Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's assessment of Ronaldo: "I'm really, very happy with the way he's led the team. As a center forward, we asked him to manage the channel, interject, and put more pressure on us as we were at home, of course. We want to get squeezed behind us. He did everything a center forward should do."
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer praised the overall impact of match winner Cristiano Ronaldo as United roared to beat Atalanta on a night when bad defensive threats were going to cost them.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his side have been closely watched in Wednesday's Champions League group stage after beating Leicester City and winning just one five of all the matches.
When Mario Passalic and Merrih de Miral used lax defence to give Atalanta a two-goal lead, United suffered a fifth defeat in eight games, which drew boos from Old Trafford fans at the end of halftime.
But Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side once again showed their ability to counter-attack, with Marcus Rashford and Harry Maguire scoring before Ronaldo's header upset the score to 3-2.
"We played some good stuff in the first half"
Atalanta reacted after one of Old Trafford's goals, Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandez
"That's football," Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said when asked about the costly missteps of the first half and the strong comeback that followed.
"In the first half I thought we played well. Our shots weren't good enough. They had two chances, in those two moments, and yes, we closed the door and we conceded two easy goals. Then in the second half David (De Gea) made two wonderful saves.
"The difference in performance is not so big, that's what determines the outcome – it's the quality and quality of what we've done.
"The second half was much better than the first half because we also created a lot of chances in the first half. But I can understand why people who don't really watch every game see inconsistencies and certainly look really bad at trailing 2-0 in that game. But the performance wasn't worth falling behind 2-0, that's the message at halftime.
'Keep going like this, just add more quality to your shots, get extra passing opportunities and of course make sure we don't concede the ball.
< H1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > Ole about Ronaldo: "That's where he does better than most people."</h1>
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring against Manchester United against Atalanta
United's defensive drama is nothing new – it's their 19th failure to concede zero goals in 20 games – and Ronaldo hasn't proven himself a hero.
The Portuguese striker's role has recently come under scrutiny, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is pleased with the performances of his former team-mates.
"I'm very, very happy with the way he's led the team," the Manchester United boss said.
"Of course, as a center, we put him in charge of the channels, the interjections, the pressure because we were at home, of course. We want the crowd to be behind us.
"Even if he's close to the defensive end in his own six-yard penalty area, you can see him sprinting. He did everything a center should do, leading and defending.
"If anyone wants to criticize his productivity or attitude, look at this game. See how he runs around.
"Of course, scoring goals is where he does better than most people. The header was on par with his Roma header, but he still had an unparalleled leap and timing. ”
<H1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hailed a "huge" victory</h1>
Ole Gunnar Ole Gunnar Solskjaer saw his side win 3-2 from 2-0
With a 2-0 draw, United are at the bottom of the group stage, but this reversal means they are now in a good position to advance to the knockout stages with three games left.
Ole Gunnar Ole Gunnar Solskjaer praised the comeback victory as "huge" in the context of the group.
He said: "I said that if you win a home game and get a result on the road, then you have a great chance of qualifying.
"Tonight was a huge result. We had a slow start to the young boys' game and to be honest, the red card changed the game, so it was disappointing.
"We didn't do well against Villarreal, but we got three points and dug in and I think tonight was a special night with the unity, spirit and fighting force we showed in the second half to keep the conviction and keep pushing.
"Like I said, the fans gave it to us. The energy we felt from the fans in the second half was incredible. ”
<H1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > "Rashford should be fit to face Liverpool"</h1>
United are now preparing for Sunday's Premier League clash with rivals Liverpool – Marcus Rashford will need to assess the game before he dies.
"I don't know," Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said of his free time over the weekend.
"I hope so, and so do I. It's a dead leg and sometimes it may take longer than you want, but if we treat it well, he should be fine. ”
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > Disappointing Atalanta boss Gasperini</h1>
Merriech De Miral celebrates after scoring in atalanta against Manchester United
Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini is understandably frustrated by leaving Old Trafford at halftime.
"For this team, one minute is enough to change things," he said.
"I think if we had scored the third goal – we were close – we could have won.
"We missed some players, but those who played well. We know Manchester United are strong. We learn from these races, but at some point we want to stop learning and do more. ”