Manchester United 2-1 Brighton & Hove: 5 men who won the game for Solskjaer
It is a mark of champions that they can grind out results even when they are far from their best. Manchester United have done that for years now and they have built an empire out of being efficient. Against Brighton, Solskjaer's team were guilty of becoming complacent and were almost made to pay for it. But it is a mark of their maturity and development under their new manager, that the team has managed to continue their winning form.
Solskjaer tried to go with the same team that had won against Tottenham and even though Shaw had to be replaced by Dalot in the 11th hour, the men showed the same grit from Wembley to win all three points. After starting the second half with a comfortable 2-0 lead, the United players, strangely, put their foot off the pedal. They had believed that it would be possible to cruise through the game, but Brighton hit them hard by getting a goal back in the 72nd minute.
From then on, United held on, sitting deep nervously and often resembling their shape from Wembley, even though they were rarely threatened. The blistering first half turned out to be enough to bail them out in the end, but Solskjaer will be fuming deep within at the state of things in the second half.
On a night when they were far from the best, Solskjaer's team managed to win all three points and for that, the Norwegian has these 5 men to thank.
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#5 Nemanja Matic
The Serbian has been getting back to his best under Solskjaer and had another strong outing against Brighton. Matic started as the deepest of the midfielders but soon found himself further ahead as the game progressed. He was quick to close down the opposition and ensured that the United defense was always well guarded.
The Serbian also used his passing range to unlock the defenses, with his pass to Pogba leading the way to the penalty decision. It was not the first time the Serbian had attempted a forward pass, he regularly joined the attack in the first half, as United piled on the pressure on the opposition.
However, it was in the second half, as the game slowed down, that Matic's presence was vital, as Brighton repeatedly caught United off guard. The Serbian had to be alert and also dropped deep to sit with his defense, providing additional shield. Ultimately, Matic ensured that United's slender lead in the second half remained intact.