Striker Romelu Lukaku continued his remarkable scoring run with two goals as Manchester United swept aside CSKA Moscow 4-1 in Russia.
The Belgium international arrived from Everton in the summer with a £90million price tag but has done plenty to quickly justify that sum as he clinically exposed an ageing defence at the VEB Arena.
Lukaku took his tally to 10 goals in nine appearances – the great Sir Bobby Charlton managed ‘only’ nine in his first nine – as he scored in his eighth successive European game with a double in the first half either side of an Anthony Martial penalty with Henrikh Mkhitaryan adding a fourth just after the interval.
Substitute Konstantin Kuchaev’s 90th-minute goal was little consolation.
TWEET OF THE MATCH
STAR MAN
Romelu Lukaku: The big Belgian is proving to be well worth his £90million transfer fee and although neither of his goals required particular brilliance he was a constant threat to a three-man CSKA defence which crumbled under the pressure.
Lukaku’s stunning start to his Manchester United career continues.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH
David de Gea’s fingertip save to deny Fedor Chalov. The United goalkeeper had little to do but conceding a goal before half-time would have been a confidence-booster for CSKA.
DATA POINT
CSKA goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev has not kept a clean sheet in 45 consecutive matches of the Champions League proper – a run stretching back to 2006.
PLAYER RATINGS
CSKA MOSCOW
Igor Akinfeev: 6
Mario Fernandes: 5
Viktor Vasin: 5
Vasili Berezutski: 4
Sergei Ignashevich: 4
Georgi Schennikov: 4
Alan Dzagoev: 6
Pontus Wernbloom: 6
Aleksandr Golovin: 6
Fedor Chalov: 6
Vitinho: 5
Substitutes
Georgi Milanov (on for Dzagoev, 72): 5
Timur Zhamaletdinov (on for Chalov, 66): 5
Konstantin Kuchaev (on for Vitinho, 85): 5
CSKA Moscow couldn’t find an answer to United’s dominance.
MANCHESTER UNITED
David de Gea: 7
Ashley Young: 6
Eric Bailly: 6
Chris Smalling: 6
Victor Lindelof: 6
Daley Blind: 7
Nemanja Matic: 7
Ander Herrera: 7
Henrikh Mkhitaryan: 8
Anthony Martial: 8
Romelu Lukaku: 8
Substitutes
Jesse Lingard (on for Mkhitaryan, 60): 6
Marcus Rashford (on for Martial, 72): 6
Matteo Darmian (on for Young, 66): 6
Anthony Martial put in a star turn in United’s victory.
WHO’S UP NEXT?
Manchester United v Crystal Palace (Premier League, Saturday September 30)