Magic or illusion?

THE CHOICE of music during the break felt more ironic than apt as Queen’s ‘A Kind of Magic’ kept fans entertained.

Phil Jones had crashed in United’s fourth goal before Anthony Martial made it 5-0 on the stroke of half-time.

From a United perspective, it doesn’t get more magical – or mythical even – than that.

Prior to this thrashing of Tranmere, United had only scored five goals in a game three times since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

Fergie took his seat in the Prenton Park directors’ box but he would have arrived fearing the worst, considering United went into this potential banana skin having lost four of their last seven.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was battling to save his job as the dark clouds gathered above him again.

And for 10 minutes this was a proper cup-tie, but with one cultured swing of Harry Maguire’s right foot United took the lead and the millstone that had been hanging so heavily around their necks was unshackled.

If you’d travelled down from Mars to watch them, you would have wondered what all the fuss was about.

But days like these have been few and far between in recent seasons, so to United’s travelling band of loyal fans it will have felt like a magical afternoon once again.

But it came against a team struggling to avoid relegation from League One.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, though, and next up for United is a trip to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup.

United need more than magic to overturn a 3-1 deficit. They need a miracle.