Manchester United 5-1 Cardiff City: 5 Ways Solskjaer masterminded the win

Modified Dec 22, 2018 20:12 GMT

Cardiff City v Manchester United - Premier League

#3 Subtle changes in Midfield

Mourinho had often opted for steel in place of brains in midfield quite often, opting from players like Fellaini who hinder the free-flowing football. The Portuguese preferred to sacrifice fluidity in the middle in order to add security to his team.

When Solskjaer opted for Herrera, Matic and Pogba in the middle, it seemed like the Norwegian had added two defensive midfielders to cover for his French talisman, but the Baby Faced Assassin had other ideas.

Even though Herrera and Matic did have added defensive responsibilities, they did not sit back to soak in the pressure at all. Herrera, for once, had a lot of freedom in the pitch, and seemed to enjoy himself, as he was allowed to play his natural game.

He did not have to be in his mad dog mode, but the Spaniard was instrumental in keeping the Cardiff midfield quiet and was quite effective on the right side of the middle three, even scoring a goal. Matic did not have too much to do, but it one of his better days. But the night belonged to Paul Pogba, who looked happy, confident and pulled the strings for United.

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Edited by Sripad