I've always considered him the best finisher United have ever had. The only striker who came close as far as finishing is concerned is Van Nistelrooy (a much better overall striker, ofcourse.)
People seem to remember his goal against Bayern but not much else, which leads me to wonder whether he is among the most underrated players we have had.
He always read the game very well and needed very little time to get in sync with his teammates and to get comfortable with the match pace whenever he came on.
Among his many important goals that i rarely see mentioned:
His 2 goals against Leicester City in his first season (the 1996-1997 league campaign) that salvaged a draw after we lost against Derby and nerves opened the door slightly ajar when the league seemed to be all but wrapped up.
His last minute winner against Liverpool in the 4th round of the 1999 FA Cup, in a match in which United trailed from the 3rd minute untill that crazy comeback with 1 minute in the 90.
His last minute equalizer against Bolton in the run-in of the 2002-03 league campaign. Arsenal were leading by 5 points and any dropped points there would have been a psychological blow. Instead, it kept United within 5 points (2 matches worth of dropped points) of Arsenal which put just enough pressure on them to precipitate their collapse, and United went on to win the league.
Leaving aside the importance of his goals throughout the years, it's easy to overlook how beautiful his goals were. Some of his finishes were spectacular and he could finish with his right foot or left foot just as easily at times.
I don't have the ability to imbed videos. In any case, the following are in the thread creator's video:
- 4:01, 16:55, 19:21, 25:41 are all classic Solskjaer. A lot of strikers aim to hit the ball on target with pace, and i think most would have done that or tried to go across the goalkeeper with some of these but Solskjaer's finishes were great. Always looked for the roof of the net or the corner, it seemed. (At 27:00, he has another beautiful finish right into the roof of the net but that was easier than the 4 aforementioned goals)
- 5:40 and 6:04 vs Chelsea and Sheffield Wednesday) were similar and both were spectacular. The way he put the ball in the top corner, especially against Chelsea when he only had enough time to quickly kill the ball and then shoot, was incredible.
- 6:40 against Blackburn was a goal i used to watch over and over again on VHS. I loved the way he controls the ball with his backheel in one motion then finishes.
- 8:31 against Bronby and 18:30 vs Fulham 2 years later are similar insomuch as he doesn't even need a touch. Finds the bottom corner first time, with very little backspin.
- 14:35 against Bordeaux as he makes mincemeat of both centre halves and wins the match for United.
- 15:50 and 27:33 (against Chelsea in 2000 after we wrapped the league in the previous match against Southampton, and then in the 4-0 against Liverpool in 2003) showcase his intelligence, more than anything. Both times, he puts it between the defender's legs and hits it low to the goalkeeper's near side, as the keeper's vision is obfuscated. As a result, the keeper is rooted both times. At 29:00, he repeats it on his left foot.
- 17:45 against Ipswich as he kills a 40 yard ball with one touch.
- 20:13 vs Lille in the 2001-02 UCL campaign is one of the most ridiculous finishes i've ever seen. That ball is still bouncing when he hits it with his left foot. To hit it into the top corner with that accuracy, on his weak foot, from that angle, is juat ridiculous.
- 25:07. He makes this look so simple. Most strikers would have taken it with their left foot. He lets it roll and crosses over so that the ball on his right foot, which opens up the angle. It's little things like this that i missed about Solskjaer (and Sheringham as well). Really smart strikers who relied on IQ more than physical prowess. He does a similar thing at 25:25 as he waits just a split second to give himself time to open up the angle and go with his right foot instead of left.
Reading some of these posts, I wonder whether we start to forget just how great of a finisher Solskjaer was. With the passage of time, it's normal for memories of someone's abilities on the pitch to fade and that might be the case here. When he retired, i reckoned he would get credit post-retirement that he should have gotten while he was playing as people looked at his body of work. I find it a little sad that that didn't transpire. If anything, he seems even more underrated now than he ever was when he was playing.
Both on his weaker foot too. He'd be worth a fortune in today's game.