Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Manchester United face crucial test of title credentials at Liverpool

A surge from 15th to second and a haul of 23 points from nine games have helped change perceptions of Norwegian's reign

MANCHESTER UNITED RATINGS: David de Gea, 7 - Two fine saves from Saiss in either half, the first a flick, though the second was offside. Knocked to ground after challenge from Traore – after another late save. Sharp when needed. Getty

Aaron Wan-Bissaka, 5 - Barely involved in the first half and tough against the pace of Traore. Tackles fine, but the best full backs cross the ball well. Wan Bissaka needs to get to that level. Getty

Eric Bailly, 7 - Dispossessed by Traore in a shaky start but broke up play and settled. Fast and strong, needs regular games without injuries or costly errors. He’s getting them. EPA

Harry Maguire, 7 - Key block as Neto raced towards De Gea’s goal before half time. Fine late ball to Rashford. Tidied up after a late De Gea save by bringing the ball away from his goal. EPA

Alex Telles, 6 - Started day clearing snow from his car and ended it getting stood on. Welcome to England. Stronger going forward and heavily involved, but came off at half time. EPA

Nemanja Matic, 6 - Neat, reliable and an important, experienced player in a team which needs them. Strong and stable against a foe who were exactly that – even though they’d played their previous game only 48 hours earlier. Reuters

Paul Pogba, 7 - Busy game with shots on target, constant probing and searching. Some superb challenges and winning possession back. Combined well with Fernandes after 78 to set up Martial. More effective when further forward. EPA

Bruno Fernandes, 7 - Best first half chance as he sneaked in towards the back post against the side he made his United debut against almost 11 months ago. He’s improved United and never stopped trying to create, even after losing the ball or being responsible for a move breaking down. Got his reward when Rashford finished his fine late pass from deep to send United up to second. Reuters

Mason Greenwood, 6 - Set up Fernandes with superb cross and exciting when on the ball but still to hit the form of last season when he over performed. Needs goals, but being part of a team that is becoming a never say die winning machine will do him no harm. EPA

Marcus Rashford, 7 - Key winner after a game when he, like his team, took time to get going. Booked after 50 minutes. Lovely first touch after controlling a Maguire ball which came to nothing, but delivered when needed after a fine Fernandes ball. Knew his marker had cramp so he twisted and turned and then shot for his 14th of the season. AP

Edinson Cavani, 6 - Deserved his start but aside from a header in the first half, worked with limited service. Swept ball in after 69 minutes but offside. Gives side something they don’t have. EPA

SUBS: Luke Shaw, 7 - On at HT for Telles. Tackled well, got forward and was busy as his side upped the tempo in search of a winner. AP

Anthony Martial, 6 - On for Greenwood after 64 minutes. Bright and ran at Wolves’ defence. Had time to hit a shot on target after set up by Pogba and Fernandes, but struck ball high over. Needs to find his best form but Cavani means he doesn’t have to start when out of form. AP

Scott McTominay, N/R - On for Fernandes in the 94th minute. EPA

WOLVES RATINGS: Rui Patricio, 6 – Largely untroubled despite Marcus Rashford’s last-gasp finish which gave him no chance. Earlier, he had thwarted Paul Pogba with a smart save to his left and had just about kept out Bruno Fernandes’ close-range attempt. EPA

Ki-Jana Hoever, 6 - Struggled to contain Rashford who nutmegged him for good measure, but got his own back as the latter went into the book for hauling him down. He was caught unawares as Fernandes snuck in at the back post, but improved as the game went on. PA

Romain Saiss, 8 – Wolves’ man of the match, he threw his body in front of everything in an excellent display, but he was helpless as Rashford’s strike cruelly cannoned in off the defender, who had also caused problems at the other end with a looping header that dipped on to the bar. AP

Conor Coady, 6 - Wolves’ skipper will have had a few hearts in mouths when he tangled with Rashford in the box and Coady will have been relieved again as the same man headed over the bar after climbing above him. Getty

Max Kilman, 7 – Only a second appearance of the month for the defender, who was caught scrambling as Edinson Cavani and Bruno Fernandes attacked a Nemanja Matic cross either side of him, but he responded well and was excellent thereafter. PA

Rayan Ait-Nouri, 5 - The wing-back had the sprawling de Gea at full stretch to keep out his drilled effort across the face of goal, but he unforgivably allowed Rashford to find the inside and his deflected strike finally breached the visiting defence. PA

