Tottenham 0-1 Manchester United: 5 Tactics from Solskjaer that won the game
Manchester United travelled to Wembley on Sunday well aware that a win would bring them level on points with Arsenal on 5th position. This was about to be the biggest Sunday of Solskjaer's managerial career and it was also a battle between two men who will be vying for the same post in the summer - the permanent job at Old Trafford.
The Norwegian had won the first 5 games as a Manchester United manager, however, he had been lucky with the choice of his oppositions. As such, Tottenham away was billed to be the first real test for Solskjaer, who had returned his former team to a free-flowing attacking brand of football.
His team selection on Sunday hinted that he would continue with his normal attacking tactics at Wembley as well.
Solskjaer started with De Gea in goal, with Young, Lindelof, Jones and Shaw as the back four. In the middle, he trusted the trio of Herrera, Matic and Pogba, while up ahead, Lingard and Martial partnered Rashford.
Both teams started the game well and Wembley witnessed a fascinating night of attacking football. After coming close a couple of times, United finally took the lead through Rashford in the 44th minute, going into the break with a 1-0 lead.
In the second half, Tottenham pegged United back for the majority of the game, but some fabulous defending coupled with a brilliant De Gea in goal ensured that United earned 3 vital points.
Solskjaer has now won all of his first 6 games since joining United and these 5 tactics from the Norwegian helped United come away from Wembley with a fabulous win.
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#5 Smart Substitutions
Solskjaer made no changes at the start of the second half, as he expected his team to build on their first-half performance and stamp their authority on the game.
However, Tottenham piled on the pressure on the away team after the break and United looked like they might surrender any moment. Solskjaer noticed this and had to make a decision.
His front three were showing little signs of tiredness from all the pressing and the Norwegian spiced things up by bringing on Lukaku in place of Martial. Lingard moved to the right and Rashford moved back to his preferred left wing.
This enabled United to shut out the flanks, as Rashford and Lingard religiously tracked back and gave the home team little joy on the flanks.
The Norwegian then brought on Dalot in place of the tiring Lingard and the Portuguese continued the Englishman's good work on the right, staying compact and even making a vital clearance from the box.
Finally, he brought on McTominay in place of Pogba to preserve his talisman, as the Frenchman looked tired and was also on a yellow card. Solskjaer's smart substitutions helped United as they saw out a vital win at Wembley.