Ole Gunnar Solskjaer felt Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets was fortunate not to have been sent off during their 1-0 win over Manchester United.
Busquets was booked in the 18th minute of Barca’s Champions League quarter-final first leg for a professional foul on Paul Pogba after he had fouled Scott McTominay in the fourth minute. The Spain international committed another cynical foul on Pogba before half-time and patently handled the ball four minutes into the second-half, but the referee Gianluca Rocchi did not blow for a free-kick.
United benefited from a handball the Video Assistant Referee gave against Presnel Kimpembe of Paris Saint-Germain in the previous round of the Champions League and Tottenham defender Danny Rose was retrospectively booked for handball against Manchester City on Tuesday night. Solskjaer cited the example of Rose as proof of inconsistency among officials on the continent.
“And why does Danny Rose get a yellow card?” Solskjaer asked rhetorically. “Just that consistency and definitely, yes. But nothing we can do about it.
“I can’t complain about the referee but we haven’t had any homers, if you put it that way. We are where we are, he’s gonna play against us over there just have to go there with same belief in Paris.”
United have scored a pitiful one goal from five Champions League ties at Old Trafford this season and Marouane Fellaini’s group stage winner against Young Boys came in added time. Over 180 minutes of knockout football against Barca and PSG, United mustered one attempt on target and their home form has unconvinced in recent months. Solskjaer is counting on claiming another away scalp in Barcelona next week.
“That statistic is not right,” Solskjaer conceded of United’s impotence at home. “We cannot defend that, not scoring at home bar one and I was actually here then.
“But away from home we beat Juventus, we beat PSG and we have to go to Barcelona and win that one. We know we have possibilities. Now is not the time to think about our own performances because now we have to look forward to Tuesday.
“We did put some pressure on [Barcelona] at times. Came round, get wide, put loads of crosses in the box but just couldn’t fill that box enough. We’ll have to take more chances, release Paul [Pogba], Scott [McTominay], whoever from midfield to help the strikers.
“But we’ve scored goals at the Nou Camp before from crosses.”