Manchester United 4-1 Fulham: 5 positives for United
When Fulham came to visit Old Trafford on Saturday, Manchester United were expected to win. The Red Devils had last won in the Premier League at the start of November and as such, 3 points were long overdue. Mourinho had been guilty of being too respectful to his opposition in recent game, with his team selection a little too cautious at times, but against the team at the bottom of the table, the Portuguese actually went for it.
He started with a back four of Dalot, Smalling, Jones and Young and in the middle, opted for Herrera and Mata to partner Matic. Upfront, Lukaku returned to the starting line up to join Rashford and Lingard.
United started brightly and were rewarded in the 13th minute, when Young broke the deadlock to put them ahead. Mata doubled the lead in the 28th minute and 3 minutes before half time, Lukaku had put the Red Devils 3 up!
United lost a bit of the momentum in the second half and Fulham won a penalty that gave them a faint chance, but Anguissa got his marching orders in the 68th minute. Rashford made the score 4-1 in the 82nd minute and United went on to get their first win in 4 games in the Premier League.
While the 3 points was in itself a big boost for the Red Devils, let us look at the 5 positives from the game that should make every Manchester United fan happy.
#5 Lukaku's return to scoring form
Romelu Lukaku has had a horrible start to the season this time. His every move has been scrutinized and even though he has been very poor, the extreme criticism he has been subjected to from fans and rivals alike has done him no good. The striker had been suffering from a loss of confidence and it had been evident from his touches, his attempts, his skills, all of which had hit rock bottom.
When he scored against Southampton, the Belgian must have heaved a sigh of relief - it was his 1st goal in 8 games in the Premier League. The improvement in his confidence was evident against Fulham too and Lukaku looked a threat from the start this time. He eventually finished a well worked move in the first half, the first time he had scored at home this season and it will do him and also the team, a lot of good.
United have been desperately short in the goal scoring department this season, with Martial the only one who had looked in form. With Lukaku back in the scoresheet, the Red Devils should be regaining their confidence in front of goal as well.