Right, that is all we have time for this evening!

Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's contest as Manchester United return to winning ways with a comfortable victory over Huddersfield. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!

The referee brings an end to the game at Old Trafford, and it was a comfortable afternoon from Manchester United in the end as they ease to a 2-0 win over Huddersfield Town.

Romelu Lukaku broke the deadlock for the hosts 10 minutes into the second half, but the headlines were made by Alexis Sanchez as he marked his home debut with a goal, tucking home a rebound after seeing his initial penalty saved.

There will be three added minutes at the end of this match.

Huddersfield look content to just lose 2-0 here. They have shown very little attacking ambition today, failing to have a single shot of any note so far.

Sanchez has been in the wars for United today, but he keeps on going. He will have better games for United than he has had today, but he got the goal and has played in part in what is set to be a comfortable win.

United are in complete cruise control here. It has been a bit of nothing game in truth, with Huddersfield not putting up much of a fight. They have been organised and physical, but have never looked like winning this one.

An interesting stat regarding Sanchez's performance today...

32 - Alexis Sanchez has lost possession of the ball more often today than any Manchester United player has in any Premier League game this season. Loose. — OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 3, 2018

This has been just the type of game United would have been hoping for after that defeat to Spurs in midweek. This game could have been a potential banana skin, but they have made things look very easy so far.

MAN UTD SUB: Another change from the hosts as Anthony Martial replaces Lukaku.

UPDATE: There have been more goals elsewhere, with Bournemouth now leading Stoke, West Brom pulling a goal back against Southampton and Brighton moving into a 3-1 lead over West Ham.

United are playing with an increased swagger here. They are in complete control of this game and it would not be a surprise to see them add a third goal in the final 15 minutes here.

SHOT! Pogba tries to make his mark off the bench but fires an effort well off target, failing to get the curl on it to bring it back towards goal.

This has been a stroll in the park for United so far. They may not have been at their best, but they haven't needed to be. Huddersfield have offered very little today.

MAN UTD SUB: Change for the hosts here as Marcus Rashford replaces Mata.

Sanchez has his first goal for United, but it doesn't come in the way he might have expected!

The Chilean steps up to take the spot kick but saw his effort saved by Lossl, only to tuck home the rebound. There is an element of fortune about it as the ball rebounded straight back to him, leaving him with an easy finish. Sanchez won the spot kick himself, being brought down just inside the area by a mistimed and clumsy challenge from Hefele.

CHANCE! Half a chance for United as Mata sends in a cross to Lukaku once again, but this time he heads his effort well over the crossbar.

MAN UTD SUB: Here is the United change as Paul Pogba replaces Lingard.

YELLOW CARD! Hefele is the latest name in the book for a challenge on Sanchez.

Huddersfield need to up their game in the final half an hour or so here. De Gea has been a spectator so far today, so even at 1-0 down it is hard to see the visitors getting back into this one at the moment.

Paul Pogba is getting ready to come on for the hosts here. It hasn't been a vintage performance by United by any means, but they are still well worth their lead.

HUDDERSFIELD SUB: The visitors make their second change of the afternoon as Michael Hefele replaces Schindler.

YELLOW CARD! Hogg is the latest name in the book for a challenge on Lingard, although this is a harsh one.

UPDATE: Huddersfield will be dropping into the relegation zone as things stand, with Southampton now 3-1 up against West Brom at The Hawthorns.

United finally have the breakthrough! Romelu Lukaku, who has been quiet so far, gives the home side the lead 10 minutes into the second half with a really well-controlled finish.

Matic pounced on to a lose ball in midfield before playing it through to Mata down the left, who delivers a perfect cross into the box. Lukaku steals a march on his marker to get to the ball first, steering a first-time volley past Lossl at the near post.

United break in behind the Huddersfield defence again here as Shaw sneaks in down the left channel, but his low ball in towards Lukaku is cut out by Schindler.

It is a waste from Sanchez as he tries to play the free kick early, but his teammates are not on the same page and it goes through to the keeper.

