a game in hand.
Solskjaer is not getting carried away but insists after six wins in their last seven in the league, his team are coming into good shape, after a delayed start to the season due to their involvement in European competition at the end of the previous campaign.
"That was fantastic," Solskjaer told Sky Sports. "From the first minute we had a plan to get after them, go forward when we got the ball and of course Scott gets two goals in the first three minutes which is a great start to the game.
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"We found a way of getting [the Man Utd players] going. Just imagine if that had 75,000 people here, it would have gone down in history as one of the better Man United performances against Leeds here at home.
"We're one third into the season, not even at the halfway point. So league position is not something we're going to look at. We look at improvement in the team, look at improvement in fitness - because we knew we were going to be lagging behind in fitness and I think it showed in the first few games.
"But now we showed we're getting a fitter and stronger team."
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Despite dishing out a heavy defeat on Leeds, Solskjaer praised the intensity of Marcelo Bielsa's side and said the scoreline could have been even more eye-catching.
"You have to earn the right to win it by running as much or even more than them," he said. "That's a challenge against Leeds, who are one of the fittest teams in the league. That will be interesting to see the stats.
"Then the man-marking [by Leeds], there were a couple of movements that we worked on that worked at times.
"It could or should have been 12-4! It was that type of game.
"You know it's going to be frantic, hectic against them. No matter what the result is, 5-0, or 5-0 down, or 0-0, they have a certain attitude and style that make you have to work and you have to concentrate every minute."
High praise for McTominay
Scott McTominay delivered his most complete performance yet, scoring twice inside the opening three minutes and leading Manchester United to a 6-2 win over Leeds United and was hailed by his manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for his display.
"Scott used to be a striker as a kid. He is a physical monster - he can win in the air, he wins tackle, but he's so strong and he's quick as well," said Solskjaer.
"He just ran into the space that we hoped he would get and it was good work by the other players to create the space and good finishes."
McTominay was clearly enjoying the extra opportunity to get forward and his manager conceded he has often discouraged him from charging into attacking positions.
"I have to stop Scott from doing that sometimes - he is an attacking midfielder by nature. But when he sees space in front of him, why stop him? But he's great at shielding his back four," he said.
Bielsa rues missed opportunities
Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa, meanwhile, believed his team's finishing was the costly factor in the game from the visitors' perspective, with Manchester United capitalising on counter-attack opportunities.
"In the first half we had similar opportunities to the ones that they had, and we weren't able to score them," he said.
"Our attacks came from combination play and their attacks came from the fact we were losing the ball in attacking positions and they would transition from defence to attack.
"Our return was slower than their transition and this was linked to the fact we couldn't finish our attacks, and our return was not at the speed needed."
What's next?
Manchester United go to Everton in the Carabao Cup quarter-final on Wednesday night, live on Sky Sports Football at 8pm, before going to Leicester on Boxing Day at 12.30pm.
Leeds host Burnley on December 27, live on Sky Sports Premier League at midday.
