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Manchester United were out for revenge on a Saturday afternoon when they welcomed Brighton & Hove Albion to Old Trafford. In the last game against Tottenham, United had shown an impressive ability to grind out a slender 1-0 win in a tough away game and as such, Solskjaer named an almost unchanged team against Brighton on Saturday.
He started De Gea in goal, with Young, Lindelof, Jones, and Dalot making up the back four. Herrera, Matic, and Pogba continued in the middle, as did Rashford, Lingard, and Martial in the front.
United piled on the pressure on the away side right from the start and got the lead in the 27th minute though Pogba's spot kick. Rashford then doubled the lead in the 42nd minute with a brilliantly taken goal. The home team went into the break with a 2-0 lead.
However, United took their foot off the pedal in the second half and after a few missed chances, allowed Brighton to get back into the game. While the away team kept trying till the end, United held on to get all three points.
It was not the most memorable performances from Solskjaer's side, especially in the second half, but these 4 decisions from the Norwegian allowed United to win the game.
#4 Consistency with team selection
Solskjaer had his intentions right when he decided not to alter a winning combination. However, Luke Shaw had to be replaced by Dalot, who surprisingly, started at left back.
But it turned out to be an attempt by the Norwegian to make as little change as possible to the team that had showed amazing maturity and relentlessness against Spurs. It was an effort to ensure the players were comfortable with the people around them and in the end it helped Unitedly massively on the night.
The team work was evident and the understanding looked better. United did give Brighton a lot of room on the counter in the later parts of the game, but the experience and the anticipation of the United players were spot on. This had been aided by making very little change to the team and by getting his team right, Solskjaer took the first step to winning his seventh game in charge.
#3 Wingplay
Against Spurs, Solskjaer had asked his fullbacks to be compact and grounded. It was a tactic that had worked very well at Wembley, but against Brighton, the Norwegian gave them full freedom to bomb forward. As a result, both Young and Dalot played like wingbacks for the entire game.
Almost all of United's chances came through the wings. Ashley Young was especially impressive, sending in crosses, making penetrating runs and picking up lovely spaces on the right. Dalot was not too far behind, as the Portuguese combined brilliantly with Martial and Rashford in the first half. It was from his pass that Rashford scored just before the break, giving United security before halftime.
While United were strong through the center as well, they made good use of the wings and ensured that the Brighton fullbacks spent the majority of the game behind the ball. It helped the Red Devils to contain the threat from the opposition on the counter, while also ensuring that they made the most of the spaces out wide. Ultimately, it aided in United's win.
#2 An attacking midfield
Solskjaer normally likes to have Pogba free in the middle, while Matic and Herrera burden most of the cleaning responsibilities. The Spaniard had been particularly impressive under the Norwegian, catching the eye with his responsibility and grit in the middle. Against Brighton, Solskjaer pushed Herrera further up on the pitch, allowing him to influence the game from higher up. But he was not the only one who was impressive.
Matic, like Herrera, pushed up as well and his position was closer to the opposition box than is normal of him. Together, the two of them defended and attacked in unison. They both tried to free their attackers with through balls, while every time Brighton tried to counter, at least one of them had the back of the United defense.
Solskjaer decision to set his midfield three higher than usual helped United pile the pressure on the opposition. In the second half, the players dropped deeper than normal and it allowed the opposition to get back into the game. It has to be an area that Solskjaer has to improve. However, the midfield had done its job in the first half, earning United three points.
#1 Fluid front three
Solskjaer fluid front three are getting a lot of attention recently. The trio of Lingard, Rashford, and Martial had successfully relegated big names like Lukaku, Sanchez, and Mata to the bench. The three youngsters have almost everything that Solskjaer could ask for and it was the Norwegian's use of his attacking talents that won United the game.
Lingard started on the right and Martial on the left, as Solskjaer choose Rashford to lead the line. However, none of those three stayed true to their positions throughout the game. Rashford started through the middle but had the freedom his talent deserved. Lingard was a nuisance all game, strong in tracking back and make good runs through the channels. Martial was strong through the left but popped up through the middle as well. As such, defending against this front three was a nightmare.
Their movement and performances certainly deserved a couple of more goals, but they were guilty of becoming complacent in the second half. However, the blistering first-half performance from the front three was enough to earn United three points.
