LONDON • Ole Gunnar Solskjaer knows a thing or two about impact substitutions, but even Manchester United's former supersub extraordinaire must have been pleasantly surprised to see Romelu Lukaku step off the bench and score within 38 seconds on Wednesday.
Until then, Solskjaer had seemed outwitted by Rafael Benitez's contain-and-counter tactics. But, by the end of a bitterly cold night, Marcus Rashford had added a second to seal a 2-0 win over Newcastle.
It makes the Norwegian the first United manager since Matt Busby in 1946 to win his opening four games. He acknowledged it would be "hard" for him to relinquish the role and return to his "day job" at Molde in Norway in May.
"Of course I won't want to leave," the 45-year-old said, semi-teasingly. "I don't want to."
His smile suggested he knows he will almost certainly have to, although much more of this and all bets will be off.
If United's flight to the warmth of Dubai tomorrow for a mid-season training break should be a happy one, Newcastle remain far too close to the relegation zone for comfort.
Things certainly appeared to have changed since the last time Solskjaer patrolled the away technical area at the St James' Park in 2014.
1946
The only other year a Manchester United manager in Matt Busby won his first four league games, a feat matched by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Back then, Alan Pardew was in charge of a home team whose 3-0 win confirmed Cardiff's relegation from the Premier League.
Not that Jose Mourinho's interim successor could afford to relax, even with a new-found sense of creative liberation, that was cowed and cramped by his predecessor, leading to 12 goals before the game.
Indeed, United could easily have conceded early when Phil Jones' poor back pass played Salomon Rondon onside. In the end, the defender recovered superbly to rescue the situation.
"Finally we kept a clean sheet," Solskjaer told Sky Sports. "A very professional performance. We didn't hit the heights that we can do, but we were in control, kept plugging away and got the goals."
At the other end, Paul Pogba, the chief beneficiary of the regime change with four goals and three assists, regularly advanced down the inside-left channel with destructive intent but the final ball was not quite coming off against the hosts' five-man defence.
Yet this was also very much a collective effort, a masterclass in the art of assiduous closing down. With less than half an hour left, the time had come to liberate Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez from the bench.
Lukaku scored with his first touch when Slovakia goalkeeper Martin Dubravka uncharacteristically spilled Rashford's dipping 25m free kick. The forward reacted with alacrity, responding faster than Jamaal Lascelles to drive the rebound home from six yards.
Said Solskjaer: "A good first touch from a sub. When you see big Romelu Lukaku running towards you, as a 'keeper you might take your hands away."
All that remained was for an unmarked Rashford to slide a shot through Dubravka's legs at the end of a move he had started. It involved Lukaku cueing up Sanchez, who marked his return from hamstring trouble with an assist that rekindled hopes of a top-four spot.
"Marcus has a great hit," said Solskjaer. "He must have been watching Cristiano (Ronaldo) practising. Without hitting the heights, it was a very professional performance."
THE GUARDIAN, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Unai Emery urges Arsenal to focus on Valencia clash Even though the spoils were shared from a memorable 1-1 draw, the Gunners gained something invaluable. Concrete evidence of their renewed
Emery urges players to learn from 'bad experience' at Anfield
Suspended Thierry Henry set to lose Monaco job | Sports News
Hard to keep Hazard: Sarri LONDON • Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has accepted it will be hard to deny Eden Hazard a move to Real Madrid this summer, even if a reported £100 million (S$176.7 million) move is "too cheap" for the Belgium captain.
Hard to keep hold of Hazard, admits Sarri | The Daily Star
Andre Gray came off the bench to fire Watford into the FA Cup semi-finals with the late winner in their 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace on Saturday. Javi Gracia's side took the lead through Etienne Capoue's first half strike before Michy Batshuayi equalised for Palace after the interval. That was
Super-sub Gray sends Watford into FA Cup semis
New chapter for Tottenham as stadium hosts 1st game When teenager Rayan Clarke rolled a pass off the centre spot at Tottenham Hotspur's gleaming new stadium on Sunday it kicked off a new
Football: New chapter for Tottenham as stadium hosts first game
"We are all tired after an amazing, crazy and unbelievable night," Pochettino told a news conference Spurs 'still in a dream' after Man City win, says Pochettino Home
Tottenham beat Man City in Champions League: 'We are still in
Latest Football Gist Jorginho fires Chelsea as recalled Kepa shines Chelsea were indebted to Kepa for a series of superb saves that preserved their lead after the
Jorginho fires Chelsea as recalled Kepa shines - Afriupdate
Football news - Huddersfield end losing run with 0-0 draw at Cardiff Bottom club Huddersfield Town ended their eight-match losing streak in the Premier League with a goalless draw at fellow
Football: Huddersfield end losing run with 0-0 draw at Cardiff
The latest Tweets from Liverpoolfc-blog (@LFC_Blog). Information and news from around the web about all things Liverpool #YNWA #lfc. UK
Liverpool 4 Manchester City 3: Visitors' unbeaten run finally
If you've ever lived away from home or embarked on a long journey, I'm sure you too have felt these 17 things that change forever when you live abroad. 1. Adrenalin becomes part of your life. From the moment you decide to move abroad, your life turns into a powerful mix of emotions - learning, improvising, dealing with the unexpected…
Why You Should Take the Leap and Try Living Abroad
Advertisement MUNICH, Apr 25: Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich beat Werder Bremen 3-2 with two goals from Robert Lewandowski on Wednesday to advance to the German Cup final for the second straight year and keep the domestic league and cup double firmly in their sights.
Football: Bayern reach German Cup final to keep double in
Injured Suarez to miss China Cup for Uruguay Posted on March 18, 2019 by yasir kaneria in Football , Sports Suarez, 32, is expected to miss between 10 and 15 days after limping off late in Sunday's 4-1 win at Real Betis in La Liga.
Injured Suarez to miss China Cup for Uruguay - China.org.cn
Time for Sanchez, Lukaku to shine LONDON • Caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has challenged Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku to step up for Manchester United after confirming that the injured Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard will be out for up to three weeks.
Injuries open way for Sanchez and Lukaku to shine for United
0 Kommentare:
Kommentar veröffentlichen