1. Asa Hall excels at the back.
Instead of playing in his usual holding midfield role, United skipper Asa Hall was deployed by Gulls manager Gary Johnson as a centre back and Hall took his role like a duck to water.
The former Oxford United, Shrewsbury and Cheltenham midfielder was deployed in the middle of a back three which consisted of the returning Joe Lewis and Dean Moxey. He was a threat in both boxes, as he won practically everything in the air that Wrexham's attack could throw at him and scored what proved to be the winner when he headed home Armani Little's free-kick at the back post in the eighth minute.
Hall appeared as a centre back on occasions at his previous club Barrow and this could be his new role going forward for the Gulls.
2. Joe Lewis and Dean Moxey help keep a clean sheet on their return.
After missing United's previous two fixtures due to testing positive for Covid-19, Joe Lewis and Dean Moxey both helped the Gulls to keep a clean sheet on their return to the starting line-up.
In the 20th minute, Lewis made a couple of important blocks to keep James Jones and Ollie Palmer at bay. The duo, along with Hall, brought a level of authority and calmness to United's back line - and they will be key figures for United for the remainder of the campaign.
3. Starting without a recognised striker.
While Wrexham named Ollie Palmer in their forward line, who they paid League One side AFC Wimbledon for his services, Torquay started the match without a recognised striker in their starting line-up. You could have been forgiven for thinking that Gary Johnson had named Connor Lemonheigh-Evans as a 'false nine' - but the United midfielder was indeed playing a a central striker with Sunderland loanee Stephen Wearne playing as a 'number 10' behind him. In an era where Pep Guardiola regularly names Phil Foden or Jack Grealish as a central striker for Manchester City - Johnson has shown such tactical flexibility isn't confined to the upper echoleons of club football.
4. Tom Lapslie was a midfield dynamo.
With Asa Hall being moved into defence, the defensive midfield responsibilities rested on the shoulder of Tom Lapslie, who was also marking his return to the Gulls' starting line-up. Playing as a screening midfielder in front of the United defence. the former Colchester United man made a number of important of interceptions and blocks, and with the energy levels he showed Wrexham must have felt as though they were facing two of him.
5. The return of Luke Young.
On this third return to Plainmoor since he left the Gulls to sign for Wrexham in the summer of 2018, Luke Young captained the Red Dragons after recently agreeing to extend his stay at the Racecourse Ground for another year. Young tested United keeper Shaun MacDonald with a shot on the edge of the area in the 47th minute, which was one of Wrexham's better chances in the match.
6. The Gulls are now nine points from the play-off zone.
Yesterday's win now leaves the Gulls nine points off seventh place, the league's final play-off spot, which is occupied by Wrexham. With winnable games to come for United in their next two fixtures against Dover away and at home to Barnet, the Gulls now have the chance to close that gap further before they face Boreham Wood on February 22.
