Marcus Rashford’s double helped rampant Manchester United start the new season with a bang as Chelsea capitulated in Frank Lampard’s first match in charge.
The Premier League kept the most eagerly anticipated of the opening weekend to last as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer started the Reds’ latest transitional season against a side buoyed by the appointment of a club great.
Lampard’s side were on top for large patches but ended up being blown away at Old Trafford, where Rashford’s double complemented goals from Anthony Martial and debutant Daniel James as United’s curtain-raiser ended in a dream 4-0 victory.
Solskjaer will be first to admit the display was far from perfect, but this win was just the tonic after a summer of discontent.
Chelsea had started the brighter on Sunday and Tammy Abraham and Emerson Palmieri efforts off the woodwork bookended an entertaining opening period in which Rashford’s spot-kick was the difference.
Lampard’s new-look side continued to show promise as the second half got under way, only for United to show a ruthless edge sorely lacking in recent seasons.
Harry Maguire, this week made the most expensive defender in history, won the ball, starting a move that ended with Martial celebrating the return of his number nine jersey by turning in an Andreas Pereira cross.
Chelsea were punch-drunk and Paul Pogba put a summer of speculation behind him by superbly putting in Rashford to fire home.
New boy James came off the bench to score a deflected effort in front of the Stretford End following more fine work by Pogba and, if that was not enough, United kept a clean sheet.
(Telegraph)
