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Manchester United began the Ole Gunnar Solskjær era in emphatic style as they beat a hapless Cardiff City 5-1 and stamped a statement of intent by portraying the true quality within the team.
For the first time since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, the Red Devils struck five goals in a match, courtesy Marcus Rashford, Ander Herrera, Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard (2).
Moreover, the away supporters were lifted by the positive approach followed by their players. There was more energy, pace and purpose in the way Pogba and co. applied themselves. There is a long way to go for the club after having seen such a dark phase of late, but the first step of this new era was certainly a very bright one.
On that note, let's take a look at the major talking points from Manchester United's 5-1 rout at Cardiff City.
#1 Ole names his first playing XI
Ole Gunnar Solskjær named his first playing XI as Manchester United boss, and the structure and personnel he charted out only underlined pace, pace and pace. His 4-3-3 setup was very different from that of Mourinho's and arguably, to any other manager's three-man midfield or attack.
Starting at the back, Ashley Young was occasionally asked to surge forward. On the other side, Shaw was constantly seen drifting infield, allowing Martial to operate from his favored wider positions and bombarding crosses into the box. The left-back definitely thrived on the freedom.
Speaking of freedom and liberty, Paul Pogba's role simply cannot go unmentioned. In the three-man midfield, Nemanja Matic was asked to play in a very deep position. Either the shape shifted to a 4-1-2-3 or at times, a 5-2-3 - with Matic almost playing as a center-half in order to allow Jones to commit to challenges.
While Matic foiled the defence and hit sweeping passes, Pogba and Herrera plied their trade from positions closer to the forwards. The Frenchman worked down the left, while the latter was on the middle/right side of the pitch. What was interesting to see was how freely they were allowed to move and tackle or create chances.
Usually, a free role is given to wingers, but Ole granted it to two of his midfielders.
Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard completed a pacy attack. The former played centrally and worked as a focal point at times. Together, they were simply menacing.
#2 Manchester United start strong, Marcus Rashford scores a beauty
After the Red Devils settled into their respective positions, the match was played at a frenetic pace, as far as their tactics were concerned. The back four was much higher up the pitch, Jones even crossed the halfway line to make an interception - something we almost never saw under Jose - and United looked very bright.
On the back of their quick passing, direct exhibition in front of goal and incisive play, they won a foul about 32-35 yards away from goal. Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford stood over it.
The latter took charge of the dead ball and with the perfect technique, slotted it past the wall and sent Etheridge the wrong way.
#3 Goals, goals and more goals
As aforementioned, Herrera was seen in vacant channels. Given his position and the fact that the Bluebirds stood deep and compact, the 29-year-old enjoyed more time on the ball. Consequentially, he was found free 25 yards out. He then launched his shot that took a vicious deflection and landed in goal, leaving Etheridge with no chance whatsoever.
Ten minutes later, out of absolutely nowhere, Cardiff won a penalty. Prior to that, Warnock's men were struggling to keep pace with a buzzing United midfield. The only way they looked like disturbing a rather solid back line was through set-pieces.
In a similar situation, Rashford handled the ball while trying to control it. The assistant had a clear view of it, which only meant that Cardiff were back in business. Victor Camarasa stood in front of compatriot de Gea and smashed a thunderous penalty past him.
Just when you thought Manchester United looked lively but not sharp enough, Anthony Martial, Pogba and Rashford interchanged pin-point passes that left everyone's jaw on the floor. Pin-point passing, quick thinking and precision had been the DNA of United's attacks over the decades, and Martial finally showed us a replay of that with a sublime goal.
#4 Manchester United continue to burst forward with purpose, Jesse Lingard turns comfortable into comprehensive
Even after the half-time whistle, United continued to display energy of the highest order. Neither did they sit back and deep to prevent a comeback from Cardiff, nor did they knock it around for safety.
The Red Devils stuck to their basics and kept knocking at the Cardiff defence with the right impetus. A string of passes saw Rashford clear, but Morrison's vital last-ditch intervention kept out the England international.
Moments later, Lingard flip-flapped past opponents and weaved his way into the box, but was supposedly clipped by Sol Bamba. He took the onus upon himself and made no mistake with the penalty.
In the 63rd minute, Lindelof set off on his bike and played it in for Rashford, who really should have doubled his tally. Seven minutes later, Pogba drove forward and lashed onto one from 25 yards, but Etheridge was equal to it. At that moment, although the defence took a couple of blows, one could infer that United's free-flowing football was back.
Pogba linked up with Lingard for the final goal, with the latter showing all the composure in the world for his second. Icing on the cake stuff.
#5 Cardiff City didn't help themselves
A lot of talk about United's resurgence reverberated around the country like wildfire, but Cardiff undoubtedly did not help themselves.
For the first goal, the wall wasn't properly positioned, one could argue. How can you afford so much space even after fielding a five-man wall? No disrespect to Rashford and his sumptuous finish, but Cardiff could have and should have done better.
For the second, they crowded bodies down the left flank, where the attack was initiated, but one switch across the pitch from Pogba was enough to double the lead. No one closed down Herrera, who had all the time in the world to pick his spot. Once you concede two and then give away a penalty, you don't get back into the game.
The Bluebirds have now lost each of their last 14 Premier League games against 'big six' opponents, conceding 45 goals in the same period. They certainly did not do anything to better this horrendous record.
