Ole basks in victory but has his work cut out

Manchester United’s victory against Tottenham is a statement win for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but the team’s reliance on David de Gea’s heroics in goal shows the interim boss still has work to do.

Solskjaer had won all five of his games as caretaker United boss before Sunday’s Premier League match at Wembley, seen as the first major test of his reign.

The Norwegian got his tactics spot-on in the first half of a match billed as a face-off between the two favourites for the fulltime job at Old Trafford, with Mauricio Pochettino in the opposition dugout.

Spurs dominated possession in the opening minutes but United’s fleet-footed trio of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard looked to counter-attack at every opportunity.

The approach paid off just before halftime when the impressive Paul Pogba delivered a raking cross-field ball for Rashford to run onto and the England man drove the ball emphatically past Hugo Lloris, leading to wild scenes of celebration on the bench.

But the second half was a different story as Spurs came forward in relentless waves, only to find De Gea in unbeatable form.

The hard-fought victory at Wembley certainly boosts the chances of Solskjaer – who replaced the sacked Jose Mourinho last month – of staying at Old Trafford beyond the end of this season.

United are now level on points with fifth-placed Arsenal after trailing them by eight points when Solskjaer replaced Mourinho on December 19 and their bid to qualify for next season’s Champions League is gathering pace. Spurs remain in third place, nine points behind leaders Liverpool.