What Solskjær Said About Sánchez Before Arsenal Clash Proves He Knew He Would Score

Ole Gunnar Solskjær knew that Alexis Sánchez would relish at the opportunity to play against Arsenal in the FA Cup.

The 30-year-old former Gunners star has struggled to replicate his form since his arrival at Old Trafford last year.

However, the 45-year-old Norwegian believed that the match against Sánchez's former side would be the perfect opportunity for him to rise to the occasion.

"I think Sánchez will love it if the crowd turn against him. If they boo him," he said.

"As a player, pride kicks in and you think, 'I'll show all of you.'"

Fast-forward to this point and the Chile international did exactly what the United caretaker manager wanted him to do.

Romelu Lukaku slotted the ball into the path of Sánchez, who dribbled past Petr Čech and dinked it into the back of the net.

Jesse Lingard would extend United's lead after the 25-year-old Belgian striker provided another assist, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored for Arsenal to leave the score 2-1 at half-time.

However, Anthony Martial came off the bench and scored United's third, with the Red Devils sealing a 3-1 win and knocking Arsenal out of the FA Cup in the process.

"I think we worked well. Our injuries changed our possibility to do something different. When we were 2-1 down we had chances to draw but we didn't score," Gunners boss Unai Emery told BBC Sport.

"Sokratis hurt his ankle -- I hope not a lot. Koscielny is different. It was maybe a break. I hope not, but he's going to the hospital and we're going to wait.

"We are taking a lot of big injuries, like Héctor Bellerín.

"We played a team in a good moment. We lost this match but I'm happy with our work. The supporters helped us.

"We need to think about the Premier League. We won against Chelsea and are close. We need to push in that competition and we have another important competition in the Europa League."

Will United finish in the top four under Solskjær?

Let us know in the comments.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Petr Cech, Football News, Football, Manchester United, Alexis Sanchez, Romelu Lukaku, FA Cup, Arsenal, Old Trafford, Ole Gunnar Solskjær

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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