Online
\nLondon
\nOle Gunnar Solskajer took pride in a \u2018classic \u2018 Manchester United display of attacking flair as his side beat Arsenal 3-1 in an absorbing FA Cup fourth-round clash on Friday. First-half goals by Alexis Sanchez and Jesse Lingard put United in control and although Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang replied for the Gunners, Anthony Martial sealed victory late on.
\nSolskjaer has now won eight matches in a row since stepping in as interim manager following the sacking of Jose Mourinho \u2014 a record that eclipses even the great Matt Busby.
\nAnd while the statistics make that the best ever start by a United manager, the vibrant manner in which it has been achieved is perhaps even more impressive.
\nUnited have scored 22 goals under Solskjaer and have rediscovered the kind of attacking verve associated with the trophy-winning sides Solksjaer played in under Alex Ferguson.
\nWhat is more, on Friday\u2019s evidence, he seems to have the handy managerial knack of knowing exactly when to shuffle his plethora of attacking options.
\nMartial and Marcus Rashford have been livewires under Solskjaer, but he left them on the bench against Arsenal and started with former Gunners forward Sanchez and Belgian powerhouse Romelu Lukaku.<\/p>\n
Lukaku, in particular, was superb, producing an unstoppable display to run Arsenal\u2019s defence ragged at times, while Sanchez silenced the boo boys with a sublime opener from Lukaku\u2019s pass.
\nFormer Everton forward Lukaku also set up Lingard\u2019s goal.
\n\u201cI\u2019ve had a (selection) headache since I came because the squad is full of good players,\u201d Solskjaer said.
\n\u201cToday we looked more like a proper team. We looked more structured. We\u2019d worked hard at defending and counter-attacking. Counter-attacking is classic Manchester United \u2014 Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ji Sung-park \u2014 we\u2019ve scored so many at Arsenal over the years.
\nIt was a massive step forward today for us. At Tottenham a couple of weeks ago we hung in and (goalkeeper) David de Gea saved us, but today our structure was miles better.\u201d
\nLukaku summed up the mood under Solskjaer, agreeing that it feels like fun again playing for the club after a torrid spell.
\n\u201cIt does, it does,\u201d he said. \u201cWe had clear direction today and I\u2019m really happy with the win and the manner in which we played. Look at the history of the club, we make a statement wherever we go.
\n\u201cWe look to dominate and create as many chances as we can.\u201d
\nArsenal boss Unai Emery could only look on with envy at the attacking resources available to Solskjaer and which were inexplicably so subdued under Mourinho.
\n\u201cThey were clinical today,\u201d the Spaniard told reporters. \u201cWe played against a United side in their best moment of the season and they have a lot of players to make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Online London Ole Gunnar Solskajer took pride in a \u2018classic \u2018 Manchester United display of attacking flair as his side beat Arsenal 3-1 in an absorbing FA Cup fourth-round clash on Friday. First-half goals by Alexis Sanchez and Jesse Lingard put United in control and although Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang replied for the Gunners, Anthony Martial sealed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n