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Manchester United were second best in three quarters of this Europa League tie. Given the end result, that should be read as a compliment to his mindset and game management rather than a criticism.
While Milan’s goal in the first leg at Old Trafford came desperately late, few could argue that they hadn’t deserved it within 90 minutes.
And Milan were also the best team in the first half here. But when the decisive moment came in the second half of the second leg, United did the job with a tremendously impressive 45 minutes.
Paul Pogba, as Paul Pogba does for better or for worse, will make headlines. His instant impact after coming in as a substitute at halftime was spectacular, the only player to remain calm and composed and who only took a breath during a terrible goal-scorer fight, feigning once before launching a skillful shot. and smart to give United an advantage. in the tie they would never give up or, more importantly, it seems likely that they will.
Pogba was also instrumental in what was to follow, but so were many others. Perhaps our sight is slightly colored by having spent the previous 120 minutes watching Tottenham players shit all over the bed in Zagreb, but United’s game management to close the game and see things was impeccable. Dean Henderson, guilty of Milan’s goal last week, was flawless. Harry Maguire racked up another 90 minutes and looked better than ever, while Victor Lindelof may have had few better games in his United career. Fred also improved a lot after the break, while the attacking players, although generally well chained by Milan, always offered a way out and a breather.
It’s simplistic to make too many comparisons to the tribulations of your former coach’s current club, but the contrast in focus and mindset compared to Spurs against far inferior opposition really was stark. Even defending, United was positive and proactive. They were on the defensive for quite long periods of the game, as they surely knew they would be, but they were never passive. I never felt like the game was something that happened to United.
It really is an enormously impressive and crucial victory. There was a sense in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s preparation in making his excuses early, downplaying the importance of silverware. in a way that would have horrified Solskjaer 2019. The 2021 Solskjaer seemed eager to claim that a distant second place in the league was the real challenge. The idea that finishing a distant second actually represents significant progress or a noticeably more impressive achievement than a distant third or fourth is a bit silly. Without a significant challenge to the title, it amounts to the same and carries the same reward. United, who finished second in the league this year, will not represent the same achievement that, for example, Liverpool did in 2018/19.
Barring something outrageous, the result of United’s league campaign is going to be absolutely good, but nothing more and nothing less than that. However, the season as a whole could still be something really special after this excellent display in a stadium that hasn’t always been kind to them. United will finish comfortably in the top four, and that’s important, but augment that with a trophy, or two; Leicester looks forward to the FA Cup at the weekend – it would be huge. It would fill a glaring gap in Solskjaer’s managerial resume and go a long way in answering the unavoidably lingering questions about his suitability for a job of such magnitude.
This was a damn good night for both 2021 Solskjaer and 2019 Solskjaer.
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