Manchester United 3-1 Crystal Palace: 5 men who were brilliant for Solskjaer

At the end of the full time whistle, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had steered Manchester United to eight consecutive away wins for the first time in the history of the club. Ever since taking over, the Norwegian faced a plethora of challenges at Old Trafford and has responded to each of them amazingly well. However, nothing could have prepared him for the muddle that awaited him before the Crystal Palace game.

Six regular team members – Anthony Martial, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford, Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrera – were battling injuries in the build up to the game. Five of them were ruled out of the tie, while Rashford could only make the bench. As such, Solskjaer had a selection worry ahead of the tie.

While he managed to keep the back 5 intact, the midfield had a makeshift look to it. Fred got a rare start alongside McTominay and Pogba. The front three raised a lot of eye brows too – Diogo Dalot was drafted in alongside Lukaku – who started as the No. 9 – and Alexis Sanchez.

But even though his team looked shaky on paper, Solskjaer knew his players well. The United Manager had made subtle changes to his team, but still masterminded a vital away win at a crucial time in the season.

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In the end, United won 3-1 on a ground where it has traditionally been hard for them to conjure up points. The Norwegian deserves all the credit for his clever tactics, but he has these five players to thank for the historic win.

#5 Paul Pogba

Crystal Palace v Manchester United - Premier League

The Frenchman started in an unfamiliar position on the right of the midfield three, to accommodate Fred in the team and the change of position took a toll on him in the opening stages. Pogba struggled to play his natural game, and looked off the pace at the start.

However, like a true champion, he adapted himself to the requirements of his team and grew in stature as the game progressed. Partnered with the inexperienced Fred and McTominay, the Frenchman had a restrained outing, as he helped his midfielders out of tricky situations. Because Fred struggled to get a foothold of the proceedings, Pogba had to stay alert and it affected his attacking play.

However, every time Pogba bombed forward, he looked threatening and it was from one such counter attack that he set up Ashley Young to score United’s third.

#4 Victor Lindelof

Lindelof had another stellar outing for Manchester United

The Swedish Center Back had Smalling for company once again and it seems that the partnership between the two suits Lindelof well. Tasked with keeping Michy Batshuayi at bay, the Swede was always in control and defended well in the entire game. Smalling’s positioning did leave him vulnerable on a few occasions, but Lindelof dealt with the situation well.

There was nothing he could do about the goal though, as he was busy staying close to his man. In fact, Lindelof was so assured that Batshuayi had a frustrating night and rarely threatened. But Lindelof did not just hold the fort at the back. In absence of Matic, Manchester United were both vulnerable on the counter and also missed a distributor from the back. Lindelof regularly took the ball forward and kept it moving. At one point, he was also seen urging Fred to move forward when the Brazilian had dropped deep.

Lindelof brings a lot of different qualities to this team and against Crystal Palace, he helped an injury hit United earn all 3 points.

#3 Ashley Young

When Solskjaer put both Young and Dalot in the team list, there was an initial confusion, regarding their positions. After it was confirmed that the Englishman started at the right back position, there were a lot of concerns.

For starters, the game might have come too soon for him after an exhausting outing against Liverpool – he is, after all, 32 years old now. Then he had to deal with one of the most tricky wingers in the league in Wilfried Zaha. And Young, true to his name, proved on the night that age is just a number.

He dealt with the threat of Zaha exceedingly well, keeping the English winger quiet for most parts of the game. It was a controlled performance from Young, as he was asked to hold his forward runs to steady the defense. However, at the end of the game, when Solskjaer moved Bailly to right back and asked Young to take position in the right of the front three, the United Skipper showed his attacking prowess.

He made fantastic runs in those last few minutes and was finally rewarded when Pogba set him up on goal. Young finished well and curbed any chances of a Palace comeback.

#2 Romelu Lukaku

The Belgian had recently suggested that he was open to carrying out any role deemed fit by his Norwegian manager. Lukaku had rarely played as the No. 9 under Solskjaer, who preferred to use him as the wide forward. However, there was no denying the Belgian’s qualities and when the opportunity to start through the center finally arrived, he did not let his manager down.

However, Lukaku’s start to the game was inauspicious. He missed a sitter in the early stages, losing his marker during a United corner but blasting wide from close range. He did not let that affect his confidence though, and finally found his breakthrough in the 33rd minute.

Following some good work from Luke Shaw, the Belgian opened the scoring with a well taken shot from the edge of the box. Early in the second half, he doubled the lead after an impressive display of strength and finishing ability. Apart from scoring two valuable goals, Lukaku was also instrumental in implementing Solskjaer’s pressing football and must have impressed his manager with his work rate.

#1 Luke Shaw

Luke Shaw was fabulous once again for Manchester United

Another game, another perfect performance from Luke Shaw. The Englishman had earned rave reviews after successfully keeping tabs on Mohamed Salah in the weekend game against Liverpool. The left back has been in fine form ever since Solskjaer took charge and has been one of the players of the season so far. Against Crystal Palace, he showed once again why he is such an asset to United.

Shaw started at left back and regularly bombed forward. Solskjaer had asked Sanchez to drop inside to make space for the Englishman to run into and it was from here that the young left back did all the damage. His passing was crisp and his control on the ball seems to have improved greatly. Shaw continuously made forward runs through the channels and caused Palace all sorts of trouble. And from one such run, United took the lead.

Taking the ball in the midfield, Shaw ran at the home team, taking on the players and venturing into the penalty area. His drive had successfully drawn the attention of the Palace defense and it had left Lukaku free. The Englishman had the presence of mind to pick out the Belgian striker, who found the back of the net. Shaw was also solid at the back and regularly covered for his centerbacks. It was a man of the match performance from the youngster which helped United win the game.

Edited by Aniket Kar