Ole Gunnar Solskjaer did not mince words as he analyzed Manchester United’s EFL Cup semi final defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday night.
City cruised to a 2-0 victory at Old Trafford thanks to goals from John Stones and Fernandinho as City booked a final date with Tottenham Hotspur.
It is the fourth time nnar Solskjaer has fallen at the semi-final hurdle with Manchester United but the Norwegian does not think the defeat is psychological.
City looked ominous once again as they extended their unbeaten run to 12 matches, setting up a showdown with Tottenham at Wembley, where they will be favourites to win the competition for a sixth time in eight seasons on April 25.
Solskjaer was disappointed by the way United conceded but gave great credit to Pep Guardiola’s in-form side.
“Manchester City can score many great goals. You can accept that. When you concede two simple set-plays, it’s very disappointing. Just not good enough in those moments,” he told Sky Sports.
“We didn’t create enough big chances. They didn’t either. We didn’t have the extra finesse we’ve had in the games lately, we weren’t good enough.
“We played against a very good Manchester City team, they played well. When they play well you have to play very well to beat them. We were just lacking that little bit.”
Yet Solskjaer does not see any need to read too much into the Red Devils’ record in semi-finals during his reign.
“We’re getting closer. This is a much better version of United than a year ago in those semis,” he added.
“It’s not psychological [losing another semi-final]. Sometimes you meet good teams in the semis. At the moment, City are probably the best team in England.”
