Manchester United 3-1 Huddersfield: 5 Tactics from Solskjaer that won the game

Manchester United welcomed Huddersfield to Old Trafford on Wednesday for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first home game as a Manchester United manager. It promised to be a great occasion and the Red Devils had shown signs of a revival over the weekend in the first game under their new manager.

They had brushed aside Cardiff City easily, pumping 5 goals for the first time in more than 5 years! They were looking to continue that form at Old Trafford and Solskjaer made just 3 changes to the team from the weekend, as Manchester United adjusted to a busy festive period.

Diogo Dalot came in for Ashley Young at right back, Fred replaced Herrera and Mata started ahead of Martial, as the Frenchman was reportedly ill. United continued in a 4-3-3 attacking formation, with Rashford leading the line. Manchester United had a good record against Huddersfield, they had won 19 of the previous 44 meetings while drawing 15 and losing 10 times.

United started the game strong, playing fast attacking football that their new manager thrives on and finally broke the deadlock when Matic scored in the 28th minute. The first half ended 1-0, but Hudderfield rallied at the start of the second half and made life difficult for United.

Pogba scored a beautifully crafted team goal in the 64th minute to calm the nerves, before scoring again magnificently from outside the box to take the game away from the visitors. Huddersfield got one back through Jorgensen in the 88th minute to ruin De Gea's day, but United held on for a comfortable victory in Solskjaer's first home game.

The Norwegian continued his fine start to life as a Manchester United manager and it was these 5 tactical decisions from Solskjaer that helped his team win all 3 points.

#5 Fullbacks playing as wingbacks

Manchester United v Huddersfield Town - Premier League

Solskjaer started with Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot as the fullbacks, opting for the young Portuguese as right back ahead of Ashley Young. Shaw had already been one of the best players against Cardiff City, and Dalot's entry meant that United had two young, ambitious and fast fullbacks in the team.

It was a decision that had a bit of a risk, and a stark contrast from Mourinho's preference of a back four with more solidity. It was clear that Solskjaer wanted his fullbacks to have a little adventure and that was what they did.

Both Dalot and Shaw spent most of their time in the opposition half. With Fred and Matic covering for them whenever necessary, the two youngsters resembled wingbacks, tracking back as and when required, but trying mostly to use their attacking abilities as a form of defense. As such, even though there was quite a lot of space for the taking, there wasn't much that Huddersfield could do, as they were busy defending.

Shaw was fabulous on the left once again, and Dalot did well too. Both of them contributed greatly to building the atmosphere at Old Trafford and Huddersfield had no answer to their speed and running. At the start of the second half, as Huddersfield pressed harder, Solskjaer brought Young in to stabilize the right size, however, even the Englishman had the license to go forward as required. It was this decision to make the most of the wings that ultimately helped United win the game.

#4 Urgency on the ball

Manchester United started by playing small, efficient passes from the middle to spread the ball. No one held the ball too long, everyone knew what to do. They mostly relied on short passes to keep the ball running, spreading play from side to side and moving the ball from defense to offense.

Matic and Fred played passes out of the back four, feeding Pogba and Mata and occasionally spraying the ball to the wide players. Lindelof moved up from the back to keep the ball running and everyone had a sense of urgency in them. This was a welcome change from the laid back approach often on display under Mourinho.

During the counter attacks, Manchester United were clinical in their long passes, taking very little time to pile on the numbers in the opposition box. Solskjaer clearly understands that the speed in his team is a huge asset and against Huddersfield, he used this to his advantage. United's urgency and desire caused the opposition a lot of problems throughout the game and ultimately was one of the main reasons why they won the game.

#3 Compact defending

The defense has been Manchester United's bane for the entire season, however, Solskjaer opted for the same central defensive pairing from the last game, and his decision was totally justified.

Lindelof had been good against Cardiff and against Huddersfield, he took his game to a higher level. Phil Jones had a good game, however, they were ably assisted by the entire team.

Even though the fullbacks spent most of their time higher up in the pitch, they did not shy away from their main responsibilities. Whenever they were caught out of position, Fred or Matic was there to clean up. The whole team was compact and efficient while defending, which meant that Huddersfield were restricted to very few chances in the first half.

In a refreshing change, Solskjaer had set his defenders up with a clear instruction to step up from the back to nullify the threat of the opposition. Even though Huddersfield did knock on the door a couple of times and scored in the dying minutes, the tactics worked well and enabled United to get all three points.

#2 Smart Substitutions

Herrera stabilized the midfield for Manchester United

At the start of the second half, Manchester United lost a little bit of momentum and Huddersfield started growing stronger. Fred, who seemed to tire up at the end of the first half, lost his ground and Dalot's inexperience started to show.

This meant that Huddersfield gained confidence with each passing minute and all of a sudden, United were in the back foot. Just like a good reader of the game, Solskjaer noticed this and knew he had to do something.

He pulled out Fred and put on Herrera and replaced Dalot with Young. In a few moment's time, United had regained control of the proceedings. Solskjaer had not waited for the game to come to him, he had taken a proactive decision and it had been just what Manchester United needed. While Young brought a sense of stability to the right side, it was Herrera who had the most impact.

The Spaniard took the midfield by the scruff of the neck and showed just why he was so important to United. His presence brought a sense of calm to the field and United were ready to cruise.

His presence of mind to set up Pogba showed his qualities as a player. When the game waned a little in the later stages. Solskjaer brought on young Angel Gomes, much to the delight of the Old Trafford crowd and the youngster helped keep things exciting on the pitch.

Solskjaer should be delighted with his decision making against Huddersfield because it helped United win all 3 points.

#1 Mata and Pogba with free roles

Manchester United under Mourinho had a sense of rigidity about themselves. Solskjaer, in his very first game, had shown that he liked to provide his players a certain degree of freedom to express themselves. Against Huddersfield, the Norwegian showed an attacking intent that was instrumental in winning the game.

Last weekend, Pogba had the freedom to float around the pitch. Against Huddersfield, Solskjaer put both Mata and Pogba on free roles and it worked wonders. Both on them worked in tandem to punish Huddersfield and make sure that United were full of ideas while going forward.

Both popped up in various places and worked their lines well. When the fullbacks stretched the defense, they had a lot of time to work on the ball, however, credit must go to Solskjaer for setting them up differently. This meant that Pogba and Mata rarely came in each other's way. Instead, they used their abilities and their strengths in unison and complimented each other fabulously.

It was only fitting that they combined brilliantly for United's second goal. Mata's passing and nimble footing found Herrera, who had the presence of mind to set up Paul Pogba to slam one home. It was also the freedom to roam that enabled the Frenchman to score the goal of the game and confirm the 3 points.

Edited by Abhinav Munshi