"Cristiano Ronaldo should've had a penalty" - Solskjaer laments refereeing error after shock Manchester United defeat

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has defended his decision to substitute Cristiano Ronaldo in the Red Devils' shock UEFA Champions League defeat against BSC Young Boys. The three-time European champions were beaten 2-1 away from home, with Ronaldo being withdrawn prematurely in the second half.

Speaking after the game, Solskjaer indicated that Ronaldo, much like any other player, cannot be overused regardless of the circumstances. The Norwegian also spoke about a dubious penalty call involving Ronaldo in the second half, as the referee waved play on after what looked like a foul on the 36-year-old.

"We have to look after him as well."

"You can never be surprised by the man, he scored another goal, he should have had a penalty and sending off the other way.”

"He [Young Boys defender] shoves him [Ronaldo] with his arm and he's one-on-one with the keeper but [the referee] probably didn't do it as he'd have had to send him off and that's sometimes what you get with young refs.”

The Manchester United manager also shared his thoughts on Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who was sent off in the first half for what was deemed to have been a rash tackle on Christopher Martins.

"That’s a little bit the astroturf, Aaron gets a touch that’s too far, he gets the ball but he follows through. Hard to argue against the referee but then he didn’t go through his ankle, he hit him on the top of his foot.”

Manchester United lose UCL opener despite Cristiano Ronaldo's early goal

BSC Young Boys v Manchester United: Group F - UEFA Champions League

Manchester United started the game strongly and took the lead through Cristiano Ronaldo, who got behind his marker to slot the ball into the net after an exquisite pass from Bruno Fernandes. However, it all went downhill for the Red Devils after the goal, as Young Boys took advantage of Wan-Bissaka's dismissal to stage a famous comeback.

Moumi Ngamaleu equalized for the home side from close range, while Theoson Siebatcheu completed the comeback with virtually the last-kick of the game after capitalizing on a sloppy backpass from Manchester United substitute Jesse Lingard.

🗣 Solskjær: “Jesse [Lingard] wants to play it safe and misplaces the pass, concedes the goal, that happens in football. Harry hindsight is a very good player, if Jesse gets that chance again he turns, swivels and boots the ball the other way.” [@samuelluckhurst]

— UtdDistrict (@UtdDistrict) September 14, 2021

Ronaldo could do nothing but watch on from the bench in the closing stages, having been withdrawn with around 20 minutes left on the clock. The Portuguese great has enjoyed a stunning start to life at Old Trafford after sealing an emotional return from Juventus, but he experienced defeat in his second game back at Manchester United in dramatic fashion.

🗣 Solskjær: “Lack of concentration, make mistakes and you get punished. You get done. We did that last year, we conceded two sloppy counter-attacks against Basaksehir and lost that game in the last seconds today.” [@samuelluckhurst]

— UtdDistrict (@UtdDistrict) September 14, 2021

On a personal level, though, Ronaldo already has three goals to his name and will look to add to his tally in the weeks ahead. Manchester United take on West Ham United in the Premier League this weekend and the 36-year-old will once again look to get his name on the scoresheet and add to his tally.

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