OLE GETS That’s one TV thriller United will not want to see again...
Fernandes 56 pen
WHILE Slaven Bilic never stopped stalking the touchline, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer mainly stayed in his seat, the pensive look on his face barely changing.
Deep down, he knew Manchester United had got away with one, knew they had been the beneficiaries of refereeing vagaries, knew David Coote had come up with a vital assist.
Solskjaer owes Coote a drink for helping end his team’s dismal Premier League home run.
This might be the catalyst for an improved United stint at Old Trafford, but maybe best not to bank on it.
There is no doubt Coote’s decision to overturn himself, after Bruno Fernandes had challenged Conor Gallagher in the penalty area early in the second half, was the key moment in this game.
It is a good thing that referees are now encouraged to go to the monitors, a bad thing when they come to bad decisions like this one.
Coote – who was moved off VAR duty at Liverpool-Leicester, having done the same job for the game in which Virgil van Dijk’s season was ended by Jordan Pickford – got the decision right first time.
I suppose when he is overruling himself, it is hard to argue or complain, but it just looked like a clear penalty.
Anyhow, United capitalised, italised, even if their performance was not one to suggest they will join the growing number of teams in the e title mix.
If they get Paul Pogba ba back to his pomp, that might change.
Pogba’s absence from m the match-day squad d had nothing to do with h his comments while on international duty that suggested he was happier playing for his country than his club. Oh no. His omission from m the 18 was unrelated to his stunningly mediocre cre form for United of late. . Of course it was. Apparently, he had a knock - to go with the one his reputation has taken recently. Had d he been fit,
Pogba would not have started and when you look at United’s midfield, populated by the likes of Nemanja Matic and Fred, that is some indictment.
Solskjaer says Pogba might be fit for Tuesday’s Champions League game against Istanbul Basaksehir, but you sense Solskjaer has a plan going forward that is not Pogba-dependent.
It does not look too Donny van de Beek-dependent either.
For an expensive recruit, the Dutchman cut a frustrated figure as he trudged to his familiar subs seat in the stands.
It seems Solskjaer does not visualise Van de Beek forming an alliance with Fernandes, who plated up an early sitter for Anthony Martial, which the Frenchman struck too closely to West Brom keeper Sam Johnstone.
While Fernandes was not at his finest here, he is a player who IS central to Solskjaer’s fortunes. He might have a tendency for the theatrical, but he can see a pass and provides a streak of much-needed creativity in a functional United team.
At times in a contest that pretty much lived down to expectations, Harry Maguire looked as likely to provide a scoring spark as anyone.
As he also demonstrated for England in their stroll against Iceland last week, Maguire is quietly fancying himself as a bit of a Beckenbauer.
His incursions into opposition territory seem to be increasingly frequent. And any extra attacking verve would be welcome for United.
With Fred and Matic, Solskjaer has two fairly defensive midfielders and quite why they are both required against limited opposition is unclear.
Having said that, limited is a bit harsh. For long periods, West Brom certainly defended with admirable discipline, thei their vigour typified by Kyle Bartley.
The captain t took a Maguire volley straight in the th mouth, flattened by its force.
But he brushed aside conce concerned team- mates, dust dusted himself down and wa was soon heading na narrowly over David de G Gea’s crossbar.
Callum Robinson w went closer when he h hit the bar in the s second half, but, by t then, Fernandes had tu tucked home his pe penalty with his second att attempt after Sam John Johnstone had advanced off his line to save the first. There was no blaming Coote for that, but, as far as United were concerned, he had already played h his part.