Manchester United news: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hails win at Fulham as ideal PSG preparation
United sealed a comfortable 3-0 victory at Craven Cottage as a Paul Pogba brace and a fine Anthony Martial strike extended Solskjaer's unbeaten start as interim manager
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hailed Manchester United's win at Fulham and a return to the top four as perfect preparation for the Champions League clash with Paris St Germain on Tuesday.
United sealed a comfortable 3-0 victory at Craven Cottage as a Paul Pogba brace and a fine Anthony Martial strike extended Solskjaer's unbeaten start as interim manager.
The Norwegian has overseen 10 wins from his 11 games at the helm and he made six changes in west London with one eye on his first taste of managing the Red Devils in Europe.
Join Independent Minds
For exclusive articles, events and an advertising-free read for just £5.99 €6.99 $9.99 a month
Pogba stole the show but Martial impressed on his recall with Diogo Dalot, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling helping to keep a clean sheet after coming back into the side, with Romelu Lukaku and Juan Mata also given a chance to impress.
Asked if this was ideal preparation for facing PSG, Solskjaer said: "Yes, I would have to say so because it's a tough place to come.
Jack Pitt-Brooke's Fulham vs Manchester United player ratings
Jack Pitt-Brooke's Fulham vs Manchester United player ratings
1/22 Fulham: Sergio Rico - 4
2/22 Denis Odoi - 4
3/22 Maxime Le Marchand - 2
4/22 Tim Ream - 4
5/22 Joe Bryan - 4
6/22 Calum Chambers - 3
7/22 Jean Michel Seri - 3
8/22 Andre Schurrle - 4
9/22 Luciano Vietto - 3
10/22 Ryan Babel - 4
11/22 Aleksandar Mitrovic - 4
12/22 Manchester United: David De Gea - 6
13/22 Diego Dalot - 6
14/22 Chris Smalling - 7
15/22 Phil Jones - 7
16/22 Luke Shaw - 6
17/22 Ander Herrera - 7
18/22 Nemanja Matic - 7
19/22 Paul Pogba - 8
20/22 Juan Mata - 7
21/22 Romelu Lukaku - 7
22/22 Anthony Martial - 8
1/22 Fulham: Sergio Rico - 4
2/22 Denis Odoi - 4
3/22 Maxime Le Marchand - 2
4/22 Tim Ream - 4
5/22 Joe Bryan - 4
6/22 Calum Chambers - 3
7/22 Jean Michel Seri - 3
8/22 Andre Schurrle - 4
9/22 Luciano Vietto - 3
10/22 Ryan Babel - 4
11/22 Aleksandar Mitrovic - 4
12/22 Manchester United: David De Gea - 6
13/22 Diego Dalot - 6
14/22 Chris Smalling - 7
15/22 Phil Jones - 7
16/22 Luke Shaw - 6
17/22 Ander Herrera - 7
18/22 Nemanja Matic - 7
19/22 Paul Pogba - 8
20/22 Juan Mata - 7
21/22 Romelu Lukaku - 7
22/22 Anthony Martial - 8
"We gave them the first 10 minutes, maybe played into their hands. They had some counter-attacks, they put the ball into the box a few times but then after we scored the first goal we played a fantastic last 80 minutes.
"It's a squad game and today of course it's a chance for everyone to say 'I want to play on Tuesday night because it's a big game'.
"You've got to trust the players, because the league is vital for us but it's a chance for them to say 'I should play on Tuesday'.
"I've been in that situation a few times myself and it's about who grabs it. There were some good performances today, I have to say."
The victory lifts United into the Premier League top four for the first time since the opening weekend of the season - having been 11 points adrift when Solskjaer replaced Jose Mourinho in December.
"(Being in the top four) is a big thing," conceded Solskjaer.
"But then again there are so many games to go, so we've got a look forward, the next league game is Liverpool, of course.
"So let's make sure we stay in the top four and we'll do that if we get some help, but we've got to concentrate on ourselves, we can't really think about or control what other teams do."
Defeat for Fulham leaves them 19th in the table, with supporters jeering manager Claudio Ranieri's substitutions and with louder boos heard at full-time.
Ranieri felt his players lacked the composure at 1-0 down to get themselves back into the game against such talented opposition.
"We started very well," he said.
"We created two great chances to score a goal but suddenly Pogba scored their first goal and I thought 'okay, stay calm and we can continue to play'.
"But my players are very.... not anxious, but they want to score immediately to draw the match and against big teams that is difficult and we conceded to them the counter-attack.
"Manchester have champions in their squad and kept possession of the ball - for us it was then more difficult.
"We wanted to score goals, we hit the post, that is the difference. When you play against champions you have to stay calm and not lose your composure - that is the real problem."
Comments
Share your thoughts and debate the big issues
Please be respectful when making a comment and adhere to our Community Guidelines.
You can find our Community Guidelines in full here.
Please be respectful when making a comment and adhere to our Community Guidelines.
Community Guidelines
You can find our Community Guidelines in full here.
Account blocked
Your account has been blocked for contravening the community guidelines.
Follow comments
Vote
Report Comment
Subscribe to Independent Minds to debate the big issues
Want to discuss real-world problems, be involved in the most engaging discussions and hear from the journalists? Try Independent Minds free for 14 days.
Already registered? Log inReport Comment
Delete Comment
Subscribe to Independent Minds to debate the big issues
Want to discuss real-world problems, be involved in the most engaging discussions and hear from the journalists? Try Independent Minds free for 14 days.
Already registered? Log inAbout The Independent commenting
Independent Minds Comments can be posted by members of our membership scheme, Independent Minds. It allows our most engaged readers to debate the big issues, share their own experiences, discuss real-world solutions, and more. Our journalists will try to respond by joining the threads when they can to create a true meeting of independent minds. The most insightful comments on all subjects will be published daily in dedicated articles. You can also choose to be emailed when someone replies to your comment.
The existing Open Comments threads will continue to exist for those who do not subscribe to Independent Minds. Due to the sheer scale of this comment community, we are not able to give each post the same level of attention, but we have preserved this area in the interests of open debate. Please continue to respect all commenters and create constructive debates.