Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United produced a late flurry of goals to thrash Frank Lampard's Chelsea 4-0 in a perfect start to the season at Old Trafford.
United led a tight game through Marcus Rashford's penalty before two goals in two second half minutes from Anthony Martial and Rashford again killed the game - substitute Daniel James adding further gloss with a debut goal late on.
The Premier League kept the most eagerly anticipated of the opening weekend to last as Solskjaer started the Reds' latest transitional season against a side also 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, and while Solskjaer will be first to admit the display was far from perfect, the win was just the tonic after a summer of discontent.
😎 Marcus Rashford is as cold as ice from the penalty spot....#MUFC #MUNCHE pic.twitter.com/2WLQ9fYlHJ
— Sporting Life Football (@SportingLifeFC) August 11, 2019
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.
Solskjaer named the youngest starting line-up seen in the Premier League this weekend, while Chelsea's side also had an accent on youth as Mason Mount and Abraham started.
🏃♂️💨 @ManUtd looked primed for a counter-attack, and so it proved as they put the game to bed with this...#MUFC #MUNCHE pic.twitter.com/iiMOeSbsot
— Sporting Life Football (@SportingLifeFC) August 11, 2019
Kurt Zouma looked nervous and it was his mistake that cost Chelsea when he brought Rashford down for a penalty, which the United number ten scored with an unerring finish.
Chelsea will be left ruing not making the most of their possession and chances, with Pedro also seeing an effort deflect over and Emerson stinging the palms of De Gea.
👏 Harry Maguire is @premierleague Man of the Match on his @ManUtd debut
— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) August 11, 2019
• 7 clearances - most in match
• 4 interceptions - most in match
• 86% passing accuracy
• Dribbled past no times
Helps Man Utd keep their 1st clean sheet in 16 games in all comps since February pic.twitter.com/v3iYFR97Oy
Man of the Match Maguire not only kept a clean sheet but started the move that would bring about a 65th-minute goal, with Pereira making space for himself and sending in a cross that Martial was able to bundle home.
Old Trafford erupted, just as it would again just 95 seconds later. Pogba may have been in his own half but he spotted Rashford's run, with the forward keeping his cool after being picked out to slot home.
A fourth came as Pogba burst forwards with pace and power before feeding the ball to James, whose effort clipped Emerson and beat Kepa Arrizabalaga to seal a 4-0 triumph.
Manchester United 4-0 Chelsea Opta stats
- Manchester United registered their fifth consecutive opening day league victory – their longest such run since winning six in a row between 1905-06 and 1910-11.
- This was Chelsea’s heaviest ever opening-day league defeat in what is their 104th league season.
- Manchester United’s 4-0 victory was their biggest over Chelsea in a top-flight match since winning 4-0 in March 1965 under Matt Busby.
- Chelsea will end the day in the Premier League relegation-zone for the first time since September 30th 2000.
- Since his debut, Anthony Martial has scored 49 goals in all competitions for Manchester United – more than any other player.
- Frank Lampard suffered the heaviest defeat by a Chelsea manager in his first match in charge since Danny Blanchflower lost 7-2 to Middlesbrough in December 1978.
- Marcus Rashford has taken four penalties during his senior career for club and country and scored all four – two for England (vs Colombia and Netherlands) and two for Man Utd (vs PSG and Chelsea).
- This was Frank Lampard heaviest defeat in the Premier League since he featured for the full 90 minutes in West Ham United’s 1-7 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford in April 2000.
- For a second consecutive season, Manchester United’s first goal of their Premier League season has been a penalty (also Paul Pogba vs Leicester City in 2018-19) – their first goal of the season was a non-penalty in all 26 seasons between 1992-93 and 2017-18.
- The last manager before Frank Lampard to lose by four or more goals in his first Premier League match in charge was Gustavo Poyet in October 2013 (Swansea City 4-0 Sunderland).
- There were just 95 seconds between Manchester United’s second and third goals in this game.
- Chelsea starting XI average age was 25 years and 199 days – their youngest ever on MD1 of a Premier League season; Man Utd’s average age of 24 years and 227 days was their second-youngest on MD1, behind only their line-up in the 2011-12 season opener against West Brom (24y 161d).
