BRUNO IS BACK WITH A BANG
Solskjaer savours his ‘perfect day’ as crowd roar, Fernandes bags a treble and Pogba shines
THE roars cascaded around the roof of the Stretford End and echoed up into the higher reaches of the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand. Doubtless the din would have been heard loud and clear as the chorus carried over the Ship Canal and on to Salford’s Shopping Centre and beyond.
Football fans were back. And so were Manchester United, except that one opening-match bonanza does not a season make. Yet, on a momentous day when 72,000 gathered for a Premier League match for the first time since March 2020, how those fans made themselves heard. All that pent-up energy and the days of shared grief, the lack of communality was evident in the joyful outburst of the occasion.
And how their team played for them. This was as close as you will get to the good old days, when Old Trafford regularly thundered its approval for a magnificent team rampaging forwards at every opportunity. ‘A perfect day,’ said Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Manchester United played like a team intoxicated by their fans’ return. Leeds United played like a team intoxicated by Marcelo Bielsa’s philosophy, unable to adjust when it was clear that Bielsa-ball was the worst way of defending against Mason Greenwood, Bruno Fernandes and an inspired Paul Pogba.
Raphael Varane, introduced before the game to a rapturous acclamation, must have looked on and been convinced he had committed himself to a proper football club.
‘This is the real Manchester United,’ continued Solskjaer. ‘That’s how I sold the club to Edinson Cavani. You can’t leave after playing just one year with no fans.’
What promise lies ahead for Solskjaer’s team on days like this. Who to choose for man of the match? Hat-trick hero Fernandes? The irrepressible Greenwood? Yet how to ignore the imperious Pogba, creator of four goals, each assist seeming to top the last? (That said, we will ignore, for now, his failure to close down Luke Ayling when Leeds briefly looked equal to their task on 49 minutes).
All this and Jadon Sancho, who got 15 minutes,
Marcus Rashford and
Varane to come.
The caveats are that
United still look a team set up to counter-attack.
Which is all well and good and makes for a good record against a team as dogmatically committed
to attack as Leeds. But it’s a plan that is less easy to execute against Newcastle, Crystal Palace or Watford.
Still, spectacles like this need to be enjoyed when they present themselves. United played with the same joyful catharsis their fans were experiencing.
‘Sir Alex Ferguson, the gaffer, always used to say enjoy yourself,’ said Solskjaer. ‘Express yourself. You’ve got to enjoy the privilege, the pressure and responsibility of playing in front of 75,000 fans at Old Trafford and millions watching on TV.’
The reconnection with fans, he hoped, might even persuade Pogba that he is truly loved and that this is where he should commit to playing his football. ‘I love seeing those boys smiling, when they’re enjoying their football,’ said Solskjaer.
Bielsa had less to be pleased about. How Leeds missed Kalvin Phillips in midfield, but in truth this was a failure of tactical flexibility.
There’s no point expecting Bielsa to change, so it’s senseless bemoaning it when he has brought so much that is good. But Robin Koch was stranded alone in holding midfield and centrehalves Liam Cooper and Pascal Struijk were overwhelmed as players continued to flood forward.
United forewarned Leeds of their intent. Greenwood, 19 and visibly stronger than three months ago — ‘he is a man compared to the boy he was’, according to Solskjaer — was flying forwards at every opportunity. And on 14 minutes he drove through midfield to release Pogba, who executed a delightful quick-foot shuffle, dummy and shot which fooled almost everyone as the net rippled to a huge roar before Old Trafford realised he had struck the side netting.
Daniel James was similarly played in by Greenwood on 26 minutes but had neither the composure nor the touch to finish.
Leeds weren’t without their first-half moments, Mateusz Klich’s curling free-kick producing a David de Gea save and Rodrigo’s header from a free-kick being the best of them. But they were authors of their own downfall, undone by the softest of goals.
What was supposed to be a sophisticated chipped goal kick by Illan Meslier was headed back into the path of Scott McTominay. With the majority of Leeds’ players in attacking positions, McTominay simply moved the ball on to Pogba, who chipped it on for Fernandes. His control, with stretched-out leg, capped a fine move. His shot actually struck Meslier but still bounced in from the rebound.
Ayling’s extraordinary strike from 25 yards threatened to spoil the party on 49 minutes. Yet United were not even in top stride yet. A remarkable 17 minutes of football, between 52 minutes and 69 minutes, simply swept Leeds aside, Pogba strutting the stage like he was born for this.
His driven ball straight through a hopelessly open Leeds defence on 52 minutes was delightful. Yet Greenwood (left) still had work to do, sprinting in on goal as the angle narrowed. With this 19-year-old, like all the best strikers, you pretty much know how it’s going to finish. Sure enough, he drove the ball past Meslier into the far corner, an astonishingly confident strike.
Just two minutes later, Pogba again drove a disguised pass into the path of Fernandes. Again, there was plenty to do, as the Portuguese turned inside to shoot. Ayling scrambled it seemingly away but the ball was over the line and the game effectively won at 3-1.
Next Victor Lindelof played the Pogba role on the hour, a through ball bouncing into the path of Fernandes. This was probably the pick of the goals, a thunderous half volley past Meslier.
Even Fred enjoyed his moment on 68 minutes, Pogba breaking down the right to pull back into the midfielder’s path. ‘When Fred scores, we know everyone can score,’ said Solskjaer. It truly was the best of days for Manchester United.