THE VERDICT: UNITED 4 FULHAM 1
UNITED supporters have waited an eternity for a day like this. So have the club staff, and so has Jose Mourinho. If there was confirmation the feel-good factor has returned it came from Mourinho as he celebrated Romelu Lukaku’s finish by high-fiving his assistants sitting back in the dugout behind him. The scoreline read United 3-0 and it was not yet half-time.
United played fluid and enthralling football, especially in the first-half, and zipped the ball about to draw approving nods from Ryan Giggs and Nicky Butt in the directors’ box.
Diogo Dalot, on his second Premier League start, crossed like Gary Neville and had the eagerness of Rafael da Silva. In a 4-1 thrashing, United’s 19-year-old right-back was maybe the standout performer, which will please his compatriot who compared him with Neville in the week.
Mourinho’s commitment, amid rumours of Mauricio Pochettino or a Real Madrid return, is certainly unquestionable. In what was United’s most comfortable afternoon of the season he was at his most demanding on the touchline, reminding his players to press with the aggression that enhanced their effort against Arsenal on Wednesday night. There was still some unease and anxiety. United slackened and Fulham, encouraged, eked out a penalty through substitute Aboubakar Kamara, who converted on 67 minutes. Fulham then did what Mourinho accused United of doing in midweek and ‘shot themselves’ a minute later when Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa collected a second yellow card. That United supporters were relieved by the man advantage summarised a carefree and lax second-half. United’s goal difference is now positive rather than negative and they have reacquainted themselves with their old friend from Mourinho’s first season – sixth place. United have made a habit of conceding in the opening 20 yet against Fulham it was the opposite. Ashley Young isolated the porous Denis Odoi in the left-hand channel and as soon as the ball rolled into the area whipped it into the far corner past the static Sergio Rico on 13 minutes. Juan Samuel Luckhurst Young (13), Mata (28) Lukaku (42) Rashford (82) Kamara (67) 63% 37% 31 14 10 3 (Red) 74, 523 Dalot Seri, Anguissa Lee Probert Mata found himself in the 18-yard box to caress the ball into the corner from Marcus Rashford’s perceptive pull-back and it was 2-0 in 28 minutes.
Jesse Lingard and Mata collaborated to gift Romelu Lukaku a tap-in and his first Old Trafford goal since March and United had scored three in a Premier League first-half for the first time in over two years. Rashford had endangered spectators and stung Rico’s palms in his quest for a first home club goal in seven months and he finally got it in the 82nd minute.
Rashford shaped to cross but deceived Rico with a rasping near-post finish.