Ole Gunnar Solskjaer blasts Manchester United no-show in Arsenal defeat

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has admitted that his side 'never turned up' during their 1-0 home defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday. The Red Devils have now lost three of their first four home games in the English top flight.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's penalty earned Arsenal their first away win against a 'big six' opposition in 30 attempts in the Premier League. Paul Pogba's naive challenge on Hector Bellerin gave away the decisive penalty, and Manchester United looked short on ideas to break down a resilient Arsenal defense.

It was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's 100th game in charge of Manchester United. However, his side were quickly brought back down to earth after their impressive 5-0 thrashing of RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Wednesday.

A sixth straight league game without a win at home leaves the Red Devils at 15th place on the table.

Addressing their defeat in the post-match press conference, Solskjaer said:

"We never turned up in the first half, they were better than us. We weren't at the races."

The Norwegian stuck to the same 4-4-2 formation that worked so well against RB Leipzig in midweek in an attempt to accommodate both Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes in the starting line-up.

He opted to play a diamond in midfield, a tactic that did not work as Arsenal were able to exploit the spaces on the wings with their 3-5-2 formation.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is not best pleased with Paul Pogba #MUFC https://t.co/WPsnHaPZIA

— Express Sport (@DExpress_Sport) November 1, 2020

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer slams his Manchester United players for failing to turn up against Arsenal

Paul Pogba's careless challenge on Hector Bellerin gave away the decisive penalty

Solskjaer's formation backfired as Pogba's poor challenge on Hector Bellerin gave away the match-clinching penalty. He hinted that complacency may have been to blame for his side's display and said:

"Stay on your feet. Paul knows he's made a mistake there. When you've played well, sometimes you take your foot off the pedal. That's not how it works."

Solskjaer, however, played down the significance of Manchester United's woeful home form this season.

"Home and away form is out of the window with no fans in the stadium 100 percent. Just look at the stats now with the amount of away wins all over. Home form, away form doesn't mean too much."

Roy Keane does *NOT* hold back...💥After #MUFC's loss at home to Arsenal, the former United midfielder explains why he thinks the current squad will cost Ole Gunnar Solskjaer his job at the club...👇pic.twitter.com/ttwwgWReKZ

— Sky Sports (@SkySports) November 1, 2020

Manchester United fans and former players have been left flabbergasted by the clubs' recent performances on the pitch. Most football pundits blamed the club hierarchy for the Red Devils' poor performances because they did not invest in the squad over the summer.

The focus now appears to have switched to the manager. Solskjaer's tactics have not been fruitful in recent weeks, and reports suggest that his job could be on the line, with rumors linking Mauricio Pochettino to the Manchester United managerial position.