– Fred saw red last night after Solskjaer decided to keep him in the match despite the Brazilian escaping a red card for a headbutt in the first half
– The midfielder would later be sent off in the 70th minute after he appeared to trip Ander Herrera
– Ole divulged his decision to allow Fred to continue playing was informed by his pep talk at the break
– Man United went on to lose the match and now face an uphill task to qualify for the last 16
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was left regretting his decision not to withdraw Fred after the midfielder escaped a red card for a headbutt against Paris Saint-Germain.
Solskjaer decided to keep Fred in the match despite the Brazilian escaping a red card for a headbutt in the first half. Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt.
Source: Getty Images
With PSG leading 1-0 courtesy of Neymar’s early opener, tempers flared in the 22nd minute as Fred clashed with Leandro Paredes.
The Brazilian was seen headbutting the PSG defender, an action that could have potentially earned him marching orders.
After a review by VAR, the referee decided against red-carding the United star and instead booked him with a yellow.
Despite appearing to court a second booking with his performances, Solskjaer decided to keep Fred on the pitch, allowing him to continue playing.
However, the ex-Shakhtar Donestk star was sent off later in the second half for a second yellow after he was adjudged to have got too much of Ander Herrera.
His sending off came shortly after Marquinhos had handed PSG the lead, before the French giants capitalised on United’s numerical deficiency to put the game to bed.
Neymar, who shone during the match made it 3-1 at stoppage time to condemn the Red Devils to a comprehensive defeat.
Solskjaer has now admitted he considered withdrawing Fred at the break but still defended his decision to keep him on the pitch.
The Norwegian revealed he only decided to allow him to play as he had given him a pep talk at the break.
“Fred has played really well. We spoke about staying calm and on your feet. The second yellow card was nowhere near a foul. Ander knows that,” Goal quoted Ole saying.
“Fred shouldn’t put his head towards him [for the first yellow]. I don’t think he touched him. He was a bit lucky to stay on,” he added.
Following the defeat at home, United now face a tricky trip to RB Leipzig in their push to secure a last 16 ticket.
A point would be enough to earn them a place in the knockout round of the European competition.
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Neymar scored a sensational brace to inspire Paris Saint-Germain to a stunning 3-1 win over Man United in a thrilling Champions League clash played at Old Trafford on Wednesday night, December 2.
PSG came into the match knowing too well only victory can assure them a place in the next round of the tournament following false start to the campaign.
Man United, on the other hand, were out in search of just a point from the fixture to confirm their place in the knockout stage.
The match eventually finished 3-1, with PSG going top of Group H with 9 points, on level with United.
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