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Manchester United put three past Fulham to brush them aside and move to fourth place in the Premier League table for the first time since the opening day victory against Leicester City. A brace from Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial helped the cause for Ole Gunnar Solksjaer and co.
It was a sunny afternoon in London as over 25,000 fans turned up at Craven Cottage to witness the opening fixture of the weekend.
Manchester United entered the game with a much-changed line-up to face Claudio Ranieri's men, perhaps in anticipation of their upcoming Champions League tie against French behemoths PSG. Marcus Rashford, Lingard, Ashley Young and Victor Lindelof were all benched by Solksjaer, but Manchester United strolled past the newly-promoted side with relative ease as Pogba and Martial put in a masterclass.
United got off to a slow start, with Fulham dominating play for the first 10 minutes and troubling de Gea more than a couple of times as United had their blushes saved by the Spaniard, who was tasked with leading the side tonight in the absence of Ashley Young.
Anthony Martial caught compatriot Le Marchand in possession and slipped through Paul Pogba, who's been an absolute beast since Mourinho faced the sack. The big number 6 scored past Sergio Rico with an exquisite first-time finish from a very tight angle, despite being on his weaker foot, which just goes to show the kind of form the World Cup winning record signing is in.
Anthony Martial went on a brilliant solo run nine minutes later as Phil Jones won the ball in his own half and laid it off for the mercurial Frenchman, who beat a couple of Fulham players before slotting a shot in the far corner.
Le Marchand's horrendous evening continued as he bundled over Juan Mata in the penalty area after the hour mark, and Paul Pogba put the game to bed with a fine spot kick to take his tally to 11 league goals for this season - the most he's ever scored in league play in a single season.
On that note, let's take a look at three reasons why Manchester United beat Fulham.
#1 Fulham's porous defense
Fulham's defense had another poor outing, making this the 24th occasion when they've failed to keep a clean sheet this season. Their defense was in shambles the entire afternoon as it lacked quality and concentration, which allowed Manchester United to spend minimal energy against a side from whom much was expected of in the summer after their promising promotion and massive outlay in the transfer market.
Things have gone from bad to worse for them, as they have accumulated only four victories in the league. There's still time for them to steer themselves clear from relegation, but it may seem a tall task, as they sit eight points away from safety.
For all three goals, the back line was completely at fault. Be it the alertness levels or man marking, Fulham got it all wrong.
#2 Ole Gunnar's tactical acumen
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been a revelation since taking over from Jose Mourinho, who was axed after the embarrassing loss to Liverpool.
The Red Devils have won 10 of their last 11 games whilst playing some swift, expansive football that seems to garner the most out of talents available in the squad.
Almost every player looks better under Ole, especially Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford, who seem to be benefiting the most from the Portuguese's departure as they both are scoring and setting up goals for fun every time they get on the pitch.
Players like Lindelof, Lingard, Herrera, Martial, Lukaku have had a complete reinvention of their role, playing a completely different system, one that seems to be suited to their strengths, as all players look like part of a really dangerous and talented team, unlike under previous managers.
The team played free-flowing football, showed massive determination to go out there and win and didn't get too bothered by Fulham's brilliant start. Solksjaer backed players such as Lukaku and Mata and rested most of his first team stars ahead of the midweek fixture, which proved to be a tactical masterclass.
The battle in midfield too, was won by Herrera, Matic and Pogba - by an absolute mile.
#3 Pogba's brilliance and 'Martial arts'
Paul Pogba's rich vein of form continued against the relegation-threatened outfit, as he has now scored 11 league goals for the season - his best ever tally. He also has 8 assists in the league.
The Frenchman had a rough relationship with Jose Mourinho, who had even dropped from his starting XI in his last few games as manager. But, the France international has gone on to prove every doubter wrong since Mourinho's departure, scoring 7 goals and notching 5 assists in the 11 games the Norwegian has been in charge.
Anthony Martial has been United's standout attacker this season, putting in another brilliant showing as he scored a superb solo goal to put Fulham 2 goals down before the half an hour mark. The strike took his tally to 9 league goals, as he looks well on track to beat his career best of 11 league strikes, which he set in his first season back in 2015.
More importantly, both the players linked up extremely well and scored a couple of brilliantly taken goals. They are stepping up for their side when required, and that's what remains highly important heading into the final dozen matches.