Ruben Neves, 6 - Drew the best out of David de Gea with a fierce drive which had to be beaten away by the United stopper, and he produced another important contribution at the other end to hook away Fernandes’ free-kick. EPA

Vitinha, 6 - Worried de Gea when the Spaniard could only gather his effort at the second attempt. A few yards either side and he might have crafted the opener, as was the case a few moments prior when he couldn’t quite find Adama Traore’s run. A decent display though. Reuters

Joao Moutinho, 6 - The Portugal man is a master of precision and he created panic in the box with a deep free-kick that resulted in Romain Saiss’ header clipping the top of the bar, although beyond that he was quiet. EPA

Adama Traore, 7 - Deployed as the second striker rather than his usual wide role, but the flying forward was equally effective and gave the United defenders plenty to think about with some penetrating runs in behind, although Pedro Neto couldn’t pick him out. AP

Pedro Neto, 5 - Drew the first save of the night from de Gea with a curling effort but it was comfortable for the ‘keeper and, despite plenty of graft, it just didn’t quite happen for him on this occasion. AP

SUBS: Daniel Podence, 5 - Replaced the young Vitinha in the 55th minute but his first involvement saw his pull-back towards Neto easily snuffed out by Matic. AFP

Fabio Silva, 5 - Replaced the unusually ineffective Neto for the final quarter of the game but he didn’t have too much impact. Getty

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is still deflecting questions, but the questions have changed. At the start of November, he was asked if his players would get him the sack. By the end of December, the queries were if Manchester United are in a title race.

A surge from 15th to second and a haul of 23 points from nine unbeaten games have changed perceptions, a season and, perhaps, a regime. Solskjaer no longer has to worry about the threat of Mauricio Pochettino, his supposed successor instead destined for Paris Saint-Germain.

The man mocked for his slender managerial CV could do something that the Champions League winners Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho did not and at least take United close to a 21st league title.

They finished second in 2018, but it was a distant second, 19 points behind Manchester City. They have not mustered a true title challenge since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.

Fresh from scoring Tuesday's injury-time winner against Wolves, Marcus Rashford said it would be "stupid" to look at the table. Solskjaer pronounced his own answer "boring". United had only played 15 games, he noted. "Get to 30 and then maybe we can start talking about a title race, when you get to March or April," he said.

If caution feels advisable, given the topsy-turvy nature of Solskjaer's reign, when United have veered in and out of brilliant runs and awful spells, their season may give additional reasons to postpone a verdict. It is not merely that United have lost 6-1 at home; the last time they did that, in 2011/12, only an injury-time goal deprived them of the title.

It is the illogical nature of it. Most title tilts are built on home form. Take out the 6-2 thrashing of Leeds and United have only scored four goals, two of them penalties. Their away record is contrastingly brilliant, with 19 points from 21 and 21 goals, but they are yet to visit any of the big six.

David de Gea made a brilliant save against Wolves but United conceded two goals in each of their three previous games. Titles tend to be won by teams with either the best or second-best defensive record and, while United’s statistics may feel distorted by their 6-1 thrashing by Tottenham when they were reduced to 10 men, only six sides have let in more goals.

Not every champion team ticks every box. Liverpool triumphed last year even though their centre-forward, Roberto Firmino, did not score at Anfield until the final home game.

Now United’s No 9, Anthony Martial, has a solitary league goal. Their biggest summer signing, Donny van de Beek, has been limited to two league starts. This is not a conventional formula for glory.

And yet their charge up the table reflects on two catalysts. Rashford may not yet be clinical but he has acquired the substance to carry on making telling contributions.

Bruno Fernandes is arguably the Premier League’s player of 2020. His time in the division has brought 18 wins and just three defeats, yielding 62 points from 29 games.

His personal contribution extends to 18 goals and 14 assists, the latest the raking, cross-field ball for Rashford on Tuesday. He is the game-changer: in individual matches and in the context of campaigns.

United's next away league game represents the biggest test of their credentials: it is away at Anfield, and it was Mourinho's last stand as he was sacked after Liverpool recorded 36 shots in a 3-1 win.

Solskjaer is safe from the same fate now but in a season when Leicester, Everton, Aston Villa, Southampton, Tottenham and Chelsea have all been in the top two, it could determine if United will prove Liverpool’s closest challengers.

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