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Originally Posted by manutd.com
Ole Scores In Reserves Romp
FA Premier Reserve League
Manchester United 5
Leeds United 1
Ewen Fields, Hyde
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored his first goal since returning from injury as the Reserves hammered sorry Leeds at Ewen Fields.
The Norwegian striker scored the fourth goal and completed 90 minutes as he continued his return to match sharpness in a one-sided victory for Rene Meulensteen's side.
The Dutch coach had promised January changes before the transfer window opened, and a glance at the starting XI served only to confirm his tip.
With striker Phil Marsh lining up at full-back alongside Academy defender Kieran Lee and first-team squad members Phil Bardsley and Gerard Pique, the defence certainly bore an unfamiliar appearance.
Fraizer Campbell also found himself making a rare start after Sylvan Ebanks-Blake's loan move to Antwerp, but his performance indicated that many more starts will be coming his way.
Giuseppe Rossi opened the scoring early on with a low, curling free-kick into Ian Bennett's bottom corner, and Campbell notched his first Reserves goal soon afterwards.
Working his way in from the right-hand side, the pacy forward dragged the ball onto his left foot before firing past the helpless Bennett to double United's advantage.
Less than 30 seconds after the interval he grabbed his second. Neumayr's superb drilled crossfield ball found Rossi, who nodded the ball down for Campbell to coolly flick the ball past the onrushing goalkeeper.
Leeds briefly rallied and pulled a goal back through Gavin Rotherick's thumping strike, but United were never in danger of surrendering their advantage.
Seven minutes from time came the moment Solskjaer had been working towards for the best part of two years.
Neumayr's corner was deflected on by Campbell and the Norwegian striker controlled the ball neatly on his chest before drilling it into the roof of the net to spark mass celebration around Ewen Fields.
In injury time Rossi notched his second of the night, converting a penalty after substitute Sean Evans had been felled inside the area.
Another bright spot was the return of Mark Howard as a second-half substitute, having recovered from cruciate knee ligament damage.
The result leaves Meulensteen's side one point behind Middlesbrough at the top of the table with two games in hand.
United: T Lee, Marsh, K Lee, Bardsley (Howard, 46), Piqué, Fox, Neumayr, Solskjaer, Campbell (S.Evans, 87), Rossi, Cooper.
Substitutes: Heaton, Moran, Puustinen.
Report by Steve Bartram.
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