Manchester United 4-1 Fulham: 5 positives for United

When Fulham came to visit Old Trafford on Saturday, Manchester United were expected to win. The Red Devils had last won in the Premier League at the start of November and as such, 3 points were long overdue. Mourinho had been guilty of being too respectful to his opposition in recent game, with his team selection a little too cautious at times, but against the team at the bottom of the table, the Portuguese actually went for it.

He started with a back four of Dalot, Smalling, Jones and Young and in the middle, opted for Herrera and Mata to partner Matic. Upfront, Lukaku returned to the starting line up to join Rashford and Lingard.

United started brightly and were rewarded in the 13th minute, when Young broke the deadlock to put them ahead. Mata doubled the lead in the 28th minute and 3 minutes before half time, Lukaku had put the Red Devils 3 up!

United lost a bit of the momentum in the second half and Fulham won a penalty that gave them a faint chance, but Anguissa got his marching orders in the 68th minute. Rashford made the score 4-1 in the 82nd minute and United went on to get their first win in 4 games in the Premier League.

While the 3 points was in itself a big boost for the Red Devils, let us look at the 5 positives from the game that should make every Manchester United fan happy.

#5 Lukaku's return to scoring form

Manchester United v Fulham FC - Premier League

Romelu Lukaku has had a horrible start to the season this time. His every move has been scrutinized and even though he has been very poor, the extreme criticism he has been subjected to from fans and rivals alike has done him no good. The striker had been suffering from a loss of confidence and it had been evident from his touches, his attempts, his skills, all of which had hit rock bottom.

When he scored against Southampton, the Belgian must have heaved a sigh of relief - it was his 1st goal in 8 games in the Premier League. The improvement in his confidence was evident against Fulham too and Lukaku looked a threat from the start this time. He eventually finished a well worked move in the first half, the first time he had scored at home this season and it will do him and also the team, a lot of good.

United have been desperately short in the goal scoring department this season, with Martial the only one who had looked in form. With Lukaku back in the scoresheet, the Red Devils should be regaining their confidence in front of goal as well.

#4 The Goal Difference is finally respectable

Manchester United had leaked in more goals than they had scored before this weekend. It meant that their goal difference was -1, a stark contrast to those of the big boys at the top of the table. Manchester United needed goals and needed them desperately. Against Fulham, the flood gates were finally broken.

United had scored 3 goals just once before this season, in the relentless 3-2 win over Newcastle at the start of October, so when Young got on the scoresheet early, it did look like Fulham were in for a long night. In the end, it turned out to be United's biggest win this season and the first time that the Red Devils had scored 4 goals in a game this time. At the end of the night, United's goal difference was 2, they had scored 28 goals this season and conceded 26 so far. While it is nowhere near as good as any of their rivals, it is the correct way forward and that should please everyone associated with Manchester United.

#3 Ander Herrera's assured presence

The Spaniard did give away the penalty that ruined the day for De Gea, but replays suggest that it might have been a little harsh. It was perhaps the only mistake that Herrera committed in the entire game, as he had another stellar run in the middle of the park.

With Mata and Matic for company, Herrera knew he had to mix it up throughout the game. The United midfield did not have too much pace in it, but Herrera's intelligence and positional awareness made up for it most of the time. Matic was slightly better with the Spaniard's assured presence by his side and Mata also had the courage to venture forward knowing that Herrera had his back.

With Dalot marauding through the right side in the entire game, Herrera was quick to cover for the young Portuguese as well, beside also dropping in between Smalling and Jones to pick up the stray passes from the opposition. He was in his usual best in the middle though, intercepting balls, running into tackles and breaking down the play. United looked so much better with him around.

The Spaniard should have scored when he was teed in by Mata, but missed by a whisker. However, Herrera still had a fabulous game and needs to stick around, because he is the one who makes United tick.

#2 Diogo Dalot's emergence

It's only been three appearances for the 19 year old Portuguese in the Premier League this season, but Diogo Dalot has already been impressive so far. He made his League debut against Southampton last weekend and caught the eye against Gunners in midweek. However it was against Fulham that Dalot showed his true colours.

The youngster was fabulous going forward and his crossing ability is so good that one can forget that he is just 19 years old. Dalot bombed forward throughout the game and should have picked up at least a couple of assists when his beautiful crosses could not be turned in by Lukaku and McTominay late in the second half. Dalot regularly beat Bryan and sent in balls that begged to be put in. He also picked up nice positions by the touchline and for the first time in the entire season, the right side of the United attack looked good.

But even with all his forward ventures, the Portuguese did not shy away from his defensive responsibilities. He was disciplined, kept things simple at the back and matched his speed with Sessegnon on many occasions. Dalot showed huge prospect against Fulham and it has to be a big positive for United right now.

#1 Mourinho continues being brave

Even against Fulham, many expected Mourinho to be cautious. Maybe it was the taste of the offensive freedom he picked up against Arsenal, or maybe it was the woeful defensive record of his struggling opponents, but on Saturday, the Portuguese put out a team that was a little less cautious than is expected of him this season.

The biggest decision he made was to put Paul Pogba on the bench and play Mata in the middle. It was a decision that chanced the game and allowed United to be fluid. Like in midweek, the United players wasted little time on the ball, moved it around quickly and kept things simple for most of the game. Like the United teams of old, on Saturday, Manchester United relied on delicious wing play, with both Dalot and Young putting up a show for the spectators. But it was the way United played, the way that this team was reminiscent of the great teams of the old that would be the biggest positive on the night.

"Attack, Attack, Attack" was the direction given to Mourinho early into the season. The Portuguese seems to have finally given in to the lures of the Old Trafford legacy.