Marouane shows why he is Mourinho’s pet

breakthrough and Mkhitaryan was the culprit again. Lukaku powered to the byline before ramming a low ball towards the near post where the Armenian shot, only to see it strike the post.

When he got in a second effort, Basel goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik managed to smother it.

Sucker

United were nearly caught by a sucker punch on the half hour when Luca Zuffi sent a powerful shot just wide.

Mourinho did not need to tell his players it was high time they punished the visitors and in the 35th minute Fellaini answered the call.

That must have made for a calmer halftime team talk and when Lukaku popped up with the second, nerves were washed away in the torrential rain.

United were given a sharp reminder not to take it easy when David De Gea, who was having an easy evening, was forced to make a cracker of a flying save to keep out Mohammed Elyounoussi’s angled drive in the 63rd minute.

Late sub Rashford wrapped up the win in the 84th minute, cracking his shot home from Fellaini’s cross.

De Gea; Young, Lindelof, Smalling, Blind; Pogba (Fellaini 19), Matic; Mata (Rashford 77), Mkhitaryan, Martial (Lingard 69); Lukaku. Subs: Romero, Carrick, Valencia, Darmian.

Vaclik; Akanji, Suchy, Balanta; Lang, Xhaka, Zuffi, Riveros (Oberlin 77); Steffen, van Wolfswinkel (Bua 66), Elyounoussi. Subs: Salvi, Gaber, Fransson, Schmid, Calia.

Ruddy Buquet (France).