RASHFORD ADDS THE GLOSS
Solskjaer bandwagon rolls on as patient United break Newcastle with late double
OLE Gunnar Solskjaer was the ultimate supersub for Manchester United — and now Romelu Lukaku has taken on the role for his new manager.
Lukaku scored the crucial opener here as soon as he was sent on. The goal on 64 minutes set up a victory which sees his manager become only the second in the club’s history to win their first four league games. Matt Busby is the other and that is not bad company to keep a few weeks into the job.
Lukaku had needed only two minutes to score after coming on during Sunday’s 4-1 victory over Bournemouth. But he wasn’t hanging around even that long last night.
The Belgian had watched for more than an hour as his teammates toiled, a shadow of the side who had smashed 12 goals in three games since being freed of Jose Mourinho’s smothering and impeding presence.
United had a free-kick 25 yards from goal as Lukaku — joined by fellow sub Alexis Sanchez — trotted into position.
Marcus Rashford took aim and, when his dipping effort bounced just in front of Martin Dubravka, Lukaku pounced to take advantage of the goalkeeper’s poor spill.
It was a relief for Solskjaer — whose team had matched until that point against Rafa Benitez’s Magpies —and Sanchez laid on the game-clinching second for Rashford 10 minutes from time.
Benitez has long since been criticised for the negative tactics he employs against the top clubs. His argument has always been that he is managing the meagre resource available to him — and he has a point given the club have returned a £2million profit over the last three transfer windows.
Yet here was a first-half performance in which they held the visitors, even bettering them in terms of chances created.
The inclusion of Phil Jones at centre back for United as replacement for the suspended Eric Bailly had perhaps given the hosts hope.
Rather than attempt to knit pretty patterns around the opposition, they sought to exploit the space behind a leaden-footed backline.
Fabian Schar’s early hoist forward saw Christian Atsu give chase and trap the dropping ball with a touch belying his £5m fee. Benitez, though, always says that you can add a zero to the cost of any player who can put the ball in the back of the net and Atsu’s subsequent shot was weak and wayward.
He had a chance to make amends moments later when working an angle for the strike after stepping away from Victor Lindelof but, again, David de Gea collected the effort with ease.
Another punt presented Newcastle with their third opening inside 14 minutes when Jones attempted to intercept.
The defender dithered and Ayoze Perez stole in to send Salomon Rondon clear. But such hesitancy was obviously catching and Jones recovered to steal from the equally cumbersome striker.
Still the home side pressed, with United looking unlikely to improve their record of two clean sheets this season, the worst in the
division alongside Fulham. Again it was Atsu who found himself in the clear after Perez dropped a ball in behind — notice the theme — but his shot was so badly miscued that it rolled harmlessly towards the corner flag.
If you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em goes the old adage and so, in the 25th minute, United lifted a long ball behind the home defence and Marcus Rashford was only denied a goal by the quick-thinking of goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, racing from his line to block.
Paul Pogba was seeking to become only the second player after Cristiano Ronaldo to score two goals or more in three straight Premier League matches for United but a 20-yard shot which bobbled wide on the half hour was as close as he came in the first half.
Late in the game, Atsu had another chance but fired across goal, while Perez was robbed of a one-on-one with De Gea by his own heavy touch.
Jonjo Shelvey should have then been shown a red card for a high boot on Pogba that went unpunished. Pogba could have been booked himself for a reckless revenge tackle.
United did punish Newcastle as they grew ragged in the closing stages and Sanchez released Rashford to score.
NEWCASTLE UNITED (3-4-2-1): Dubravka 5; Schar 6.5 (Muto 81 mins), Lascelles 6, Dummett 6.5; Yedlin 6, Hayden 6, Diame 6 (Shelvey 53, 5), Ritchie 5.5; Perez 6.5 (Kenedy 69, 5), Atsu 6; Rondon 5.5 Subs not used: Woodman, Manquillo, Lejeune, Joselu. Booked: Lascelles. Manager: Rafa Benitez 6. MANCHESTER UNITED (4-2-3-1): De Gea 6.5; Valencia 6, Lindelof 6, Jones 5, Shaw 6.5; Herrera 5.5, Matic 6, Pogba 6; Mata 5.5 (Sanchez 64, 6), Rashford 6.5 (Lingard 87), Martial 5 (Lukaku 64, 7). Subs not used: Romero, Fred, Young, Darmian. Scorer: Lukaku 64. Booked: Lindelof, Shaw. Manager: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 7. Referee: Andre Marriner 6. Attendance: 52,217.