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COACH: Ole Gunnar Solskjær was active on the sidelines in a 6-2 win over Leeds on Sunday night. Photograph: NICK POTTS / X01348
Ole Gunnar Solskjær surprised by benching Paul Pogba in favor of Daniel James, and they paid him very well against Leeds.
– I was surprised to see James in the team lineup, but it seems like a stroke of genius from Ole Gunnar Solskjær, thought Gary Neville in the Sky Sports studio.
The lightning-fast Welshman had plenty of room to enjoy himself against a Leeds side that put Manchester United under great pressure. Daniel James scored the home team’s fifth goal in the 6-2 victory.
“It was the perfect combination for him,” Neville said.
It was the first time since the 0-0 win against Chelsea that Daniel James scored minutes in a league game.
– All credit to Ole. He probably thought this would be his kind of match and that it would be open, says Roy Keane.
See the scores here:
Daniel James also scored his first goal since August 2019. Subsequently, he received words of praise from the manager.
– I think everyone saw how he contributed for us today, says Ole Gunnar Solskjær after the match.
– We knew they were going to be up and running from minute one, so we had to run more and we did it today, says Daniel James.
The Welshman came very close to signing for Leeds in January 2019, but the transfer slipped at the last minute.
YELLOW CARD: Judge Anthony Taylor got into his pocket after this situation in which Daniel James fell into a duel with Liam Cooper. Photo: Clive Brunskill / PA Wire
He scored his fourth goal for Manchester United. Before that, he had received a yellow card for filming for the third time since arriving at the club.
– He’s very screwed up, very fast and agile. I don’t know if it was outside the penalty area or not, but it’s a penalty or a free kick when they hit him in the arm, then he also gets a yellow card for filming. It’s a shocking verdict, says Solskjær.
Marcelo Bielsa took self-criticism after the match for Manchester United dominating so much.
“Obviously they’ve seen us a lot and seen where they were going to push us,” said Leeds forward Patrick Bamford.
DISAPPOINTED: Marcelo Bielsa says he “didn’t find a solution” to stop Manchester United’s dominance. Photo: Nick Potts / PA POOL
Now former Manchester United captain Roy Keane believes the old club can fight at the top.
– I think Liverpool are still the best team, but I don’t see any reason why Manchester United shouldn’t wait for the opportunity to challenge Liverpool, says Keane.
The Manchester Reds have tallied 19 of 21 points in the last seven league games, and no team has scored more points than Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s side since Bruno Fernandes joined the club.
TALISMAN: Bruno Fernandes has been a kind of charm for Ole Gunnar Solskjær. Portuguese has been very important since he arrived in England. Photograph: NICK POTTS / X01348
The Norwegian himself is not very interested in talking about his own golden opportunities.
– There are only 13 games left out of season, we are not even halfway there, says Solskjær.
– We don’t look at the table. This is not the time to watch it or the match program now. We only have to play one game at a time, Scott McTominay tells Sky Sports.
Liverpool doesn’t look bad either:
McTominay’s statement prompted TV 2 expert Trevor Morley to react.
– It’s an idiotic answer. You know they are in third place. How can you be a footballer without looking at the table? asked a resigned Morley after the game.
Now Everton await Goodison Park in the league cup quarterfinals, before Solskjær & Co. have Leicester (away) and Wolves (at home) in the league before the New Year.
For Leeds, there are good chances to score points at home against Burnley and away from home against West Bromwich in the next two games.
