This archive report was first published on 19 July 2020.
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has fired back at Chelsea boss Frank Lampard, dismissing allegations that his players, including Bruno Fernandes, dive to earn penalties.
Speaking ahead of Sunday's FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea, Solskjaer insisted that his players are not cheats, pointing out that they have been awarded 13 penalties this season, a Premier League record.
Chelsea boss Lampard had sparked the controversy by calling Fernandes 'clever' after he earned a penalty at Aston Villa recently.
However, Solskjaer rubbished the notion, saying: '100 per cent I will defend my players, none of them try to con the ref at all.'
He added: 'If you have quick feet like Dan James, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial or Mason Greenwood and you get tackles in or around the box, some ankles could've been broken for our players.'
Solskjaer also expressed his frustration at the lack of protection for his players, citing two incidents where he felt players should have been sent off.
He said: 'There should have been a red card for Oriol Romeu when he almost crippled Mason Greenwood in the Southampton game, maybe that would have helped us.'
He also felt that Mark Noble should have been sent off for battering Aaron Wan Bissaka at West Ham.
Despite the controversy, Solskjaer confirmed that defender Luke Shaw will miss the game as he recovers from an ankle injury, but full back Brandon Williams is training again after a nasty head wound against Southampton.
