Celebrating Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s wondrously perfect professional foul

Ole Gunnar Solskjær scored plenty of important goals during his Manchester United career, but let’s not forget one huge contribution he made at the other end of the field.

It was the tail end of the 1997-98 season, and Manchester United were fighting to stay within touching distance of Arsenal after Marc Overmars’ winner at Old Trafford had put the Gunners in the driving seat for the Premier League title.

United were a point clear when Newcastle came to Old Trafford, but Arsenal had two games in hand. Lose to Kenny Dalglish’s team and they could kiss the title goodbye.

It was a difficult afternoon for the reigning champions. Andreas Andersson gave Newcastle an early lead, while Peter Schmeichel was forced off injured in the first half.

However, they drew level through David Beckham and were still chasing victory when the England midfielder launched the ball into the box late on, only for Newcastle to break after Temuri Ketsbaia set Rob Lee free.

Lee had acres of space in front of him, and only Solskjaer in pursuit. The Norwegian wasn’t known for his defensive contributions, but he knew what he needed to do.

The moment Lee gets the ball out of his feet, it ceases to be of any concern for the Manchester United player.

Solskjaer knows he can’t get to the ball before the midfielder, and he knows goalkeeper Raimond van der Gouw is unlikely to have much luck either. Lee has found the perfect path, and he won’t be stopped by any legal means.

The baby-faced assassin could rely on his opponent to mess up the opportunity, or he could fall back on the one method which ensures matters remain in his own hands.

As referee Uriah Rennie walks over, Solskjaer knows what’s coming, and he knows he simply needs to wait for the formality of