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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insists Paul Pogba was simply “unlucky” after being sent off in Manchester United ’s defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
The French side won 2-0 at Old Trafford, pushing United to the brink of a Champions League last 16 exit.
Their hopes were further hurt by Pogba’s red card after a second bookable offence for a challenge on Dani Alves, with Solskjaer claiming he was “unlucky” to be given his marching orders.
“He’s unlucky,” Solskjaer said. ”Paul Pogba is trying to get his body across and Dani Alves is clever enough to put his foot in there.
“I’m disappointed we’re not going to have Paul in the next game. That’s a big blow.”
Show all 23 1 /23Player ratings: Manchester United vs PSG Player ratings: Manchester United vs PSG Manchester United vs PSG player ratings Our nothern football correspondent Mark Critchley runs the rule over the two teams.
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Player ratings: Manchester United vs PSG David de Gea - 8 out of 10 United’s stand-out performer, as usual. Denied Mbappé superbly with a second-half reaction save, having already frustrated PSG’s frontman in the first half.
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Player ratings: Manchester United vs PSG Ashley Young - 5 Up for the challenge, as the robust challenge on Di Maria showed, but found dangerously out of his depth.
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Player ratings: Manchester United vs PSG Eric Bailly - 5 Preferred over Jones due to his speed but that extra yard of pace counted for little once Mbappe put on the afterburners.
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Player ratings: Manchester United vs PSG Victor Lindelof - 5 A performance to forget for the much-improved Swede, who had few answers to Mbappé, Di Maria and Draxler’s movement.
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Player ratings: Manchester United vs PSG Luke Shaw - 6 Unable to support the attack as much as he would have liked though largely kept an ageing Dani Alves in check.
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Player ratings: Manchester United vs PSG Nemanja Matic - 5 Began well, intercepting play at key moments, but lost Kimpembe on the costly corner. He and United never recovered.
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Player ratings: Manchester United vs PSG Paul Pogba - 6 Marked closely by Marquinhos but managed to occasionally break loose. Late red card prevents him from a return to Paris.
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Player ratings: Manchester United vs PSG Ander Herrera - 5 Another who began well defensively but, like many of team-mates, tired and tailed off as PSG began to take control.
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Player ratings: Manchester United vs PSG Jesse Lingard - 7 United’s brightest outfield player in the first half until his evening was cut short by an apparent hamstring injury.
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Player ratings: Manchester United vs PSG Marcus Rashford - 5 Failed to carry his domestic form into European competition and, short of a few moments of good link-up play, led the line ineffectively.
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Player ratings: Manchester United vs PSG Anthony Martial - 5 A subdued presence on the left flank until, like Lingard, his evening was cut short by injury.
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Player ratings: Manchester United vs PSG Gianluigi Buffon - 6 The greatest goalkeeper of his generation spent the evening relatively undisturbed.
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Player ratings: Manchester United vs PSG Thilo Kehrer - 7 Picked out by some as a potential weak link but kept watch over both Martial and Sanchez, limiting their impact.
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Player ratings: Manchester United vs PSG Thiago Silva - 8 A reminder of his old, dominant self. Shut down the few United attacks which managed to make their way past PSG’s equally impressive midfield.
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Player ratings: Manchester United vs PSG Presnel Kimpembe - 7 Walked a tightrope after an early booking for fouling Rashford and had several hairy moments but more than made up for them with the goal.
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Player ratings: Manchester United vs PSG Dani Alves - 7 Not his old, marauding self but that is understandable at 35 years of age.
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Player ratings: Manchester United vs PSG Marquinhos - 8 Sat on Pogba when United were in possession and dominated the midfield contest, strangling Solskjaer’s attempts to prise open the visitors.
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Player ratings: Manchester United vs PSG Marco Verratti - 7 Started despite concerns over an ankle injury and performed well in the circumstances.
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Player ratings: Manchester United vs PSG Juan Bernat - 6 Clattering tackle on Young earned a yellow. Appeared vulnerable when up against Lingard until his opposite number was forced off.
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Player ratings: Manchester United vs PSG Julian Draxler - 8 Linked up well with Di Maria and Mbappe playing off him, even if he did not have a hand in either goal.
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Player ratings: Manchester United vs PSG Angel Di Maria - 8 Booed from his very first touch and suffered from nerves in a difficult first half but responded brilliantly after the break, powering the Parisians to victory.
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Player ratings: Manchester United vs PSG Kylian Mbappe - 8 Had a quiet start, then suddenly hit the gas, motoring through United’s defence and scoring a deserved goal in the second half.
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Thomas Tuchel insisted United could have been down to 10 men sooner, with Ashley Young shoving Angel Di Maria off the Old Trafford turf and into a metal perimeter wall.
“I think he (Young) was lucky because it was not necessary,” said Tuchel. “He (Young) plays many, many times here, and he knows there is a hill, so there was no need to push Di Maria into the fans.
Paul Pogba was sent off in the final minutes (Getty Images) “I am happy there was no injury.
“I think the guy (Di Maria) is very competitive, like all South American guys. If you tease him it doesn’t make him weaker, of course.”
United also lost both Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard to injury, with Chelsea up next in the FA Cup before a huge Premier League clash with rivals Liverpool.
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