Ole Gunnar Solskjaer backs Edinson Cavani despite missed chances in Arsenal draw

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has backed Edinson Cavani to 'score a few soon', after the Uruguayan's poor finishing cost Manchester United a potential two extra points in a goalless draw against Arsenal.

The Red Devils were not at their best on Saturday, but they did carve out two gilt-edged opportunities for the 33-year-old, but the usually reliable striker first somehow hit Bernd Leno with his close-range effort, and then acrobatically fired wide late on.

Those misses proved costly, as Man Utd failed to find the net at the Emirates Stadium, dropping two more points in the Premier League title race. But coach Solskjaer was upbeat after the match, and he backed Cavani to hit a rich vein of form following his poor display against the Gunners.

"He’s there, I was a striker myself, I had periods when I don’t score, the gaffer [Sir Alex Ferguson] and everyone around me would say ‘you were there to miss the chances’," Solskjaer said.

“To score you have to miss a few and he’ll definitely score a few soon."

Speaking about the game as a whole, Solskjaer maintained that Man Utd created enough chances to beat Arsenal, and claimed that they 'controlled the game' despite the Gunners arguably coming closest, when Alexandre Lacazette's free-kick rattled the crossbar.

“We created enough chances to score, we'll work on that and get them going again. We look at it as one step forward after Wednesday night," he said.

“I felt that we controlled the game, the free-kick that hits the bar can always go in, but they didn’t bother us too much. We were a little bit passive outside the box, they had a few too many shots, but David wouldn’t be bothered by too many of them."

The draw leaves Man Utd trailing Manchester City by three points in the Premier League table, while the Citizens still hold a game in hand over their fierce rivals.