Manchester United began the 2017/18 Premier League season with an emphatic statement of intent, beating West Ham 4-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.
José Mourinho’s side sent out a threat to the rest of the Premier League with a swashbuckling performance, putting the Hammers to the sword with some clinical finishing, and in truth, it could had been more misery for Slaven Bilic’s men had the woodwork not saved them.
Romelu Lukaku made it three goals in two competitive fixtures for United, finishing with aplomb after being put through by Marcus Rashford in the first half, before heading home from Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s free-kick after shrugging off the attentions of Winston Reid.
Substitute Anthony Martial then made it three with three minutes remaining with a composed finish after being put through on goal by Mkhitaryan, before Paul Pogba sent United top of the table to end the opening weekend after a flowing Reds move.
Here are the main talking points from the Theatre of Dreams after the opening week of Premier League action:
Matic: the final piece of the jigsaw?
It’s now very clear why José Mourinho fiercely craved the signing of one Nemanja Matic. Many United fans would have preferred the likes of Fabinho in the centre of the park, but in Matic, the Reds may have the final piece of the jigsaw needed to mount a serious title challenge.
The Serbian put in a man of the match performance on his Premier League debut for the Reds, providing the perfect balance in attack and defence, simultaneously freeing up Paul Pogba to roam around and do his best work.
Matic will be key to how United play this season – if he’s on form week in, week out, the Reds will be a very, very dangerous proposition to face. He does almost everything, and more pertinently, looks like a massive upgrade on the likes of Michael Carrick and Marouane Fellaini.
Lukaku's right at home
Two prominent criticisms have been aimed at Romelu Lukaku since he joined Manchester United. One: “He’s just a flat-track bully.” Two: “He’s just a finisher, he doesn’t do anything outside the box.”
Lukaku’s performance against the Hammers blew those criticisms out of the water. He made surging, powerful runs down the channels, posing massive problems for Slaven Bilic’s defenders. And his finishing was on point, dispatching his first goal emphatically and heading home with aplomb for his second.
Of course, it’s early days, but Lukaku looks like he’s settled quickly in Manchester. If the worry was that he would take time to forge an understanding with United’s midfielders, there was no evidence for it on Sunday.
Do United need another winger?
With the repeated links to Ivan Perisic and Gareth Bale coming to the fore again recently, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial showed why United may not need to go out and bring in another option on the left-hand side.
Rashford carried on where he left off against Real Madrid in midweek, tormenting Pablo Zabaleta on the left flank. He played a crucial role in United’s first, carrying the ball forward on the counter and playing the perfect ball through to Lukaku, who made no mistake.
On another day, Rashford could have notch a goal himself, but was unlucky to see his driven effort in the second half ricochet off the right-hand post and away from goal.
Once Martial replaced Rashford, he picked up where he had left off, running Zabaleta ragged and picking up a well-deserved goal, coolly slotting under Joe Hart after being put through on goal. The Frenchman played like he had a point to prove, and Mourinho will certainly have to give him an opportunity to make a claim for that spot on the left.
Lindelöf to get the Mkhitaryan treatment
It was a surprise to see Victor Lindelöf omitted from the matchday squad entirely, with José Mourinho telling the press afterwards that it was purely a selection decision.
There are shades of the decision to slowly bed Henrikh Mkhitaryan in to life in English football last season and given what’s transpired to the Armenian since then, Mourinho has earned the right to make that decision and give Lindelöf time to transition to the gritty nature of English football.
Phil Jones and Eric Bailly’s performances in the centre of defence will certainly have justified Mourinho’s choice to omit Lindelöf and there should be no knee-jerk reactionary questioning of the manager’s ability to handle his players like there was in the early weeks of last season.