Manchester United 2, Albion 1

Nine down, three to go.

Chelsea, Spurs and Arsenal remain this season for Albion to gain their first point, or points, away from home against one of the heavy hitters.

They are getting nearer. A single goal margin was the difference for the second time in succession at Old Trafford.

The closest they have come otherwise was at Anfield in August, when Pascal Gross almost equalised with a late header.

Gross's second half goal, somewhat out of the blue, provoked anxiety among United supporters before a seventh win out of seven under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was secured.

On only one other occasion have Albion managed to even breach the defences of the elite on their travels, Leo Ulloa's header at Manchester City at the end of last season.

So that is another notch towards a breakthrough result away from the Amex, where the forthcoming fixtures provide an opportunity to seal safety sooner than May.

There will come a time, if Albion become an established top flight club, when narrow and gallant defeats of this nature without occasionally more will not feel like enough.

The Argus: That is some way off. For now, giving United on home soil and the others "a game", as Chris Hughton (above) put it, represents progress.

For that progress to turn into something more tangible requires diciplined defending from start to finish.

Put one foot wrong, or an arm out of place, and against high class players you are liable to be punished.

That was the case again as Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford took full advantage to maintain their transformations post-Mourinho.

A nudge in the back from Gaetan Bong was all the encouragement Pogba needed to go tumbling inside the box.

Hughton had no complaints about the decision by Paul Tierney, who was perfectly placed.

David Button guessed right again, just as he had for Mo Salah's decisive penalty against Liverpool, but was beaten again by accuracy (below).

The Argus: Gross found himself one-on-one inside his own box against Salah when he gave away the spot-kick at the Amex.

The German was not quite so obviously exposed but still had Rashford to confront shortly before the break.

Rashford's dazzling feet got the better of the German before bending a clinical finish into the far top corner to celebrate his 150th United appearance.

Albion are far from alone in feeling the force of Pogba and Rashford's influence during the revival under Solskjaer.

Ten of the 17 Premier League goals since the Norwegian succeeded Mourinho have either been scored or set up by the Frenchman.

Rashford, meanwhile, now has six goals and five assists in his last ten league appearances.

United are an abundant threat going forward now that Solskjaer has restored their identity.

Defensively they are still suspect and, as a consequence, still far off their neighbours and Liverpool.

Although they won and kept a clean sheet against Spurs at Wembley, they had a combination of David De Gea's excellence and benevolent Tottenham finishing to thank for that.

Albion should have scored not once but twice. Glenn Murray (below), onside from Solly March's clip into his path, spurned the sort of opportunity he customarily buries with a lash wide of the near post on an angle six yards out, when a shot across De Gea would surely have produced a contrasting outcome.

The Argus: United appeared to be meandering towards a routine victory until a well-executed reply put them on edge, Gross chesting and converting with aplomb via the bar Davy Propper's inviting cross, dinked with the outside of his right boot.

Solskjaer's side almost lived to regret a sitter missed by Jesse Lingard early in the second half, which would have put them out of sight, although Albion generally just lacked a touch of quality in the final third to punish them with more severity.

A 44 per cent share of possession was unusually high for Hughton's side in this type of assignment, a further reflection of their progression.

The steps are small but significant. Now there is the potential to take big strides towards survival, with six of the next nine matches against teams below them.