1st November, 2020
By Sam Carney
Paul Pogba has apologised after conceding the crucial penalty during Sunday’s Premier League defeat of Manchester United by Arsenal at Old Trafford.
The Frenchman tripped Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin in the box midway through the second-half, allowing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to tuck home and give the Gunners all three points at Old Trafford, for the first time since September 2006.
When speaking to MUTV after the final whistle, Pogba was visibly gutted, but owned up to his error and also said he and his team-mates could have done better to react to the setback.
“My mistake, I shouldn’t do that,” said Pogba. “I have to be better in the box defensively. When you run forward and back, a player runs behind you.
“When you get in the box, you have to be… not more clever – in French, the word is lucid. I don’t know the word in English but I have to be fresher in the box, on my feet.
“Details made us lose the game and we have to be better. We have to do better with the ball because we weren’t dangerous with the ball today.
“We didn’t create chances, as we should, and we didn’t win at home. That’s what we need to do. We need to win at home, you know?”
It’s now four Premier League games in M16 without a league win this season for United – six, if you go back to the end of the 2019/20 campaign.
Although he repeated his regret at giving away the spot-kick, Pogba struggled to explain why the Reds are having issues getting results on home turf – the midweek demolition of RB Leipzig aside.
*Reported by Man United website