Manchester United 1-0 Totteham: 6 men who were brilliant for Solskjaer
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has finally passed the acid test. After winning his first five games, a fantastic run of form that was considered to be a little lucky as well, the Norwegian was supposed to be judged against the man who was the front runner for the permanent job. Pochettino apparently has his admirers in the United board, but on the night, Solskjaer must have made even the most hardcore fan of the Argentinean sit up and take notice.
Manchester United played two different halves of football and were fiercely efficient in both. While they lit up the first half with a brilliant display of attacking football, they were matured and stellar while preserving their lead in the second half. In the end, Solskjaer came away from Wembley with his head held high. The Norwegian has now won all of his first six games in charge, becoming the first Manchester United manager to do so and for that, he has these six men to thank.
Also see : Copa America Standings, Copa America Schedule
#6 Nemanja Matic
The Serbian has been fabulous ever since Solskjaer took over and at Wembley, the Norwegian trusted Nemanja Matic with the most difficult job so far - shielding his shaky defense against a dangerous Tottenham attack. And the Serbian was brilliant in his role.
Matic started as the defensive midfielder and unlike the previous games under his new manager, did not venture forward at will. Instead, the Serbian concentrated on nullifying the opposition attack, trying to stop the Tottenham midfield from passing and getting comfortable. He dominated the midfield, refusing to surrender the reins to the opposition. He double teamed with Herrera to stop Eriksen, while also trying to set his forward players free on the odd occasions. However, Matic's biggest contribution came inside his own box.
Every time Tottenham ventured into the United box, the Serbian was around. Phil Jones was having a harrowing time dealing with the physical presence of Harry Kane and Matic seamlessly slotted into the United defense, playing as the third center back at times, especially in the second half. He was fantastic on the night and his quick thinking and awareness helped United preserve their 1-0 lead.