Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admits Manchester United FA Cup game with West Ham ‘not the greatest’ but insists they deserve place in quarter-final

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admitted it was ‘not the greatest cup game’ but felt his Manchester United side deserved their place in the FA Cup quarter-final.

It was not a classic cup tie by any stretch as United progressed against West Ham thanks to a Scott McTominay goal in extra-time.

It was the seventh consecutive season that the Red Devils have reached the last eight of the competition as Solskjaer looks to secure a first piece of silverware as manager.

“Not the greatest cup game,” he told talkSPORT after the final whistle. “There was nerves in the game but I thought we dominated possession-wise, shots-wise. 

“We kept them away from our goal really well. We know the threat of Soucek and their set plays, so I felt we deserved to go through.

“We didn’t really hit the highest level we can but I think we are well worth our place in the next round.”

McTominay netted his seventh goal of the season and his third in the space of seven days at Old Trafford on Tuesday night.

The Scotland international came on as a second half substitute and made a telling contribution.

Solskjaer said: “He’s a clean striker of the ball. He used to be a striker when he was a kid and you can see that. He finishes with authority and there’s no messing. He just hits the ball cleanly and tries to make the goalkeeper make a save. 

“Very good reaction. It was a good lay-off by Marcus but he still has a lot to do.

“Scotty scored the winning goal, that’s vital. Bruno came on and scored the winning goal in the last game.

“We have a big and strong squad. Many got minutes tonight so it’s a good night for us.”

Solskjaer was pleased with the reaction from his players following the disappointment of conceding a late equaliser to Everton in the Premier League at the weekend.

He added: “It was a big one for the mentality. There’s no hiding when you concede in the 94th minute like we did it’s a kick in the face. They’ve done really well, reset their brains and mentality was good today.”