United thrash Leeds 6-2 to move up to third
Scott McTominay and Bruno Fernandes scored two each as Manchester United fired up the style, thumping Leeds United 6-2 at Old Trafford on Sunday to go up to third in the Premier League.
United are actually on 26 points, above Everton on goal difference and trail from leaders Liverpool by five points, having played a casino game less.
It was the very best display this year from United who taken care of immediately Leeds' popular pressing game and relentless running by playing through the press with crisp, swift passing and matching Marcelo Bielsa's side for work-rate.
It turned out 16 years because the two Northern rivals had met at Old Trafford in the most notable flight and United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could not help but reflect what sort of crowd might have reacted.
"Just imagine if there have been 75,000 persons in, it could have gone down ever sold among the great performances against Leeds," said the Norwegian whose team executed a clear game-plan almost perfectly.
"We'd to earn the proper by running up to them, that's a challenge. It could have been 12-4! It had been that sort of game," he said.
McTominay fired United ahead after 67 seconds in emphatic fashion with a thundering low drive from outside the box after he previously setup by Bruno Fernandes.
The midfielder then became the first player to score twice in the opening three minutes of a Premier League match when he collected a clever pass from Anthony Martial and beat Illan Meslier with a left-foot finish.
Fernandes managed to get 3-0 in the 20th minute, drilling home following the ball fell to him at the trunk post, after a swift United counter-attack.
Victor Lindelof added the fourth in the 37th minute, converting at the trunk post after Martial had flicked on a Luke Shaw corner.
But Leeds gave themselves a tiny foothold in the overall game when defender Liam Cooper headed in a Raphinha corner, four minutes prior to the break.
That goal gave Marcelo Bielsa's team some encouragement for the next half and United keeper David De Gea needed to be at his sharpest to keep out a Raphina header.
But United put the overall game beyond Bielsa's side when the impressive McTominay found Dan James with crisp pass and the Welsh forward beat Meslier at his near post.
Fernandes added United's sixth -- and his second -- from the penalty spot in the 70th minute after Martial had been brought down in the box by Pascal Struijk.
Still Leeds continued to push forward in numbers plus they were rewarded when Stuart Dallas beat De Gea with an excellent curling shot from over 20 metres out.
With an animated Bielsa still urging his team forward despite being 6-2 down, Leeds left space for United to exploit and it had been only a number of fine saves from Meslier that stopped a straight heavier loss.
Leeds striker Patrick Bamford said the performance was simply well below the standards Bielsa expects from his team.
"I'm almost glad the fans weren't allowed in to watch because it would have felt a whole lot worse sending them home after watching that. It's tough because 6-2 - it might have 6-6 if you are a good Leeds fan or it might have already been 10-2. We couldn't do ourselves justice," he said.
United hadn't scored a lot more than five goals in a Premier League game since their 8-2 make an impression on Arsenal in August 2011.
