Mourinho gets United up and running with panache

Lukaku scores twice on debut as Manchester giants overpower West Ham in opener

For so long last season Manchester United supporters sang that “Jose’s got us playing the way United should” when, frankly, that was not the case. But it was here. This was football with power and pace and purpose — and also a ‘pow’ as Romelu Lukaku, their new centre-forward, scored twice on his debut to knockout West Ham United.

This was also the biggest win, 4-0, of the opening weekend in the Premier League and, perhaps more importantly, the biggest at the club under Jose Mourinho and the biggest by United in just under three years. Going even further back it felt like the Fergie times at Old Trafford with, on the hour, that 1960s Herman’s Hermit hit, with its adapted lyrics, again being belted out with some justification at last. Mourinho had said he felt he was “on fire” and his team were smoking.

There is a long way to go. United began this time last year with a Zlatan Ibrahimovic-inspired swagger and while they delivered two cups the football was functional, at times, and little more. Against a re-armed West Ham they were far more swashbuckling with Lukaku grabbing the headlines and his former Chelsea teammate Nemanja Matic providing the control and energy to unleash United’s formidable attacking talents along with Paul Pogba. On this evidence they are indeed genuine contenders.

Mourinho has them playing and, yes, playing the way United should.

So there is belief and there is renewed confidence also while, for Chelsea fans, the sight of Lukaku in this rampaging form and Matic so formidable behind him, was the stuff of nightmares especially after their opening-day disaster.

Chelsea did not secure the return of Lukaku and United did, for £75 million ($133m) plus various huge add-ons, and this was precisely the kind of fixture in which they laboured last season. Here, instead, their firepower was awesome with two late goals from Pogba and Anthony Martial giving an emphatic gloss.

With Lukaku United have more mobility and movement and suddenly a greater threat which will also help Marcus Rashford. Henrikh Mkhitaryan, pulling the strings, looks more at home in his second campaign, and Matic was all clever movement and creativity.

Furthermore, Mourinho has daunting resources. His bench included Ander Herrera, Jesse Lingard and Martial while another important signing, Victor Lindelof, was not even among the substitutes after, admittedly, struggling in the midweek Super Cup defeat in the humidity of Macedonia against Real Madrid.

United’s first goal summed up what Mourinho wants and what United lacked last season, in fact.

It came as Matic snapped into a challenge, closing down Pedro Obiang as he dawdled and then Rashford slipped the ball through to Lukaku who struck it first-time on the run, with it cannoning off the post and into the net. Bang.

Pogba, dominant in midfield, led the charge after halftime. Lukaku steered a header from a freekick past a rooted Hart. Replays showed some bizarre behaviour from the West Ham left-back Arthur Masuaku who was grinning, laughing, bending to tie his laces. Everything, in fact, except doing what he is paid to do: defend.

More goals came. Martial then ran on to one final smart pass from Mkhitaryan, before he was substituted, to spring past the West Ham defence and side-foot beyond Hart. Then Pogba curled in a 20m shot. The scoreline was emphatic. Just like the performance. It was music to the fans’ ears.