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Manchester United continued their spectacular run under Ole Gunnar Solksjaer by thrashing a hapless Fulham side 3-0 to go 4th in the Premier League table - a feat no Manchester United supporter would have dreamt off during the barren period under Jose Mourinho.
A couple of Goals from Paul Pogba and a brilliant finish from Anthony Martial sealed the deal for the Red Devils, who have now won 10 out of 11 under the baby-faced assassin. Fulham started out well and fabricated a couple of clear-cut opportunities, but once the visitors got their first and second, there was no way back.
Confidence and clarity both dried up for the Cottagers, who just can't seem to find a way out. Meanwhile, United are on to 51 points. While Mourinho collected 26 of them, Solksjaer already has 25 of them.
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On that note, let's take a look at the major talking points from Manchester United's comprehensive victory over Fulham.
Also see : Womens World Cup Bracket, Copa America Standings, Gold Cup Standings
#1 Fulham change system and start strong but Pogba opens the scoring
Fulham set up in a 4-2-3-1 system on paper, but the formation saw a change while defending as Luciano Vietto dropped in central midfield and marked Pogba's runs. Meanwhile, going forward, the Cottagers utilized their personnel to the fullest degree, showing great feet while keeping the ball and working it forward.
They had more of the ball in the first 15 minutes, with most of the chances falling in their favor as well. Andre Schurrle and Aleksandar Mitrovic combined extremely well under pressurizing circumstances in the final third. The former did launch a couple of efforts on goal as well, and also found Vietto with a peach of a cross.
The Atletico Madrid loanee got there in time but failed to find the right connection and as a result, the ball was not on target.
Regardless, it was Manchester United who broke the deadlock through Paul Pogba, who now has 11 this campaign. The Frenchman received a through ball down the left channel from Anthony Martial and much to Sergio Rico's rude awakening, fired the ball into the roof of the net to give Manchester United the lead.
#2 Manchester United grow into the game as Martial doubles the lead
Fulham got bodies forward, ran at the United back line and started off brightly, but just eight minutes after Pogba's rocket, Anthony Martial produced a moment of individual brilliance to put the game beyond doubt even before the half an hour mark. At that moment, you'd have thought - the score could easily have been 2-2, had Schurrle and Vietto scored early on.
Despite having thread through a few daunting attacks, Fulham underpinned what they have been doing all season - concede goals cheaply.
For Pogba's goal, when Martial took a step to slow down, Calum Chambers was a good five yards away from Pogba, which is the kind of stuff taught at university-level football. The Arsenal loanee should have got tighter to Pogba.
When Martial picked the ball up in the center of the pitch, nobody forced him to the wider areas. And when he did beat a couple of players, Maxime Le Marchand stood like a practice wall, reluctant to even use his muscle against an onrushing Martial. The French defender aimlessly stuck his foot out and surely, he was beaten for pace and guile.
#3 Ranieri changes the shape but Paul Pogba puts the game to bed
Having altered the team structure a little bit at the start of the game, Claudio Ranieri went back to a three (or a five) at the back with the substitution of Cyrus Christie down the right. Not only did that offer protection to the center halves, but also stretched the United back line.
They did create a few chances going forward, but lapses of concentration at the back had sucked out the confidence and that sense of urgency. And with the away side alert more often than not, the highly rated Fulham attack hit another blank. Most certainly, it looked like 11 white shirts with drooping shoulders.
Matters worsened as Le Marshall, who had an absolute nightmare, gave away one of the easiest penalties you'd see all season by bringing Mata down. Pogba stepped up and found perfection with his well-placed kick. Although Rico went the right way, he couldn't keep the pacy shot out.
#4 Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez have to work harder
Honestly, Romelu Lukaku should have done much better this game. Fulham were down, they looked out of sorts and Le Marshall and Denis Odoi seemed like they were there to aid Manchester United's forward players.
Despite all of that, when all the odds were in his favor after Martial's goal, Lukaku should have been more willing when Mata had the ball down the right when Luke Shaw looked to cross it in and during counters. Apart from one surging run that won the penalty for United, there was hardly anything substantial to show.
The same goes for Alexis Sanchez, who just doesn't seem to be finding the perfect final ball or the finish. The left winger enjoyed a lot of space in the final third down his favored side, but not once did he manage to weave through the defense or produce a telling pass.
At this rate, it clearly looks like Martial and Rashford will remain the first choice for Solksjaer.
#5 Solksjaer pulled off a tactical masterclass by tinkering his line-up
What would one do when his side, along with a couple of other heavyweights, are contending for a spot in the Champions League? It's quite simple for basics. He would play his best players in the league in order to strengthen the side's challenge for fourth place and work on the strengths.
However, Solksjaer proved why he is Manchester United to the core. The Norwegian was fearless in tinkering with his line-up ahead of a mouth-watering yet crucial fixture against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
He gave Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard a spot on the bench, which meant Romelu Lukaku and Juan Mata started as a center forward and right winger respectively. At the back, Victor Lindelof, who had played every single minute under Solksjaer until then, was rested.
The center back duo comprised of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones, while Diogo Dalot started in place of Ashley Young. Here itself, as many as five players received much-needed rest.
Having said that, the Manchester United boss stuck to the same midfield that has excelled so far. Ander Herrera and Nemanja Matic worked together in close areas, whereas Pogba had his ventures forward.
Despite being under pressure to go fourth in the table, Solksjaer fiddled with the starting XI and backed his players fully. And that, paid massive dividends as the likes of Rashford and Lindelof will be fresh into the midweek game.
