Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer jumped to the defence of David de Gea after his error in defeat to Arsenal.

Granit Xhaka's speculative 12th-minute effort from outside the area flummoxed De Gea, who moved to his left as the ball veered in the other direction. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's 69th-minute penalty clinched a 2-0 victory three points to elevate Arsenal back up to fourth and above United.

"I don't class it as a mistake," Solskjaer stressed. "Because I'm stood right behind the ball, we don't put pressure on Xhaka. He must be Brazilian, by the way. Because of the way he struck the ball and it swirls and it moves in the air, it goes to David's left and changes direction completely. That's just one of those things.

"He's disappointed every time he concedes a goal because he is a top keeper. The ball moves so strange it looks like it goes to his left and changes direction, but we were too slow to get up to them. The first 15or 20 minutes, we never really got up to them and he had time to hit the ball."

When asked whether De Gea's contract situation had impaired his focus, Solskjaer replied: "Not at all, David's really focused and concentrated he's too professional to let his mind wander. the best players know how to focus and he's been absolutely fantastic."