Ole Gunnar Solskjaer praises Graham Potter's Brighton after rollercoaster Premier League tie

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said he was 'not at all' surprised by Brighton's performance during their dramatic Premier League game today.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Manager of Manchester United greets Graham Potter, Head Coach of Brighton and Hove Albion prior to the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester United (Photo by John Sibley - Pool/Getty Images)Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Manager of Manchester United greets Graham Potter, Head Coach of Brighton and Hove Albion prior to the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester United (Photo by John Sibley - Pool/Getty Images)
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Manager of Manchester United greets Graham Potter, Head Coach of Brighton and Hove Albion prior to the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester United (Photo by John Sibley - Pool/Getty Images)

A 100th minute penalty from Bruno Fernandes, awarded after the full-time whistle for a handball by Neal Maupay, gave United a 3-2 win in a rollercoaster match at the Amex.

Solskjaer admitted his side were fortunate to come away with three points, having been on the receiving end of 18 shots, including five strikes against the woodwork.

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Asked if his side were let off the hook, he said: "I think so. We've got to be honest with ourselves to say they created the most chances.

"They had loads of shots and had big chances.

"We need to improve a lot in the weeks coming forward. We are not in our best shape of form. We are not sharp enough to block crosses or follow runs.

"The reaction was a big plus. The team spirit and character I don't put in doubt at all.

"Sometimes in these early kick offs, you don't get started. We didn't until they scored and that was the kick up the backside we needed.

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"We played well after they scored the first. It was a great reaction but we tired towards the end. That was the reason why the pegged us back in the last 10/15 minutes."

It was a notable improvement in performance by an Albion side which lost 3-0 against the Red Devils after the Premier League restart last season.

Commenting on the difference between the two games, Solskjaer said: "You can say we comfortably beat them after the restart because we were 3-0 up after a while but they created big chances in that game as well.

"[I was] not at all [surprised by Albion's performance].

"Brighton are one of the teams in the league with the best physical stats. We knew we had to dig in and work hard for 90 minutes. We had prepared for that.

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"We are not at our peak in sharpness and fitness because of the late pre-season and the long season we had in Europe.

"You could see towards the end, they had more steam than us. But we had enough in the tank to create an equaliser which was pleasing."

Solskjaer reserved praise for Potter, who he has 'followed since he was at Östersunds'.

He said: "He beat Arsenal at the Emirates. That's a massive achievement as a coach in Sweden.

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"You can see his principles, he trusts his players. Every game against Brighton, you have to prepare really well."

'I thought our performance was amazing'

Potter said the quality of his side's performance was 'one to be really proud of'.

The Brighton boss was asked if he had spoken to Leandro Trossard, in particular, after the Belgium international hit the woodwork three times.

"I've not spoken to him, I've spoken to the group," Potter said. "I told them I'm sorry I can't make you all feel any better apart from say how well they all played.

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"I thought the performance was amazing. It's as well as I've seen us play.

"At the moment its very sore because we haven't taken anything from the game but hopefully when it settles down, the guys can reflect and think the performance levels was really good against a good team."