Man Utd’s transformation under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer continues with the caretaker manager proving himself enough to the club hierarchy to hand him the job on a permanent basis.
Winning his first eight games in a row, overseeing that stunning last-gasp victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, has revitalised United and given them real hope heading into the final months of the season.
Sitting two points outside the top four upon confirmation of the appointment presents a stark contrast to United's fortunes in the months following Mourinho's sacking.
Having closed a 13-point gap to Tottenham to just three and, more impressively overtaken a Chelsea team once 11 points clear of them, here is the lay of the land on December 19, 2018.
Here's how the Premier League table looked when Solskjaer took the reins at Old Trafford...
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Liverpool | 17 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 45 |
| 2 | Man City | 17 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 38 | 44 |
| 3 | Tottenham | 17 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 39 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 17 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 21 | 37 |
| 5 | Arsenal | 17 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 14 | 34 |
| 6 | Man Utd | 17 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 26 |
| 7 | Wolves | 17 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 25 |
| 8 | Everton | 17 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 24 |
| 9 | West Ham | 17 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
| 10 | Watford | 17 | 7 | 3 | 7 | -2 | 24 |
| 11 | Bournemouth | 17 | 7 | 2 | 8 | -3 | 23 |
| 12 | Leicester | 17 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 22 |
| 13 | Brighton | 17 | 6 | 3 | 8 | -4 | 21 |
| 14 | Newcastle | 17 | 4 | 4 | 9 | -8 | 16 |
| 15 | Crystal Palace | 17 | 4 | 3 | 10 | -9 | 15 |
| 16 | Cardiff | 17 | 4 | 2 | 11 | -16 | 14 |
| 17 | Southampton | 17 | 2 | 6 | 9 | -16 | 12 |
| 18 | Burnley | 17 | 3 | 3 | 11 | -18 | 12 |
| 19 | Huddersfield | 17 | 2 | 4 | 11 | -18 | 10 |
| 20 | Fulham | 17 | 2 | 3 | 12 | -26 | 9 |
Here's how the table looks now...
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Liverpool | 31 | 23 | 7 | 1 | 52 | 76 |
| 2 | Man City | 30 | 24 | 2 | 4 | 58 | 74 |
| 3 | Tottenham | 30 | 20 | 1 | 9 | 25 | 61 |
| 4 | Arsenal | 30 | 18 | 6 | 6 | 24 | 60 |
| 5 | Man Utd | 30 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 18 | 58 |
| 6 | Chelsea | 30 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 17 | 57 |
| 7 | Wolves | 30 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 44 |
| 8 | Watford | 30 | 12 | 7 | 11 | -2 | 43 |
| 9 | West Ham | 31 | 12 | 6 | 13 | -5 | 42 |
| 10 | Leicester | 31 | 12 | 5 | 14 | -3 | 41 |
| 11 | Everton | 31 | 11 | 7 | 13 | 1 | 40 |
| 12 | Bournemouth | 31 | 11 | 5 | 15 | -13 | 38 |
| 13 | Newcastle | 31 | 9 | 8 | 14 | -9 | 35 |
| 14 | Crystal Palace | 30 | 9 | 6 | 15 | -5 | 33 |
| 15 | Brighton | 29 | 9 | 6 | 14 | -10 | 33 |
| 16 | Southampton | 30 | 7 | 9 | 14 | -16 | 30 |
| 17 | Burnley | 31 | 8 | 6 | 17 | -24 | 30 |
| 18 | Cardiff City | 30 | 8 | 4 | 18 | -30 | 28 |
| 19 | Fulham | 31 | 4 | 5 | 22 | -41 | 17 |
| 20 | Huddersfield | 31 | 3 | 5 | 23 | -39 | 14 |
