Two goals from £75million signing Romelu Lukaku helped Manchester United defeat West Ham 4-0 in the Premier League.
Romelu
Lukaku starred on his competitive Old Trafford debut, scoring twice as
Manchester United began the 2017-18 campaign with a comfortable 4-0 win
over West Ham to lead the early Premier League table.
Lukaku
had netted in his first league appearances for both West Brom and
Everton and he repeated that feat on Sunday, getting on the end of a
Marcus Rashford pass to give the hosts a deserved lead in the 33rd
minute.
Nemanja Matic also began to swiftly
justify the fee paid by United to reunite the Serbian with his former
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, impressing throughout at the base of
midfield and completing a timely interception to trigger the
counter-attack that ended in Lukaku’s first goal.
The
Belgian centre-forward doubled his tally eight minutes into the second
half, when he headed home a Henrikh Mkhitaryan free-kick.
Substitute
Anthony Martial and midfielder Pogba added gloss to the scoreline by
scoring late on, leaving Mourinho and the home faithful cheered by the
sight of a dominant display to open the campaign as they seek to
challenge for a first league title since 2012-13.
A
sustained run of away fixtures to open the campaign for West Ham, a
consequence of London Stadium temporarily reverting to its original
purpose to host the IAAF World Championships, continues with a trip to
Southampton next weekend, when United are also on the road at Swansea
City.
Mourinho watched his team dominate
possession but struggle to create clear-cut opportunities in the first
half, with former Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart, making his first
Premier League start for West Ham, required to deny Juan Mata in the
18th minute. The Spaniard still managed to cut the ball back to the
six-yard box, where Angelo Ogbonna prevented Lukaku from getting a shot
away.
The best chance yet arrived in the 27th
minute when Pogba’s lofted pass forward released Mata into a dangerous
position inside the area. The ex-Chelsea and Valencia man could have
taken a shot at goal but opted instead to try and square for Lukaku,
Ogbonna again completing a good clearance.
There
was no denying the Belgium striker six minutes later, though. A Matic
interception just inside the United half allowed Rashford to break at
pace, the youngster’s carefully weighted pass slipping in Lukaku to race
in on goal and slam a fierce, first-time finish past Hart and into the
back of the net with the help of the post.
West
Ham had to wait until first-half injury time to register a shot on
target, Edimilson Fernandes shooting straight at David de Gea in a
frustrating conclusion to a flowing move involving Andre Ayew and Mark
Noble.
They did not threaten again before
United made it 2-0, the powerful Lukaku holding off Arthur Masuaku with
ease to nod Mkhitaryan’s set-piece delivery into the bottom corner of
the net, beyond the reach of a helpless Hart, as the Armenia
international supplied his first league assist since February.
Lukaku
narrowly missed out on a hat-trick just past the hour mark, Pablo
Zabaleta, another former City man making his first competitive start for
West Ham, required to pull off a desperate block following good work
from Rashford down the left and Mkhitaryan’s lay-off.
Rashford
hit the post with a rasping strike in the 66th minute as United’s
sustained pressure continued, Daley Blind firing a volley down into the
ground and just over the bar with 21 minutes to go.
A
third appeared inevitable and it arrived when Mkhitaryan slipped
Martial in to score in the 87th minute as West Ham fell apart late on.
And
Pogba then struck from long range in injury time, perhaps serving
notice of his intention to impress after struggling at times to convince
in his first season back at Old Trafford last term.
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