da bet7： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Off the Bench series, which places in-game managerial decisions and squad selections under FFC’s microscope.
da bwin： After going 2-0 down at Sheffield United on Sunday afternoon, Manchester United thought they had clinched a dramatic victory with a second-half turnaround, only for the Blades to snatch a late equaliser to make it 3-3.
Snapshot
The Red Devils came into the game on the back of a run of five wins in their last six games across all competitions, but that form appeared to completely go out the window. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side fell behind to a goal from John Fleck, before Lys Mousset doubled the home side’s advantage at Bramall Lane.
However, in a dramatic sequence of events, United turned the game on its head with three goals in the space of seven second-half minutes. Brandon Williams kick-started the comeback, before fellow academy product Mason Greenwood netted the equaliser. Marcus Rashford thought he had given the Red Devils all three points with just over ten minutes to go, but Oliver McBurnie salvaged a draw for Chris Wilder’s men deep into stoppage time.
Whilst Solskjaer can take a huge amount of credit for bringing on Jesse Lingard and Mason Greenwood to initiate their response, the Norwegian must also share the blame for bringing on Axel Tuanzebe into central midfield with a few minutes remaining.
Hero to zero
After his mistake in handing Phil Jones a rare start – the England international was at fault for the opening goal of the game when he was bullied off the ball by Mousset – Solskjaer promptly hooked the centre-back at half-time, and brought on Jesse Lingard. It meant a much-needed change in formation, as United reverted to a back-four.
And following Williams pulling a goal back, the United boss once again saw his stock go higher, by bringing on teenage sensation Greenwood for Pereira. Within minutes of the forward’s introduction into the game, he had poked home the leveller, with Rashford then netting the goal to put United in front for the first time.
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However, in a substitution that Solskjaer will surely be regretting, his decision to take off Anthony Martial and bring on Axel Tuanzebe into midfield to offer up some more defensive protection back-fired. Former United ace Owen Hargreaves criticised the Red Devils boss for opting against going for the fourth goal.
“Get the fourth and kill it off. But because he didn’t have that experience in there he put on Tuanzebe to protect and it went the other way. I really like him, but that last sub maybe didn’t go the way Ole wanted.”
So after earning a lot of deserved plaudits for making substitutions that worked in United’s favour, the Norwegian cost his side a chance of an unlikely victory with his Tuanzebe decision.
Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford has given his complete backing to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.