United have another free kick here, which is another chance for them to get the ball in the box. Huddersfield haven't defended them particularly well so far...

SHOTS! United are piling the pressure on at the start of this season half! A corner eventually sees the ball fall to Sanchez on the edge of he box, but his shot is blocked by Kongolo and Lingard then slices an effort of his own well off target.

YELLOW CARD! Smith picks up an early yellow in this second half for a sliding challenge on Sanchez.

CHANCE! Sanchez almost gets his first United goal as the ball falls to him inside the area following a flick from Lukaku. The Chilean pulls the trigger, but Smith is there to make a very important block.

KICKOFF: United get us back underway for the second half here at Old Trafford.

Jose Mourinho will want more from his side in the coming 45 minutes, and they may see more chances fall their way as Huddersfield tire later in the game.

So far, though, the visitors have been very disciplined and organised, while United have done nowhere near enough to break that structure up. It is a big 45 minutes coming up!

United will feel that they should have had a penalty when McTominay was flattened inside the area by Kongolo, but referee Stuart Attwell decided against pointing to the spot.

Kongolo was late in an aerial challenge and appeared to have his eyes on the player rather than the ball too, so he certainly got away with one by the referee not giving the spot kick.

Lossl has been the busier of the two goalkeepers, but there haven't been any saves which he wouldn't have expected to make so far.

Sanchez has come closest with a fierce drive from outside the area which the Huddersfield keeper parried away, while he has also made saves to deny Lingard and Smalling.

The first half comes to an end at Old Trafford, then, and we're still goalless between Manchester United and Huddersfield Town.

It hasn't been a great game in truth, with United dominating possession but struggling to break down a stubborn Huddersfield defence. The visitors will be content with how they have kept the Reds at bay so far, but if they continued to concede so much possession then it could be a long second half for them.

YELLOW CARD! Sanchez is growing increasingly frustrated here, and he goes into the book for a sliding challenge on Hadergjonaj.

There will be two minutes of added time at the end of this first half.

UPDATE: Southampton have made it two goals in quick succession to turn that game on its head! Jack Stephens have given the Saints the lead against West Brom.

UPDATE: Southampton have levelled things up against West Brom through Mario Lemina, which is good news for Huddersfield who will be hoping to see both of their relegation rivals drop points today.

Huddersfield try to play a really high line, which is a dangerous tactic but pays off on this occasion. Smalling steals in behind and gets to the ball, but he had strayed offside just before the kick was taken.

Just seven minutes remaining of this first half now, and so far Huddersfield have done a good job of keeping United at bay. They have conceded the lion's share of possession, but clear chances have been few and far between for the hosts.

CHANCE! This is really poor from Huddersfield as the defence all leave the ball for each other, allowing Lingard to steal in. He is forced wide, though, and his eventual cross is cut out by Lossl despite the goalkeeper being stranded.

SAVE! Lingard tries his luck from outside the area, but Lossl gets everything behind it to make a comfortable save.

HUDDERSFIELD SUB: The visitors make an early change here as Billing is replaced by Aaron Mooy. It doesn't appear to be an injury either, so David Wagner is clearly not happy with what he has seen so far.

UPDATE: West Ham have levelled things up against Brighton at the Amex Stadium, with Javier Hernandez getting the goal to restore parity.

United want a penalty here and are furious that referee Stuart Attwell has ignored their shouts, but the replay appears to show no contact on Sanchez before he threw himself to the ground.

YELLOW CARD! Mata picks up a yellow card for a mistimed challenge.

SAVE! Sanchez has been very quiet so far, but he suddenly bursts into life here. The Chilean cuts inside before firing a fine effort towards goal from 25 yards out, but Lossl is equal to it.

Mourinho wants a booking for Van La Parra here, who went down andacted hurt before making a remarkable recovery when the ball came towards him moments later. It all happened right in front of Mourinho, who is once again in deep discussion with the fourth official.

YELLOW CARD! The first card of the afternoon goes to Billing, who caught Rojo with a sliding challenge after the ball had just run away from him.

