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Solskjaer shows he’s smart and savvy as he wins first head-to-head in fight for United job
OLE Gunnar Solskjaer was supposed to be getting by on a wave of good vibes, mistyeyed emotions and weak opponents.
His strength was being the antiMourinho, the man who brought the simplistic fun and flair back to Manchester United’s football. He was probably going to be found out by the first handy team he played.
So what are we to make of this, the game that takes his flawless run to six matches across all competitions, the best start of any Manchester United manager? What are we to make of a victory at the home of a team many considered title contenders, against the manager many think should be king of Old Trafford next season, Mauricio Pochettino?
What are we to make of it when Tottenham had so comprehensively outplayed United, and the manager once considered the game’s master tactician, earlier in the season? This was a side of Solskjaer as yet unseen. Savvy, smart, calculating, yet not negative.
He needed an exceptional performance from goalkeeper David de Gea, but there’s no shame in that, either. De Gea recorded 11 saves in the second half — the most he has made in a Premier League fixture without conceding — but from front to back this was a fine performance.
United worked hard, defended resiliently and Marcus Rashford took the breakaway chance needed to scoop the points. Most would say Tottenham are a better team than United right now, so chalk this down as a tactical triumph, too — and one-nil to Solskjaer in his head-to-head with Pochettino.
Both managers denied that this was a public audition for the vacancy left by Jose Mourinho, but if results like this do not matter to United’s hierarchy, what does? Solskjaer cannot do better than this sequence and if this was billed as his first big test, the scoreline confirms he surely passed it.
The word is that United’s players are very keen on him getting the job permanently, too, and if this is true they are going the right way about it. As the seconds ticked down, red shirts threw themselves into blocks and tackles, and the locals despaired of finding a way past De Gea even if they broke the line protecting him.
Imagine what United’s goalkeeper would be like if he was allowed to use his upper limbs. This was another of those performances in which he appeared to have forgotten that handling was allowed so went for everything feet first. He was aided by some poor finishing, mind, some of the shots hitting him as much as being saved.
Maybe Tottenham could feel another title campaign slipping away, and it added to the tension. After this, they lose Son Huengmin to the Asia Cup with South Korea, and Moussa Sissoko limped off with what appeared to be a hamstring injury before half-time, leaving them without a recognised, fit, defensive midfielder.
The most unnerving sight of all, however, was Harry Kane’s desperately slow walk down the tunnel when the match had ended after a late collision with Phil Jones. The stadium had almost emptied by then, save for the corner where United’s players celebrated with their fans. Kane looked in genuine pain.
Without him, and Son, Tottenham’s season could unravel quite alarmingly. Pochettino said it would be a massive blow if he was
out for long. United’s equivalent, no doubt, would be losing De Gea.
‘You’re allowed to have a good goalkeeper,’ deadpanned Solskjaer after the game, and it’s a fair point. Jurgen Klopp went in search of one after the Champions League final, Pep Guardiola rewrote the record books once he had one after his first season at Manchester City and Chelsea broke the world record for one after losing Thibaut Courtois last season. Don’t forget, Mourinho had one, too — he had De Gea — and he wasn’t getting results like Solskjaer towards the end.
Tottenham did not have a shot on target in the first half, then peppered United’s goal like a drunken paintball party in the second. Each time, De Gea was equal to it. Who did he save from? Who didn’t he save from?
Kane’s feet, Dele Alli’s head, Kane’s head, Alli’s feet, Toby Alderweireld at the near post, Fernando Llorente from eight yards, Kane from a free-kick, Alli again, and Kane once more.
Yet if the sheer weight of chances makes it sound as if Solskjaer got lucky, he did not. He had a plan, and it worked. Rashford’s goal after 44 minutes had been coming.
Throughout the first half, United worked on getting their lively three in behind Tottenham’s back four: Rashford and Anthony Martial from wide, Jesse Lingard from deep through the middle. They nearly pulled it off on two occasions and then, just before half-time, came the breakthrough.
Kieran Trippier gave the ball away sloppily inside the United half and it landed at the feet of Paul Pogba. He had been marshalled well by Sissoko until his unfortunate withdrawal, but with the big man gone, he was free at last. Pogba had enough time to look up and pick his target, saw Rashford cutting in from the right and picked him out perfectly. Hugo Lloris was trying to recover his position and was probably not set up as he would have wished as Rashford struck a low shot. He got his fingertips to it, but no more, and in it went at the far corner. It was no more than United deserved. For all their movement and enterprise, their possession and impetus, Tottenham did not threaten United’s goal until after half-time. At that point, while United hadn’t had the best of the game, they had forced the best chances.
In the 11th minute, Alderweireld failed to clear a deep Ashley Young cross that was met by Lingard at the far post. He had better options, but went for the shot and, having taken a controlling touch, blasted it over.
Soon after came two good saves from Lloris. For the first Martial played in Rashford, for the second another Trippier error let in Martial, who set off on a powerful, direct run, thwarted by Lloris at the near post.
It would surely have been different had Tottenham settled their nerves by scoring early but, set up by Son, Harry Winks seemed confused: should he shoot, should he pass? Ultimately, he failed to do either with conviction and his effort went wide.
Tottenham have now lost against Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Wolves at home, plus Arsenal and Watford away. That’s four of the big six, and more than half of the teams in the top 11. In no season is that title-winning form, and maybe not even top four if the injury list continues to mount.
With seven points separating the teams, Pochettino’s worries will not stop at Solskjaer (left) taking his place at Old Trafford next season.