Despite some attacking players missing out of the starting line-up on the weekend, Manchester United still managed to comfortably beat Leeds United 5-1.
Follow Us
Manchester United could not have started the new Premier League campaign any better than the way they did last Saturday. A five-star performance saw the Red Devils trounce Leeds United 5-1 in the opening weekend of the new league campaign. It becomes a lot more impressive, considering the fact that United were missing some of their leading attacking players from the starting line-up. Marcus Rashford and Edinson Cavani were not part of the team, while Anthony Martial and Jadon Sancho entered the field only as second-half substitutes. Despite their absence, the Red Devils thrashed Leeds in a largely one-sided match at Old Trafford, thanks to Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba’s masterclass.
Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay has described the club’s wealth of attacking players as “crazy”. McTominay, together with goalscorer Fred, helped provide the solid foundations in the midfield on Saturday. The duo defended admirably and moved the ball quickly from back to front. Time and again, they also made forward runs and from one such movement, Fred scored the team’s fifth goal. Bruno Fernandes bagged a hat-trick, while talented young striker Mason Greenwood also added his name to the scoresheet.
Paul Pogba was another top-performer that day, notching up an incredible four assists during the game, a Premier League-era club record. Daniel James, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial also showed glimpses of their potential. With Cavani, Rashford and Jesse Lingard still to return, the squad depth can only get better. Scott McTominay believes goals can arrive from anywhere for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side. He is right, full-backs Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka were equally impressive last season in the attacking side of the team, creating many chances.
“It’s crazy. It’s great. We’ve got to keep that up,” Scott said, speaking a few days after the 5-1 win. “It’s easy for people to get ahead of themselves and carried away. We scored five goals and that but it’s the nitty gritty ones where we have to come through. These are the games that are going to be important. We know we’ve got goals in the squad, we know we’ve got guys who can contribute from anywhere.
“We didn’t even see Luke Shaw get a goal contribution and that’s somebody who did last year and, this year, he’s going to go to different levels again. As you saw, Paul did well, Bruno did well, Fred, Mason. But we’ve got Luke Shaw, Aaron, do you know what I mean? Guys like that. The options are endless.”
United’s incredible opening-day performance means the Red Devils sit top of the Premier League after matchday one for the first time since 2017 – when the Reds thumped West Ham 4-0 at the Theatre of Dreams. Despite the positive mood around Old Trafford, Scott McTominay does not want the team to get carried away, especially with tricky away trips to Southampton and Wolves on the horizon before the first international break of the season.
“It’s not time to get carried away at all. We need to keep going, keep really pushing,” he was quoted as saying by the club’s website. “It’s only a good start. We’ve only got three points and there’s 37 more games to come.”