After a lengthy period of treatment, McTominay looks like he will be fine to continue. That was a big collision, though, and he also had a pretty nasty landing.

CHANCE! Chance for United as Lossl comes out but can only punch the ball as far as the edge of the area. The ball falls to McTominay, but with the keeper in no man's land he has a swipe at the ball and misses it. It pops up in the air and he goes for the header, but after winning that he is completely wiped up by Kongolo. United want a penalty, and they have a good claim too, but the referee says no.

Not much to report in terms of attacking action in the last five minutes or so. United continue to dominate possession, most of which is coming inside the Huddersfield half, but the visitors are organised so far.

UPDATE: Leicester have taken the lead against Swansea at the King Power, with Vardy getting the goal there.

Huddersfield have just started seeing more of the ball in the last minute or two, but this match has still started in relatively ominous fashion for the visitors. United have had things their own way for the most part so far.

CHANCE! Mata floats a free kick into the area and Smalling is left in plenty of space as he gets his head to the ball, although his effort is easy for Lossl to gather. The Terriers want an offside flag, but their trap simply got beaten by Smalling there.

UPDATE: Brighton have also gone into an early lead elsewhere, with Glenn Murray breaking the deadlock against West Ham United.

CHANCE! The first chance of the game sees Lingard burst forward through the middle of the park, racing to the edge of the area while the Huddersfield defence desperately chase him. He catches his shot well too, but Lossl reads it and gets down to make a very solid save.

Manchester United are wrongly awarded a corner, and Huddersfield's frustration is almost compounded at Mata loses his marker from the resulting delivery. His ball back inside is headed away by Zanka before it can trouble the keeper, though.

UPDATE: There have already been a couple of early goals in the Premier League's 3pm kickoffs, both of which are of relevance to Huddersfield.

West Brom have taken the lead against Southampton through Hegazi, while Stoke lead Bournemouth courtesy of a Shaqiri goal.

United have dominated possession in these opening exchanges without really doing much with it. They have settled into the game quickly, though, and are just knocking the ball about amongst themselves at the moment.

KICKOFF: Huddersfield get us underway following an impeccably-observed silence to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Munich air disaster.

Right, the players are out and we're just about ready to get going now! A quick reminder of the team news before we get started...

MAN UTD STARTING XI: De Gea; Valencia, Smalling, Rojo, Shaw; Matic, McTominay, Mata, Lingard, Sanchez; Lukaku

HUDDERSFIELD STARTING XI: Lossl; Hadergjonaj, Schindler, Zanka, Kongolo, Smith; Van La Parra, Billing, Hogg; Quaner, Depoitre

Another victory for Huddersfield today would see them complete a top-flight double over Manchester United for only the second time in their history, having previously managed it way back in 1930-31.

Huddersfield were on their way to being the major force in English football under Herbert Chapman then, though, so doing so this season would be a much more surprising feat.

Home and away, United have won seven of their last nine league and cup matches against Huddersfield, although the only defeat in that time came in the reverse fixture.

That memorable triumph at the John Smith's Stadium was United's first defeat of the season in the Premier League, and also Huddersfield first win over the Red Devils since 1952, with Mooy and Depoitre getting the goals in a 2-1 win.

This will be the first meeting between these two sides at Old Trafford since March 1972, when United ran out 2-0 winners courtesy of goals from George Best and Ian Storey-Moore.

Indeed, the Terriers are winless in their last 14 away games against the Red Devils across all competitions, last winning here back in 1930. Since then, they have lost nine times and drawn five.

PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at Old Trafford, which means that it is time for a prediction!

It is hard to see anything other than a Manchester United win today, in truth. They will want a response from that Spurs defeat and come up against a Huddersfield side in poor form. United will not need telling that the Terriers are capable of pulling off a shock result, but it is highly unlikely to come here.

SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Manchester United 3-0 Huddersfield

Huddersfield only win of 2018 in any competition so far came against Championship strugglers Bolton Wanderers in the third round of the FA Cup, and to come out on top here today they will need to pull off a rare feat too.

