OLE’S BABES COME OF AGE
Season’s youngest line-up produce United’s best display
THE film about Sir matt Busby’s life premieres tonight and no one would have been more pleased than him to see this young manchester United team come of age.
There is a very long way to go and it would be ridiculous to start drawing any comparisons with the teams Busby built. But on a day when United took second billing to events elsewhere in the North West, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side provided more evidence that they are heading in the right direction.
A fifth win in six games in all competitions tells its own story, but it was the manner of this victory over Brighton that augurs so well for United.
Solskjaer fielded the youngest starting line-up anywhere in the Premier league this season with an average age of 23 years and 350 days, and was rewarded with what he saw as United’s best display of the campaign.
They scored three goals at Old Trafford for the second time in four days and wasted enough chances to score many more.
Yes, those wins have come against Partizan Belgrade and Brighton and, yes, United are still prone to deflating defeats like the one at Bournemouth last week. But the important thing is that confidence is flowing and the chances are coming.
‘How we didn’t end up with five, six or seven, we don’t know,’ said Solskjaer. ‘But it was exhilarating and entertaining and great to see the boys enjoy themselves.
‘if they don’t get confidence from this, i don’t know what to tell them. These are young boys, so there are going to be ups and down. They’re learning and they’ve had some tough lessons, but they’ve learnt from it.’
Solskjaer’s ethos was epitomised by the coltish Brandon Williams, who was given his full league debut aged 19 and left the field in the 91st minute to a standing ovation after a hugely promising performance.
‘He’s making it very hard for me to leave him out,’ said the United boss.
There were positives all over the pitch for Solskjaer, from Williams at the back to the attacking trident of Dan James, Anthony martial and marcus Rashford, even though Rashford should have scored more than once and was guilty of one of the misses of the season. Andreas Pereira continues to show promise as a No 10 and fred is starting to confound those who wrote him off as a £53million flop.
for Brighton, this was something of a reality check after a run of three wins in four games. They were left chasing shadows at times which manager Graham Potter believes led to his side’s five bookings.
martin montoya, in particular, was guilty of a scything challenge on Rashford as Brighton struggled to contain United’s pace down the flanks.
‘We’re not a malicious team but with the likes of James, martial and Rashford, when they nick the ball away you can catch them,’ said Potter, who substituted montoya and young striker Aaron Connolly at half-time.
By then, United were heading for victory thanks to two goals in three minutes that both went in off Brighton players.
Pereira claimed the first after running at the Brighton back four and teasing them with a series of stepovers, which only gave Stephens the chance to get back and poke the ball off his toes.
it ran for martial, who played the ball to Pereira and his left-footed shot took a heavy deflection off Dale Stephens, leaving goalkeeper mat Ryan hopelessly wrong-footed.
moments later, lewis Dunk was booked for taking down James wide on the right and fred swung over a free-kick to the edge of the six-yard box.
Harry maguire rose with Dunk and the ball was directed goalwards for Scott mcTominay to prod it through Ryan’s legs and follow it over the line. There was a delay for VAR to check on a suspicion of handball against maguire. All it proved was the ball had hit Dunk’s arm and was put over the line by Propper. A set-piece always looked like Brighton’s best route back into the game and so it proved in the 64th minute. Substitute Pascal Gross swung over a corner from the left and Brighton skipper Dunk rose above mcTominay and maguire to power a header past David De Gea. Brighton’s hopes of a comeback lasted less than two minutes, however. fred fed the ball to martial, who raced into the box but lost possession due to the combined efforts of Shane Duffy and Ryan.
The frenchman showed great composure to reclaim the ball and pull it back to Rashford, who smashed a shot in off the underside of the bar.
The Englishman wasted a far easier chance as United pressed for more, somehow putting the ball wide of an open goal from James’s cross.
‘i don’t know how he missed it and you’re surprised when it doesn’t go in,’ said Solskjaer.
The afternoon ended on a sour not when the excellent mcTominay turned his ankle and hobbled off in added time. Despite being carried down the tunnel on a stretcher, he was able to walk unaided out of Old Trafford afterwards.
The Scot will have a scan today
but his injury could not detract from a very good afternoon for this young team.