Manchester United made a huge statement in their first Premier League fixture as they thumped West Ham United 4-0 at Old Trafford.
New striker Romelu Lukaku scored a brace on his league debut with the Red Devils while Anthony Martial and Henrikh Mkhitaryan round off a stunning win.
The result sees United sit at the top of the table after the first round of fixtures.
There’s been plenty of discussion about how Jose Mourinho will set up his team this season.
Here’s a look at the Portuguese’s tactics in their first league game.
HOW THEY SET UP
United lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, rather surprisingly given Mourinho’s experimentation with the 3-5-2, 3-4-3 and 4-3-3 systems in preseason.
Lukaku led the line with Rashford and Mkhitaryan on either side and Mata playing in the hole. Pogba and Matic operated in a midfield double pivot with the former Chelsea man the deeper of the two while Ander Herrera began on the bench.
Victor Lindelof was left out of the squad with Phil Jones partnering Eric Bailly in the back four.
Manchester United
EFFECTIVENESS
The hosts settled into the game after the opening 10 minutes, quickly moving proceedings almost exclusively into West Ham’s half. The initial team sheet was met with mixed reactions as Pogba appeared to be confined to a holding midfield role alongside Matic but that quickly changed once the game got underway.
The Serbian was expected to free up the dynamic midfielder in the middle of the park and that’s exactly what happened. As United camped in West Ham’s half, the formation turned into a 4-1-4-1 with Matic anchoring the midfield and the full-backs pushing well up the pitch as well.
Jones and Bailly were effectively the only two who stayed behind with Matic sweeping up ahead of them. Both Antonio Valencia and Daley Blind linked up with their respective wingers in attack while Mata and Mkhitaryan often swapped positions, taking turns wreaking havoc in the space in behind Lukaku.
Although Rashford didn’t score, he was particularly impressive. Every time United broke swiftly, he was at the heart of the move and brought a sense of urgency and directness to the attack. He put in a good shift as well, tracking Zabaleta on his runs forward.
Marcus Rashford impressed
SUBSTITUTIONS
MAROUANE FELLAINI
Mourinho opted to replace Mata with Fellaini in the 76th minute. The Belgian came on and slotted in alongside Matic with Pogba pushing further ahead. The swap saw the Frenchman eventually get forward and score the fourth goal while Fellaini shut up shop in behind.
ANTHONY MARTIAL
Martial came on for the impressive Rashford with 10 minutes to play and put in a stunning cameo. He took up the left wing slot and kept up the pressure on Zabaleta. Martial scored the third goal with a fine finish and laid the ball off for Pogba’s effort as well.
JESSE LINGARD
The Englishman replaced Mkhitaryan with a couple of minutes to play.
Fellaini unlocked Pogba
VERDICT
They didn’t set up in the fluid 4-3-3 many thought they would or the 3-5-2 they employed against Real Madrid, but the 4-2-3-1 system served them well on this occasion. Their quick passing didn’t allow West Ham to enjoy any periods of comfort and in Lukaku, they always had a palpable up top.
Rating – 8.5/10