The last 19 clubs playing their first Premier League match at Old Trafford have all lost, with the last to avoid defeat being the Paulo Wanchope-inspired Derby County side that pulled off a famous 3-2 win in April 1997.

Only West Brom and Stoke have picked up fewer points on the road so far this season, with that win at Watford Huddersfield only victory in their last 11 league outings away from home, losing eight of those.

Home and away, the Terriers have taken just nine points from the last 42 on offer, which is relegation form.

That victory over the Hornets was remarkable in many ways, mainly because Huddersfield have struggled so much on the road this season aside from that result.

Half of their away goals for the entire season came in that 4-1 win at Vicarage Road, with Huddersfield failing to score in nine of their 13 Premier League games on the road so far this term.

David Wagner's side have not picked up a single point so far in 2018, though, losing all four of their Premier League outings since the turn of the year and conceding 12 goals in the process, scoring just once.

Huddersfield's winless streak stretches even further back to December 16, when they beat Watford 4-1 at Vicarage Road.

Huddersfield actual have exactly the same record they did after 25 games of their last top-flight season in 1971-72, although that won't be comforting for their fans as they ended up finish bottom of the table that season.

The relegation battle this season takes in every team from 10th down, though, so a couple of wins for any team in that fight can change things completely. Trips to Old Trafford will not determine whether or not Huddersfield go down, but anything they can get from this match will be a big bonus.

The Terriers do not come into this match in particularly good shape, though, and by the full-time whistle today they could well be in the relegation zone with just one point separating them from the bottom three as things stand.

The teams below them are beginning to improve to, with West Brom and Swansea in particular picking up wins recently, although the Baggies face Southampton this afternoon which means that at least one of the teams in the relegation zone are guaranteed to drop points today.

Huddersfield know what it takes to beat United and Mourinho, though, having already done it once this season, and if they can repeat that feat this afternoon then it would mark the first time United have lost twice in a league season against a promoted team since 1986-87, when Wimbledon did the double over them.

From Huddersfield's point of view, it would also outdtrip their win in the reverse fixture and surely go down as one of the biggest results in the club's recent history.

The loss to Spurs was only United's second by two or more goals in their last 87 outings across all competitions, which goes to show how Mourinho sets his United team up. They rarely lose, and when they do it is never by a lot of goals.

Mourinho is also unbeaten in a home league game in the month of February since 2002, winning 19 and drawing five since his Porto side were beaten by Beira Mar in the Primeira Liga.

Indeed, United have lost just one of their last 47 home games in all competitions and have kept clean sheets in their last three two, contributing to the best defensive record in the Premier League this season.

In the Premier League alone United have lost just two of their last 39 matches here at Old Trafford, winning 25 of those. This season only Man City have amassed more points than their local rivals in front of their own fans.

United's home form is also formidable, which makes this a very daunting trip for Huddersfield.

Indeed, Manchester City are the only visiting team to have won here in more than two years across all competitions, doing so twice since United's last other defeat, which came against Southampton in January 2016.

United were unbeaten in eight Premier League games before that loss to Spurs too, winning five and drawing three of those.

Another defeat this afternoon would see the Red Devils fall to successive losses for the first time since May in the Premier League, and the first time since September 2016 across all competitions, so Mourinho's side are usually adept in bouncing back from such a setback.

United conceded after only 11 seconds against Spurs in midweek, which was not only one of the fastest goals in Premier League history but also the first goal United had conceded in any competition in 2018.

Prior to that, Mourinho's side had won all five of their matches without conceding a single goal since the turn of the year, but their good form came to a grinding halt at Wembley.

That defeat at Wembley saw United fall 15 points behind Manchester City, and if their Premier League title hopes weren't already over than they surely are now with only 13 games of the season remaining.

More importantly, though, the defeat saw fifth-placed Tottenham close to within five points of United, so there is still work to do to ensure that they finish in the Champions League places this season, despite Chelsea and Liverpool both still being more vulnerable at this stage.

