Manchester United beat West Ham 4-0 on Sunday, and their whole performance was a real statement of intent. The West Ham side may have been lacking a few of their main players, namely Andy Carroll, Manuel Lanzini and Michael Antonio, but they were still well and truly rolled over by the Red Devils.
Romelu Lukaku opened his Man United account after just half an hour, tucking home into Joe Hart’s near post after Marcus Rashford slipped him through. He then doubled his tally five minutes into the second half, flicking a Henrikh Mkhitaryan free-kick into the bottom corner. The Belgian had chances to complete a hat-trick but didn’t manage to convert a third. Anthony Martial finally got United’s third in the last few minutes, and Paul Pogba tacked on a fourth in stoppage time, curling in an excellently disguised shot past a poorly positioned Joe Hart.
United’s new signings showed great promise, with Lukaku bagging a brace, and Matic playing excellently, dominating the midfield and tempo of the game. West Ham’s two new signings, former Reds fan-favourite Javier Hernandez and Austrian Marco Arnautovic, also showed promise. Arnautovic came close at one point, heading onto the crossbar, and Chicharito was the only Iron’s player who kept putting 100% in right until the end.
Lukau could turn out to be a hugely important signing for United, as his goals and general on-field presence will possibly play a big part in United’s return to success, and if he does that then he will be regarded as an immortal United Legend
So, is this a sign of things to come from Man United? They are top of the league, even if it is only on goal difference after one game, but will face huge opposition to hold onto that spot from noisy neighbours Man City, who also dismantled a stubborn Brighton to win 2-0, but perhaps not Chelsea. The Blues were beaten 3-2 at home to Burnley, at one point going 3-0 down, and ending any expectations of retaining their title in the process. Antonio Conte is clearly unhappy at the lack of squad depth and has been rumoured to be about to resign.
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Billy
In the dugout 