Ole Gunnar Solskjaer joked that the overreaction to Manchester United’s midweek defeat left him feeling like he was about to lose his job.
The Red Devils were humbled by Young Boys in the Champions League on Tuesday, but bounced back to earn a memorable 2-1 victory over West Ham at the London Stadium.
Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Jesse Lingard had put Solskjaer’s side in front with just a minute of normal time remaining, but were almost forced to settle for a point.
Moments after their own penalty protests were waved away, the hosts were handed a chance to equalise from the spot when Luke Shaw handled the ball in the box.
But five minutes into stoppage time, Mark Noble, who came on specifically to take the penalty, saw his effort acrobatically saved by David de Gea.
The win sparked wild scenes of jubilation both in the away end and on the pitch, as United’s entire squad engulfed the Spanish ‘keeper.
It’s a result which sees United move level on points with Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table, but Solskjaer quipped it was a victory that was desperately needed, such was the scrutiny surrounding his position.
"Five games into the season, I was probably down and out and lost my job yesterday," Solskjaer laughed "That's with the way it is at Man United.
"We deserved three points. it's a hard place to come, hopefully, these points can make a difference."
On the game itself, he added: "We are very happy with the win and we deserved the win.
"We played some very good football, created good chances, we pressed them into making loads of mistakes. Luckily, David saves that penalty at the end.
"I've seen Mark Noble score so many penalties, you did feel down and out and expected to come home with one point but luckily David has continued his good form."
United’s outgoing executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has again backed the Norwegian this week, but Solskjaer won’t be taking too much notice, having previously suggested he is never more than six games from the sack.
"Of course, you've got to look at the short-term results as well but my vision is long term and my discussions with the club have always been long term,” he said at the end of 2020.
"But also short term, you can't not think about the next six games.
"You've got to think about the next game and the next six. You also have to plan and think for the bigger picture. For me, I can only speak from my experience."
