Sanchez scores first goal to help Man Utd win "wrestling match"

Goals: Lukaku 55', Sanchez 68'

Huddersfield Town did everything they could to keep Man Utd at bay, literally, with their excessive tackling and tackling. The visitors turned things up from the opening whistle, sending Alexis Sanchez, Scott McTominay and Lingard to the ground in quick succession.

Huddersfield's tactics left Man Utd stuck in the first half. However, things changed quickly in the second half. Lukaku opened the scoring with a one-touch volley from Mata's cross. Lukaku's goal opened up the game for the home side, giving pacey players like Sanchez and Lingard more space.

Sanchez was fouled by Michael Hefele in the 16m50 area, leading to a penalty. The Chilean striker took the penalty himself and needed a second shot to beat goalkeeper Jonas Lossl.

The win at Old Trafford helped Man Utd reduce the gap with Man City to 13 points, and six points ahead of third-placed Liverpool. Meanwhile, Huddersfield dropped to 19th place, with 24 points equal to the three teams above them, Stoke, Swansea and Newcastle, but with a worse goal difference.

The defeat to Tottenham in midweek saw Mourinho make changes to his squad. Centre-back Phil Jones, who scored an own goal, was dropped to make way for Marcos Rojo. But this was not the biggest surprise as Paul Pogba was also benched for the first time since returning to Old Trafford for a club record fee.

Man Utd had 76% possession in the first half but only threatened Huddersfield's goal twice through Alexis Sanchez and Lingard. The team also had two controversial situations with Sanchez and McTominay falling in the box but the referee refused to award penalties.

Sanchez, in his third appearance for Man Utd, became a target for the visitors. The Chilean striker's aggressive style of play allowed him to be present at all the hot spots in the attack, but he still lacked cohesion with his teammates. Sanchez played somewhat individually, often going solo and finishing even in unfavorable situations.

Huddersfield shocked Man Utd in the first leg. However, since that memorable victory in October 2017, Huddersfield have only had three more wins in the Premier League, taking just 12 points from a possible 51. Their decline has left them on the road to the Championship.

For Man Utd, the 13-point gap with Man City is very difficult to close, but maintaining second place is a positive thing at the moment. The team needs to take advantage of the time to assemble the squad for the important arena, the Champions League, which is about to start again.