Solskjær’s Manchester United take control in Wales

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær(AP Photo/ Jon Super)

Ole Gunnar Solskjær got a dream start as Manchester United manager with 5-1 victory over his old club, Cardiff, playing away in the Premier League on Saturday.

 

Solskjaer couldn’t have hoped for a better start.

‘’Football is easy if you have good players. It’s a fantastic group of players, and their quality is incredible’’ said Solskjær to BT Sport.

‘’I arrived on Wednesday night and only had Thursday and Friday with the team. Wayne Rooney texted me and gave me some advice. He said I should let them play football, enjoy themselves and be Manchester United’’ he added.

Marcus Rashford sent United into the lead as he pumped a free kick into goal at just over 20 minutes.

‘’He wants us to be positive, play ball and always look for the openings. This was just the start. We will improve on it’’ Rashford told BT Sport after the match.

‘’It’s been good. We played with a lot of energy today and a lot of joy and excitement’’ Jesse Lingard said. He scored two of the five goals.

Ander Herrera became the second goal scorer of the match when he slid one in after just under half an hour.

Paul Pogba, who was back in the lineup under Solskjaer, opened the defence before Herrera shot the ball into goal via Greg Cunningham.

Solskjær celebrated wildly on the bench after the Spanish player’s scoring.

Penalty goals

After 38 minutes, Rashford came into focus again. The Englishman brought the ball into his own field with his upper arm / shoulder, and Judge Michael Oliver pointed to the penalty mark after conferring with the assistant referee. Victor Camarasa slammed the ball into the back of the net behind David de Gea.

However, it only took two minutes before Manchester United came back with two goals. Anthony Martial was confident in defeating the keeper after delectable combinations.

Ten minutes out into the second half, Jesse Lingard scored a penalty kick after being boxed in by three Cardiff players. He was safely into hero territory when he took the penalty kick himself.

A heroic United team played in Wales and continued to produce chances, but Neil Etheridge took care of the rest until Pogba and Lingard combined just before full time.

Pogba pushed the ball to Lingard, who rounded the keeper and scored his second for the evening.

Solskjaer got a wonderful start in his first match on the bench in Manchester United. It happened against the club he led for just 30 games in 2014.

It was the first time United have scored five goals in one and the same Premier League match since Alex Ferguson finished his adventurous managerial career with 5-5 against West Bromwich in May 2013.

Solskjaer has been taken back to Manchester United to raise morale and fun again. Under José Mourinho’s leadership, the club has been cursed, especially in the past six months.

Now two matches await at Old Trafford in the Christmas period (26 and 30 December). They go to Huddersfield and Joshua King’s Bournemouth.

 

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