HEAD START FOR JOSE’S BOYS
Fellaini and Lukaku rise to occasion as United get ball rolling
Better than Zlatan Ibrahimovic, better than Wayne rooney, better even than ruud van Nistelrooy. romelu Lukaku’s first season impact at Manchester United has redefined the phrase ‘hit the ground running’.
to outstrip this group over his first six appearances is one thing, but Lukaku is even ahead of Cristiano ronaldo at the same stage of his 42-goal season.
ronaldo had just one goal after six matches that year, Lukaku already has six. Add his four for Belgium on international duty and Manchester United’s marquee summer signing is already into double figures for 2017-18.
the match with Leicester, on August 26, is the only one he hasn’t scored in so far.
Last night, he put the game beyond an underwhelming Basle side, too timid to threaten United, and ultimately overpowered by the sheer size of the opposition as much as the task.
Headed goals from Lukaku and Marouane Fellaini separated these teams before Marcus rashford made it three, although it would be wrong to say United won with mere brute force.
this was an assured display. Not as lively as the cream of europe, perhaps — Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain might have made them look sluggish by comparison — but always in command of the tie and not for a moment flattered by the margin of victory.
Basle had no answer to United’s height in the area. Fellaini put them ahead in the first half, Lukaku secured the tie in the second. United took a short corner, Daley Blind delivered the cross, Lukaku rose above his markers with almost contemptuous ease and headed past goalkeeper tomas Vaclik.
there could have been more where that came from. Lukaku had a header from a Henrikh Mkhitaryan cross saved after 62 minutes, while Anthony Martial skied a Fellaini cross over the bar from close range soon after. Ashley Young forced a fine save with a shot from 30 yards out from the next attack.
It was left to substitute rashford to round the night off. His fresh legs were the last thing Basle wanted to see and when, with six minutes remaining, the outstanding Fellaini cut the ball back from the bye-line, rashford had dropped off into the perfect position to finish. His strike wasn’t his cleanest but it did the job — much like United.
they were a different class here, but they wouldn’t be against europe’s highest fliers. that isn’t their problem, though: yet.
the sight of Paul Pogba hobbling from the field after only 20 minutes was worrying and distressing in equal measure. A pity, because he had been given the chance to captain the team in the absence of Antonio Valencia and Michael Carrick and it was plainly a proud moment for him.
He had strutted through the match to that point, pulling the strings in midfield. With each game he looks increasingly like the £90million midfielder United purchased a year ago, and here was the confirmation: trusted to lead United into their first Champions League match of the Jose Mourinho era. It was sad to see his moment end so soon.
the worry was the nature of the injury — another hamstring by the looks of it, his third since March. Pogba missed games then, and in May, to hamstring issues and here an innocuous challenge on Mohamed elyounoussi ended with Pogba anxiously feeling the back of his left leg.
He tried to continue, then sank to the ground, several minutes of treatment confirming it would be impossible to continue. Pogba limped to the touchline, tearing at his armband in frustration. Mourinho retrieved it and tossed it, equally tetchily, to Young, as Fellaini prepared to come on.
Complaining that Belgium had taken a chance with Fellaini’s readiness during the international break, forcing him to miss the 2-2 draw at Stoke, Mourinho insisted he feels safer with the enforcer in his squad, even if he did not start. Certainly he was hugely influential here, creating a fresh set of problems for Basle’s overworked defenders and finally getting the breakthrough for the first goal.
It was textbook stuff. Young toying with his opponent before whipping in a cross which Fellaini rose to meet at the far post. It had been coming, frankly. Basle had just mustered their first chance of the first half — a Luca Zuffi shot from Blas riveros’ cross — but until that point it was all United.
Only two minutes had passed when a Juan Mata corner forced United’s first chance of the game. Basle missed several opportunities to clear and the ball fell to Lukaku, who unleashed a ferocious shot blocked on its way to goal by defender Manuel Akanji.
After that, Mkhitaryan missed two glorious opportunities to continue the vein of scoring form that helped take United to europa League triumph last season.
the first came on 14 minutes, a header from a volleyed cross by Mata which travelled over the bar, with the goal begging.
the next was even clearer. Mata fed Lukaku, who drove a low cross across the face of goal. Mkhitaryan met it at the near post but somehow steered his finish against the woodwork. the ball obediently came back to him but this time he saw his shot smothered by Vaclik.
It could have been shaping up as one of those nights except United are having fewer of those this season.
With Fellaini played in a more advanced role, Young making hay at right-back and Lukaku always dangerous, this is a different United team from the one Louis van Gaal sent into this competition in 2015-16. Success in the europa League has given them confidence for european football, too.
the second half began very much as the first had ended, Martial’s shot saved by Vaclik to win the corner that would lead to the second goal.
there was only one team in charge here as United put a powerless Basle to bed.