Paul Pogba has accepted the blame for his costly role in Manchester United’s 1-0 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday.
The Red Devils midfielder tripped Hector Bellerin in the box as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang converted the resulting penalty in the 69th minute.
Getty Images - Getty
It was the third penalty Pogba has conceded in the Premier League during Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s 100-match reign at Old Trafford.
The damaging result leaves United in 15th place, albeit with a game in hand, after their first six games of the season.
Pogba, who was making his first start in three Premier League matches, insists he will learn from his mistake.
He told the BBC: “We know it’s a poor performance. Myself, I cannot give a foul away like this.
“I thought I would touch the ball but I didn’t. I cost us the goal today with the penalty.
“Like I say, details. We have to do better, the team, myself, it starts with me.
“I felt like I touched him a bit, I knew I was in the box, I shouldn’t have given a penalty away like that.
AFP or Licensors
“Maybe I was a bit out of breath, it made me do this stupid mistake. I will learn from that, I’m not the best defensively in the box, I can work on that.”
Solskjaer is adamant the game looked set to end goalless before Pogba’s rash tackle.
He said: “Paul knows if he stays on his feet and he shuffles the boy… because he was on his way out of the box, it’s a soft penalty to give away. Those things happen.
“I know he touched him enough to give away a penalty and that went against us. Paul held his hand up and he knows he could and should have done better in that instance.
“That was the difference between the teams today. It always looked like a 0-0 to me.”
from Football - news, transfers, fixtures, scores, pictures https://ift.tt/3oMSQjj
via IFTTT
No Comment