Leicester City 0-1 Manchester United: 5 Tactics from Solskjaer that won the game
Manchester United travelled to the King Power Stadium on Sunday to face a Leicester City side who had held Liverpool to a 1-1 at Anfield last week. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer knew the threat possessed by the opposition and as such, made 4 changes to the team that drew to Burnley in midweek.
He brought in Eric Bailly for Phil Jones and Ander Herrera for Andreas Pereira. In the front three, Lingard and Sanchez replaced Lukaku and Mata. The rest of the team remained the same.
Chelsea had opened up a 5 point gap at fourth place thanks to their win over Huddersfield on Saturday. With Arsenal due to play Manchester City later, Solskjaer knew that he had a golden opportunity in his hands. A win would bring the gap back to 2 points and would give United a chance to eye the fifth spot depending on the result of the Arsenal-City game.
United started the game well and were rewarded in the 9th minute when Marcus Rashford scored the opening goal. Leicester piled on the pressure on the United defence and did not allow the away team to settle down. However, United defended deep to go into the break with a 1-0 lead.
In the second half, Leicester City threw the kitchen sink at United and went close to scoring on a couple of times, as de Gea kept his cool and kept United in the game. In the end, Rashford's goal was enough to see United through.
Even though the performance on the night had a lot of scope for improvements, Solskjaer will be mighty pleased with the result. Here are 5 tactics from the Norwegian that won United all 3 points.
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#5 Team Selection
The Norwegian made a few smart changes to his team. With Martial still not a 100 % fit, he opted for Alexis Sanchez and Lingard to partner Rashford up front. He also put in Bailly in place of Phil Jones in the back four.
And he brought his midfield dynamo, Ander Herrera, back into the team. It was his team selection that ensured that United could play the counter-attacking football that is the club's strength right now.
Sanchez and Lingard kept the pressure on the home side, Herrera was a livewire in the middle and Bailly was rock solid at the back. When Leicester piled on the pressure in the second half, the Norwegian brought on Martial and Lukaku to keep the home defence on their toes.
In the last few minutes of the game, Leicester came knocking with all their might and Solskjaer acknowledged that his defence needed reassuring, so he made a defensive substitution, bringing on Jones for Lingard.
The Norwegian's awareness of his team helped Manchester United earn all 3 points on the night.