Manchester United started the Premier League on Saturday afternoon with a resounding victory over Leeds United. The team of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had nothing to do with Marcelo Bielsa’s team after an equal first half in the second company: 5-1. Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba were the absolute stars. The Portuguese scored a hat-trick, while Pogba accounted for no less than four assists. Jadon Sancho came in fifteen minutes before time and made his official debut for United.
With Donny van de Beek and Sancho on the reserve bench, United took off against Leeds. The visitors, who came in with Pascal Struijk, got away well after ten minutes after a bet by Mason Greenwood. The attacker saw his attempt narrowly stopped by goalkeeper Illan Meslier. Even a dangerous moment by Pogba could not be promoted to a goal. The midfielder was eye to eye with Meslier for sorting the corner after a pair of scissors, but shot with the left just wide. On the other hand, David de Gea made a fine save on a shot from distance from Mateusz Klich.
The ban was broken by Fernandes after half an hour of play. The midfielder was suddenly sent deep by Pogba, took on with the right and finished with the left under goalkeeper Meslier. It would signal the start of a wonderful afternoon for both Fernandes and Pogba. But before the party actually broke out for United, Leeds brutally equalized. Luke Ayling received the ball from the right side of the field and decided to strike from a great distance. The defender left De Gea completely without a chance with a beautiful bang in the top left corner: 1-1.
However, the visitors could not enjoy the equalizer for very long, as United turned the game completely upside down within eight minutes. After an unparalleled deep pass from Pogba, Greenwood gave United the lead for the second time with a diagonal shot from the inside of the post, after which Fernandes increased the margin to two. The midfielder cut back to his left leg on a pass from Pogba on the back line and then took out effectively: 3-1. Ayling still managed to get rid of the leather, but couldn’t prevent the ball from completely crossing the goal line. When Fernandes scored for the third time after an hour of play, the hat trick was a fact.
The preparatory work this time came from Victor Lindelöf, who suddenly put Fernandes in front of Meslier with a deep pass. Fernandes didn’t think twice and suddenly lashed out in the short corner: 4-1. The final chord, twenty minutes before the end, came in the name of Fred, who could easily slide in on a pass from Pogba with left: 5-1. It was Pogba’s fourth assist. Sancho came in for his debut not much later, but did not play a prominent role in the remainder of the game. The last feat of arms of the match came from Raphinha’s foot, who shot wildly past in a promising position.