Any result for Huddersfield today would be a major shock, despite their triumph in the reverse fixture, but the Terriers are facing a Manchester United side who could be fragile following their defeat at Spurs in midweek.

United were outplayed and outclassed at Wembley, and in the end could have lost by more than the two-goal margin Spurs eventually ran out victorious by. On the other hand, Huddersfield could also be on the wrong end of a reaction to that match here.

Depoitre scored in Huddersfield's famous win in the reverse fixture and will be the main goal threat for the visitors again this afternoon, although chances may be at a premium with United expected to dominate possession.

The Terriers make three changes to the side which lost against Liverpool in midweek, with Smith, Can La Parra and Quaner all coming in for Lowe, Mooy and Mounie.

The Terriers are still without Danny Williams due to a dead leg, with Lowe and Kachunga are also still sidelined for David Wagner.

There is a start for Quanie up front, though, as he replaces Mounie in the starting lineup alongside Depoitre. Huddersfield's strikers have been very hit and miss this season - mainly miss - so Wagner will want a big performance from those front two here.

Huddersfield, meanwhile, are able to include loan signing Terence Kongolo once again despite him being taken to hospital due to illness after the midweek defeat to Liverpool.

Kongolo slips straight back into the starting lineup this afternoon in what is likely to be a back five once again from Huddersfield, with Schindler and Zanka alongside him at the heart of the defence.

Indeed, there are four changes in total from that defeat at Spurs, which may partially be down to the quick turnaround in fixtures but is also surely to do with Mourinho letting his players know that he wasn't happy with their performance.

The fact that Rojo, Shaw and Mctominay are all handed unexpected starts is Mourinho saying that nobody's place in the team is safe if they don't perform, and he will be demanding a response from his side here.

Marcos Rojo also gets a start at centre-back for United today, with Jones missing out entirely following his own goal against Spurs in midweek.

Rojo isn't the only surprise inclusion in the United defence with Luke Shaw also being handed a rare start as Mourinho makes a clear statement following that defeat at Wembley.

Sanchez should help to shoulder the goalscoring bruden with Romelu Lukaku, who once again leads the line for United this afternoon.

Lukaku has often been criticised for his record against the other Champions League-chasing teams in the division, but in these types of matches his record is impressive. The Belgian has scored 81 goals in 147 games against teams outside the current top six, compared to only 15 goals in 63 games against that top six.

Sanchez does indeed make his Manchester United home debut having joined in a swap deal from Arsenal last month, although the Chilean did not make too much of an impact on his league bow for the club against Spurs last time out.

Nonetheless, Sanchez has been involved in eight goals from his last nine Premier League appearances against newly-promoted sides - scoring seven and assisting one more - including a goal against Huddersfield for Arsenal already this season.

© Offside

What can we make of those two sides, then?

Well, Alexis Sanchez makes his home debut for United as expected, but the headlines lie elsewhere as Paul Pogba is dropped to the bench for this games, being replaced in the side by Scott McTominay.

It is a surprising decision and a statement from Mourinho following the nature of their defeat to Spurs last time out, and McTominay now has a chance to prove that he deserves more regular opportunities in the league.

HUDDERSFIELD SUBS: Coleman, Malone, Mooy, Pritchard, Ince, Mounie, Hefele

HUDDERSFIELD STARTING XI: Lossl; Hadergjonaj, Schindler, Zanka, Kongolo, Smith; Van La Parra, Billing, Hogg; Quaner, Depoitre

MAN UTD SUBS: Romero, Lindelof, Young, Carrick, Pogba, Martial, Rashford

MAN UTD STARTING XI: De Gea; Valencia, Smalling, Rojo, Shaw; Matic, McTominay, Mata, Lingard, Sanchez; Lukaku

Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's Premier League clash between Manchester United and Huddersfield Town at Old Trafford!

These two sides are at opposite ends of the table, but both are looking to return to winning ways today with what would be a massive three points for either side.

Huddersfield picked up a famous victory in the reverse fixture, but can they do the same at Old Trafford? Before we look at their chances, let's first check out the team news...