Perfect start: United cruise to opening day victory

Manchester United got off to the perfect start in this season's Premier League with a 4-0 victory over West Ham United at Old Trafford, including a brace from summer signing Romelu Lukaku. 

United wanted to play good football from the very beginning of the game but struggled to put together any major chances during the first half an hour. Then, in a weekend that has seen so many Premier League debutants get on the scoresheet, Romelu Lukaku beat the offside trap to finish off Marcus Rashford's pass via the post. 

After the break, with the deadlock broken, Manchester United's pace and power were too much for a West Ham side that struggled to ever get going. Seven minutes into the second half, £75 million man Lukaku scored again, this time with a powerful header after being picked out by a Henrikh Mkhitaryan free-kick. 

The Red Devils went on to hit the woodwork twice but overall looked happy with a 2-0 victory. Until, that was, the 87th minute. Substitute Anthony Martial slotted past Joe Hart cooly after another Mkhitaryan assist. 

There weren't finished there. As the game entered stoppage time, last summer's big signing, Paul Pogba, curled his effort beyond the reach of Hart and sent Manchester United to the top of the Premier League after the first round of fixtures. 

Manager Jose Mourinho played down the result in his post-match interview, but having seen his team play so well, he will be feeling confident about the season ahead.

 

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