OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER hit back at the snipers questioning Cristiano Ronaldo after he scored another dramatic late Champions League winner.
He got a last gasp goal to beat Villarreal at home and last night he capped a comeback from 2-0 down with an 81st minute header to put Manchester United top of Group F.
Solskjaer said: “If anyone wants to criticise Ronaldo for attitude and work rate just watch the game and how he runs around and he is great in front of goal.
“I was really pleased with how he led the line.
“We ask him to run the channels, to drop and press more because we are at home.
“He was even down inside our six yard box defending. He did everything a centre forward should be doing and of course the goal is just what he does better than most.”
The comeback took the heat off the United boss after a run of four defeats from their previous seven games but he denied the players were playing for him last night.
He said: “Don’t disrespect the players they played for Man United and they are the luckiest men in the world because they’re the ones who get to play for Man United and millions of boys and girls would love to do that.”
You did it again, @Cristiano…
#UCL pic.twitter.com/zRkFIXfEbk
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 20, 2021
Solskjaer also praised the crowd for staying behind the team and roaring them on to victory as Marcus Rashford and Harry Maguire pulled goals back before Ronaldo’s headed winner.
He said: “The fans have kept everyone going and gave the players the belief. The singing corner are the best in the world and there’s some time where you are down as a supporter but they kept going.
“I thought we played well first half but they had two chances and scored two goals and that has to stop.
“But they never stopped believing and kept going.
“I said at half-time if we get the next goal and don’t concede we will go on to win.
“The quality of our finishing was much better in the second-half.”
It was Captain Maguire’s first Champions League goal and he was full of praise for another classic Ronaldo header.
Maguire said: “I had eyes on it all the way. I was right behind him. His leap, his timing, it was perfect right in the corner.
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“We see it day in, day out in training and in the goals he has scored throughout his career. He has come up with a massive goal for us again in the Champions League.
“We were two goals down and we need to sharpen up with that. We are working hard to be more solid but it is about winning and the last three or four games we have conceded too many set-pieces.
“It is fine margins but we need to do better. We showed great togetherness. We were clapped off at half-time by some of these fans and they gave us the belief we needed.”
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