Manchester United 3-2 Southampton: 5 ways how Ole Gunnar Solskjaer masterminded the comeback win
Manchester United welcomed Southampton to Old Trafford on Sunday knowing very well that it was a game to boost their confidence ahead of a tricky Champions League tie. However, United were also competing for the much desired 4th place in the Premier League and as such, this game had a lot of significance.
United were 5th in the table, two points behind Arsenal at 4th place. Chelsea were 2 points behind at 6th but had a game in hand. As such, a win was vital in bolstering United’s chances to secure Champions League Football next season. Solskjaer had displayed terrific managerial skills since taking charge but faced a new challenge with many of his first team regulars missing through injury.
The Norwegian made just 2 changes to the team that secured a win over Crystal Palace in the midweek. Rashford came in for Dalot while Fred was replaced by Andreas Pereira. However, it was the away team who took the lead through a fantastic striker from Valery in the 26th minute. United looked off the pace in the first half but came back stronger after the break. Solskjaer's team drew level through a fantastic Pereira strike in the 53rd minute and then took the lead in the 59th minute through Lukaku's finish.
But, Southampton leveled the score through a perfect Ward-Prowse free kick in the 75th minute and had to count on Lukaku's fantastic winner in the 88th minute to complete a spectacular comeback. Pogba missed a penalty in injury time, but by then, United had all but secured the 3 points that took them to within 3 points of third-placed Tottenham Hotspurs.
It was another spectacular night at Old Trafford and Solskjaer deserves much credit for getting his tactics right in the second half. Here are the 5 tactics from the Norwegian which enabled United to secure a memorable comeback win.
#5. Dalot in a forward role
It was Solskjaer’s decision to bring on Dalot in place of the injured Sanchez that changed the tire of the game. The Chilean had been lively in the first half in a false 9 role but had failed to have any impact in the game. United were desperately short of motivation when he dropped down injured early in the second half and at one point, it looked like Solskjaer’s first defeat as the United manager was just around the corner.
Enter Diogo Dalot, a right back who was asked to play in a forward role. And almost instantly, the mood at Old Trafford had changed. The Portuguese used his speed exceedingly well, pinning back the Southampton defense and looked threatening every time he went forward.
Solskjaer chose Dalot to play the forward role when he also had Young in the team and it was this decision from the Norwegian that sparked off the comeback win.