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Manchester United put in a fine performance to defeat Norwich City 3-1 at Carrow Road, with goals from Scott McTominay, Marcus Rashford, and Anthony Martial helping Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side secure their first away victory in the league since this season.
The Red Devils came into this game off the back of a patchy 1-0 win away at Partizan Belgrade. The visitors began the game brightly and went ahead in the 25th minute through McTominay's well-drilled finish into the bottom corner. That goal was the 2,000th Manchester United had scored in the Premier League, making them the first side to achieve the feat.
However, their penalty woes continued, as both Martial and Rashford missed from the spot, taking their tally of missed penalties this season to four. Despite his heroics, Tim Krul was powerless to stop the visitors from putting three past him.
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With the victory, Manchester United have climbed up to 7th on the standings and here, we take a look at three factors that contributed to their win over Norwich City.
#3 Norwich City's style of play played to Manchester United's strengths
Under Daniel Farke's management, Norwich City have earned a reputation of being one of the more fluid and attacking sides in the country and it was this style of play that led them to the Championship title last season.
In addition to finishing top, the Canaries were also the division's most potent side, scoring 93 goals, with Teemu Pukki leading their charge.
However, their style of play also meant that they were prone to being sliced open at will and they conceded a total of 57 goals last season.
Upon their promotion, many felt Farke would abandon this style of play in favor of more compactness, but their opening game against Liverpool put paid to those thoughts, with Norwich going all out.
With this system, they also pulled off a memorable 3-2 victory over Manchester City, but beyond that, there has not been too many causes for optimism and Norwich are currently embroiled in a relegation scrap.
It is no hidden secret that Manchester United struggle against teams that employ the low block and the losses against Crystal Palace and Newcastle best encapsulated this point.
Solskjaer's side do not have players with the technique or skillset to slice tight defenses open and they have generally struggled against teams who have been content to defend.
By contrast, Manchester United's best games so far this season have come in matches against Liverpool, Chelsea, and Leicester City and it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that all three clubs have one thing in common.
They are all attack-oriented teams who impose their gameplan on their opponents regardless of who they are playing and Manchester United generally thrive against clubs who come out to attack.
Playing on the front foot means that there is always space left behind and with pacy forwards like Marcus Rashford, Daniel James, and Anthony Martial, United's counterattacking system functions well.
Though Norwich might be a 'small club', they do not play like one and against Manchester United, the spaces left in behind by their high pressing played into the visitors' hands. This was a major reason why Manchester United scored three goals in a game for the first time in over two months.
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#2 Anthony Martial was in inspired form
Ever since arriving at Manchester United, Anthony Martial has largely divided opinion, as despite possessing undeniable talent, the Frenchman has been accused of lacking the drive and hunger to truly fulfill his potential.
Injuries have also played a part in his underwhelming Old Trafford career thus far and a muscle problem sustained at the start of the campaign saw him sidelined for over two months.
In his absence, Manchester United toiled and were devoid of real attacking intent, with Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood, and Daniel James all struggling to make their mark on games.
Following Martial's return, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was quick to sing his praises, describing him as what United need in this moment, and against Norwich, the former Monaco man reminded everyone of what the club has been lacking.
The 23-year-old was involved in the play from the get-go, dropping deep to win possession and trying to influence proceedings.
In the opening minutes of the game, he played Rashford in with an excellent pass, only for the England international to be denied by a brilliant save from Tim Krul. Martial himself was also denied by another good save from Krul soon after.
With Manchester United 1-0 up, Martial showed great technique and skill to beat a number of Norwich players before setting Daniel James loose which led to the first penalty decision of the evening.
Despite Rashford's miss from 18 yards, he soon got his name on the scoresheet and it was largely thanks to Martial who once again set James on his way to set his teammate up for the second goal.
There were still a number of highlights from Martial in the game, as he first had a penalty saved before showing great composure to lob the ball over Tim Krul to put Manchester United 3-0 up.
With United's season threatening to descend into chaos, Martial's return to full fitness comes at exactly the right time and if the Red Devils are to go on and mount an unlikely challenge for Champions League qualification, then their number 9 would have a huge say in it.
#1 Gulf in class
As indicated earlier, Norwich impressed in their opening day fixture against Liverpool and despite losing 4-1, many were captivated by their performance.
Daniel Farke's side posted a 3-1 victory in their very next match against Newcastle United and unfortunately lost 3-2 to Chelsea on matchday 3.
However, since then, they have picked up just four points from a possible 21, with the 3-2 win over Manchester City followed by four consecutive defeats in all competitions - including a 1-0 defeat to League Two side Crawley Town in the League Cup - before drawing with Bournemouth in the Premier League.
They came into the matchday 10 fixture placed 19th on the log and while Manchester United might have struggled this season, they would have fancied their chances against a poor Norwich side and ultimately, they were good value for their victory.
