Sanchez is all-action hero, Pogba problem persists and other Man United talking points

Delve deeper into Alexis Sanchez’s bow at the Theatre of Dreams and the statistics are truly remarkable.

No player has been fouled more often in a Premier League game this season than he was against the Terriers. However, the Chile forward lost possession more than any United player has in the top-flight this term.

He was also ranked first for United in terms of shots, shots on target, dribbles and tackles made.

When Jose Mourinho’s teams are often accused of being sterile, Sanchez is clearly the antidote.

For so long, United fans looked on in envy at the match winners dotted elsewhere; Chelsea with Eden Hazard, Liverpool with Philippe Coutinho, Manchester City with David Silva – and many, many others – plus Sanchez at Arsenal.

With January’s capture of the Chile superstar, they have a spark. Now, it’s time for him to light the ignition.

Lukaku gets a welcome lift

A sense of relief rained down on Old Trafford when Romelu Lukaku opened the scoring after the interval.

Not only was this goal – and a well-taken one it was, the Belgium centre forward hooking in an uncomfortable volley at the near post – the blessed opener, it saw the provider get his name on the scoresheet in the Premier League for just the second time in his last seven matches.

This run has clearly impacted a popular figure in the United dressing room. All of his team-mates swamped him in the corner in celebration, Lukaku looking moved by the moment.

United’s form has mirrored the summer buy from Everton. They both raced out of the blocks, Lukaku getting 11 strikes in 11 games as his new club looked to keep chase with Manchester City.

Then, the tap was turned off. Only seven goals followed in the next 25 matches, before Saturday’s quality finish.

Lukaku and the United faithful will hope this is the start of another hot streak for the Red Devil.

The Pogba problem

For all the excitement about Sanchez, a glaring issue remains.

Manager Jose Mourinho followed up his early hooking of Paul Pogba in the meek midweek chasing at Tottenham by benching his £89 million mega buy.

This continued a curious season for the France centre midfielder. A combination of injuries and suspensions have restricted him to just 16 top-flight games, yet only Man City’s Kevin De Bruyne (11) and Leroy Sane (10) boast more assists than his nine.

He was awful against Spurs, yet this was his first defeat in the Premier League in a record 36 matches.

Pogba was lambasted for his tactical naivety by ‘The Special One’, who continues to regularly place him in the same ill-fitting defensive-midfield role in which he underwhelmed at Euro 2016.

Now, the shocking solution seems to be to park the problem on the substitutes’ bench. Clearly, this approach isn’t sustainable – it was surely designed to impart a lesson.

But this process should be two-fold. Mourinho must choose a positioning that works for Pogba – on the left-hand side of a three-man midfield, like the Everton triumph and from his days at Juventus – and his main outfield asset has to adhere to a collective tactical plan.

With Jesse Lingard in fine fettle against Huddersfield, Juan Mata expertly pulling the strings and Sanchez undroppable because of his immediate impact, it won’t be an easy fix.