Premier League giants Manchester United suffered an unexpected defeat during their opening UEFA Champions League group F game, being ousted 2-1 by Swiss underdogs BSC Young Boys.
At the center of criticism for this upset was Man United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, whose tactical decisions throughout the game were brought into question by pundits and fans alike.
After taking the lead through a Cristiano Ronaldo strike in the 13th minute, the Red Devils’ night soon took a turn for the worse when defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s red card was shown a straight red card in the 35th minute of play.
It was once the visitors were down to 10 men that Solskjaer made his first controversial substitution of the night, bringing new signing Jadon Sancho off in order to reinforce the Red Devils’ defense.
At the center of the controversy was Solskjaer’s decision to bring off Ronaldo for Jesse Lingard, whose back pass fell to the feet of Young Boys’ striker Jordan Pefok who scored a last-minute winner for his team.
Despite the loss, Solskjaer remained adamant that he made the correct tactical decisions on the night. “The last goal is a mistake, it happens in football, but it’s unfortunate again. In terms of the shape without the ball, I felt it was a lot better when we went to a back three or back five,” Solskjaer said in defense of his defensive formation.
Manchester United next faces West Ham United in their Premier League clash on Sunday.
