Manchester United 5-1 Leeds United: Four Things We Learned

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What an incredible start to the new season. Manchester United have gone top of the Premier League table right from the off, after a 5-1 thrashing of Leeds United at Old Trafford. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side went rampant, after the visitors managed to get an equaliser for a short while. This was a brilliant team performance in which Bruno Fernandes scored a hat-trick, with Fred and Mason Greenwood adding another one each, to not only neutralise Luke Ayling’s early second half goal, but also get a rampant performance.

It all started with Raphael Varane entering the pitch with his new jersey in hands, just before the game started, making everyone at Old Trafford create an amazing atmosphere which only improved the mood ahead of the game. The players made most out of it and ran past Marcelo Bielsa’s side. Here is what we learned from this game.

Bruno Shows New Signings What To Expect

There has been a lot of talks about the new arrivals at Manchester United, most notably Jadon Sancho and Varane, but these two could have seen just what kind of players will be on their side from now on. Bruno Fernandes was definitely one of them, as he was brilliant throughout to score three goals. His first goal was a cool finish after a great Paul Pogba assist and from then on, the Portuguese star just went from strength to strength, showing once again why he is the player with the most goal contributions (goals and assists that is) in the Premier League since his arrival in early 2020.

Pogba In The Mood To Shine

This was an incredible performance for Bruno, but Paul Pogba was the first one to get the hat-trick – by assisting. In the end, Pogba rounded of his incredible display with the poker of assists, not having a direct hand in United’s fourth goal. All the others came after his creative moves. Pogba was in the mood similarly to how he played at the European Championship, which is what every Man United fan wanted to see. It was just that now around him was a much more functional side than the France one at the Euros. And that showed.

Leeds Will Do Much Better Than This

Leeds United did not enjoy their Saturday afternoon in Manchester, but there are some good things they will look forward to after this match. Bielsa’s team was not thoroughly disappointing as they have shown some good attacking moves, with Rodrigo and Raphinha leading them, while Jack Harrison also made some smart runs off the ball. Leeds will do much better than this throughout the season and their style of play is set to disrupt many other sides in the league, but not Man United at Old Trafford.

Greenwood To Move To Centre-Forward More Often

This match was a perfect example of what could happen this season with certain Man United players. Paul Pogba got his freedom on the left flank, but Mason Greenwood started the match as the centre-forward. He was not on the right wing, where Dan James got his chance, as that will also be the place Jadon Sancho will be expected to occupy for a big chunk of the season. Solskjaer moved Greenwood in his favoured position and the player himself showed him why that makes sense – Greenwood made a great all-round performance of a number nine. Not only he scored brilliantly, but his movements were creating space for Bruno’s runs and he was also good at bringing others into play, creating a chance for Daniel James on one occasion.

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