Man United are gearing up for their FA Cup semi-final showdown with Chelsea and while the focus surrounds the battle that will take place on the pitch, Solskjaer might have just sparked an off-the-pitch war-of-words with Lampard and –additionally – Mourinho.
Speaking ahead of Sunday's Wembley clash, the Red Devils boss took it upon himself to address recent remarks made by the Blues boss regarding VAR. The Stamford Bridge gaffer, speaking ahead of the weekend game, stated the technology appears to be favoring Man United, pointing at favorable decisions that were given to Rashford and Co.
For context, Man United have broken the record for most penalties won in a single season, getting 18 so far in 2019/20, 13 of which have come in the English top-flight. A recent spot-kick Bruno Fernandes won against Aston Villa drew much controversy as many felt a penalty was not deserved, hence the allegation from Lampard.
"I would like to think that with VAR you have to be level-headed. Some might go against you or not. But we seem to be in a period where, in terms of Manchester United, they've got a few in their favour," were Lampard's words ahead of the upcoming semi-final.
Former manager Jose Mourinho, who is now in charge of rivals Tottenham, also made similar remarks, stating that the 20-time Premier League champions have been "lucky" in regards with some VAR decisions. However, Ole was having none of this, accusing Lampard of instigating mind games and attempting to influence the officials.
"It looks like there is a narrative. People want to influence whoever is making the decisions,"Solskjaer said, as per the Daily Mail.
"I hear people talking about luck, that we have been more lucky than unlucky, but..
"I don't want to sound like a certain manager talking about facts but the penalty we got against Tottenham in the last minute that was taken away from us, that might be two points for us.
"Talking about the red card Romeu should have had against us when he got Mason Greenwood almost crippled, that should have been a red card. Maybe that would have helped us."
"Talking about Mark Noble when he should have been sent off when we lost to West Ham. Talking about the actual decision that is made that is against Man United but is overturned and corrected.
"So it is me that should be complaining that we get decisions on the pitch by the referee. There is a narrative there, we just have to focus on our games."
The Norwegian boss stressed that he does not want to be caught up in these discussions, adding: "Let other people talk about that. I don't want to get too much into it, I might get in trouble, I hope I am not now! I am pretty relaxed on these. Of course referees are going to be making objective decisions, they are not going to be influenced by any emotion anyway. I don't think they will read it. As for offsides, if it's on or off, that is clear."
Is Lampard trying to influence the referees for Sunday's game, as Ole suggests? It should be noted that the last time Chelsea and Man United locked horns, the Blues were victims of two debatable decisions. It should also be noted that these two English giants are in the midst of a heated top-four race, which could ultimately be the driving force between this recent exchange.
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