Ole Gunnar Solskjaer slammed football authorities for their scheduling as Manchester United were made to play on Saturday lunchtime - around 48 hours after returning from Turkey.
The Red Devils claimed a much-needed 3-1 victory over Everton at Goodison Park, easing the pressure on the Norwegian, was facing a third straight defeat before United overturned a 1-0 deficit to win.
Many expected a relieved Solskjaer to emerge for his interview on BT Sport, but he had different ideas.
His side lost in the Champions League in Istanbul on Wednesday evening, returning to England early on Thursday before starting their preparations for the short trip to Goodison.
A seething Solskjaer said: “We were set up to fail, simple as that.
“How can you expect players to perform to the best of their ability when you send them out at 1230? Absolute joke.
“A month ago we tried to move this game. What sense is there for us to play on a Saturday when we could play on the Sunday and there is an international break afterwards?
“I can’t say enough how hard these times are for everyone, not just footballers, and we want to see football with quality.
“Our players were set up to fail today with the schedule. I pushed my club to really fight the kick-off time on this one to give us at least half a chance but it was quashed.
“Luke Shaw was injured today, Marcus Rashford the same, because we’ve been to Turkey on Wednesday night, got back in Thursday morning and are playing Saturday lunchtime. It’s an absolute shambles.
“I want to praise the boys for the character they’ve shown. They deserve better than being thrown out here to fail today. The authorities set us up to fail.
“How can I set us up today for a 1230 kick-off? City and Liverpool played on Tuesday and play again on Sunday. Who’s responsible? We’ve had enough of that. I’ve had enough.
“Set us up on a Sunday. It’s an international break after. No argument.”
Keen to emphasise his point, a clearly angry Solskjaer continued:
“They have to understand in these times, a pandemic, how mentally and physically draining it is for the players. They deserve all the praise. They were fantastic.”
On the injury situation, the Norwegian said: “Mason Greenwood was not feeling well last night and Luke (hamstring) – it might be a long one. That’s the demands on the players.”
Solskjaer's seeting post-match interview
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