BRU-TIFUL DAY
Man Utd 5 Leeds 1: Bruno Fernandes hat-trick and Pogba with four assists on perfect day for United as Sancho makes debut
IT HAS been a long time coming, but proof beyond doubt that normal service has indeed been resumed.
Yes, of course the fans are back, we’ve had a full stadium for the first time in 524 days and the dark times of lockdown a steadily fading memory.
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But this was normality way beyond that. Back to the time Old Trafford was a fortress, United steamrollered opponents into submission and the supporters roared their hearts out.
The days when it was attack after attack, a footballing Red arrows pinging the ball to all points and likely to score every time they went forward.
Okay, one swallow and all that… and still a world away from the glory years when they were harvesting trophies for fun under Sir Alex Ferguson.
But as far as starting points are concerned, this will do very nicely for now, thank you.
Five goals – no exaggeration to suggest it could have been double that – and a victory it took them eight games to manage a year ago.
Bruno Fernandes took centre stage, as well as the match ball, with a hat-trick to take his tally to 29 goals in 50 Prem starts. Not bad for a midfielder.
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But Paul Pogba pushed him close, with a key role in four of them. So, too, did Mason Greenwood, a buzzing, bewildering pest to the Leeds defence all afternoon.
Heavens, even Victor Lindelof got in on the act with one outstanding visionary 40-yard ball that teed up Fernandes for his third.
Maybe it was the sight of new boy Rafa Varane taking a pre-match bow that stung him into doing something special. Whatever it was, it worked.
Just as most of what United tried did and yes, while there will be tougher days over the next nine months, everything is in place for a huge season.
Last year, remember, United had to wait until November – eight league games in – for their first Old Trafford Prem victory.
Well if home comforts were few and far between then, they have wasted no time in enjoying them this.
To be honest, United should have been celebrating an opener 15 minutes before the half an hour it took them, but for a shocking miss by Pogba.
In fairness, it was just about the only thing he tried that didn’t come off, but still a clanger nonetheless.
Greenwood was the creator, both in winning the ball on halfway and then picking him out with an eye-of-a-needle delivery.
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But instead of simply clipping in a shot, Pogba opted for a fast-feet stepover…and prodded it wide.
Another case of the Frenchman being too fancy for his own good? Well probably so – but he soon made up for it.
For the first-time ball he played to find Fernandes was telepathic, while his team-mate’s control in bringing it down was just as majestic.
Fair enough, there was a little good fortune about the finish, looping into the net off keeper Illan Meslier’s right leg – yet nothing lucky about United going ahead.
They should really have been out of sight by the break, so when Leeds hit back with an out-of-the-blue Exocet from Luke Ayling, you did think maybe they'd live to regret it.
Not a bit of it, as they roared back with three goals in ten minutes to slap Marcelo Bielsa’s boys back into place.
And how welcome, too, after Leeds fans had shown not all supporters are welcomed back, with their vile chants mocking the Munich air disaster.
That was bad enough, but they followed up by telling Jadon Sancho "you let your country down” in reference to his Euro final shoot-out miss, as the United new boy warmed up.
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Bielsa’s men may have been everyone’s second favourite team last term, but that won’t last long with this lot in full voice like they were at Old Trafford, trust me.
United had the best response to silencing them all, with their rat-a-tat reaction which turned the last half hour into little more than a playing out time process.
First Pogba bent a how-did-he-see-that pass behind Pascal Strujik and after Greenwood’s first touch meant the centre-back couldn’t touch him, he buried his shot in off the far post.
Pogba was again the provider by picking out Fernandes, although the finish was pretty much all his own work.
His drag back took him inside Junior Firpo and his shot had crossed the line before Ayling hooked it out again.
Then came Lindelof’s pass that had everyone asking “did he really do that” to tee up Fernandes for a blockbusting first-timer.
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And when even Fred got in on the act by sweeping home from another Pogba pass you knew it really was a day to remember.
Maybe not for Leeds… more one to forget for them. Yet if it’s any indication of what lies ahead for United, then boy Old Trafford is in for some fun.
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Jadon Sancho talks to Rio Ferdinand about his need to win at Man Utd
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