Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes Manchester United are more susceptible at set-pieces when they fail to make the first contact with the ball.
United were undone by two Manchester City set-plays in their 2-0 Carabao Cup semi-final defeat on Wednesday night and they have conceded seven goals from set-pieces in the Premier League this season.
Southampton, Paris Saint-Germain (twice), West Ham, Sheffield United, Leeds and City have breached United from corners this season and United also conceded from quickly-taken free-kicks against Tottenham and Aston Villa.
“It’s something that we have addressed that we need to do better at,” Solskjaer acknowledged. “We seem to suffer. When we don’t get the first contact we have been punished quite severely and more often than anyone else.
“We’re quite good at the first contact and defending the ball but when we haven’t we have conceded too many goals. I think we’re very high up there in the stats of when we don’t get the first contact that we concede. That’s a worry, of course.
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“It’s a worry when you concede goals but we have defended really well at times but, as I’ve said against Man City, when you defend as well as you do in open play and you don’t really concede too many chances, you’re disappointed in big games against good players and good teams that we lose that bit of focus, it’s a big part of football.
“So many goals are conceded from set-plays but, as I said we do have a good record of winning the first ball, but when we don’t it seems like it goes in every time.”
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