August 14, (THEWILL) – It was the perfect start to the season for Manchester United on Saturday as they thrashed Leeds United 5-1 at the Old Trafford grounds to get their season off the marks and sound a note of caution to the English Premier League of their intentions to improve on their second-place finish of last season.
Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds were sloppy from kickoff and seemed off-the-mark from the beginning, which allowed the more composed hosts to create good chances early in the game. Leeds grew into the game with some good opening moments but there was really nothing to trouble David De Gea’s goal.
At the stroke of the half hour mark, Portuguese talisman Bruno Fernandes opened United’s scoring account for the season, benefiting from the first of Paul Pogba’s four assists in the game. Although Leeds keeper Illan Meslier got a hand on Fernandes’ strike, it was not enough to keep the ball out.
Leeds did not crumble from going behind but it was until after the interval that the visitors came back into contention. Three minutes after the restart, Stuart Dallas nipped the ball to Luke Ayling who thumped in a stunning strike from 25 yards across the keeper into the top-left corner for a goal worthy enough to open Leeds’ season.
The wonder strike was Ayling’s first Premier League goal and it caused wild scenes of ecstasy among the visiting cast of fans who were left just as awed by the strike as the commentators were. Yet, no sooner had they finished celebrating than the Red Devils restored their lead.
This time it was the youngster Mason Greenwood that provided the goal though the same player, Pogba, was at hand to produce the assist. Greenwood dispatched his shot across the keeper into the bottom-right corner. In no time, it was 3-1 with Fernandes’ shot lingering past the goal-line when it was not cleared off quickly enough.
It took all of five minutes after the third to become 4-1. Victor Nilsson Lindelof showed he could do what Pogba was doing and provided the assist that helped Fernandes with his hattrick. The Portuguese needed no invitation to hit a half-volley past Meslier to set United cruising to a sensational opening.
There was still time for Brazilian central defensive midfielder Fred to add extra gloss to the result. It completed Pogba’s assists too as the Frenchman cut back from the left flank to lay the ball on a plate for the Brazilian to whip in a low strike from close range and complete the day’s scoring in the 68th minute.
Bielsa’s charges will look at it as a day to quickly put behind them due to how it increasingly became too easy for the United side to draw rings around them and hit in the goals but they will have time to recover before facing Everton at home on Saturday, August 21. For United, the confidence going into their next game away at Southampton will be incredibly high.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
