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

#2 Romelu Lukaku

Crystal Palace v Manchester United - Premier League

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.