Premier League 2019/20: 3 Reasons why Manchester United beat Chelsea

Manchester United v Chelsea FC - Premier League

Manchester United hosted Chelsea at Old Trafford in their opening encounter of the 2019/20 Premier League campaign and the Red Devils got off to a flying start.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Frank Lampard have been involved in this fixture a handful of times as players but they locked horns for the first time at the helm of their respective clubs.

As new signings Aaron wan-Bissaka, Harry Maguire and Daniel James made their competitive debuts for the club, the Red Devils registered a stunning 4-0 victory over a hapless Chelsea side.

Marcus Rashford put the home side ahead with an unstoppable penalty, after Kurt Zouma was adjudged to have fouled the Englishman in the penalty area.

Chelsea were left to rue their missed chances and were desperately unlucky in the first-half as they struck the post on two separate occasions.

The Blues' hopes of staging a comeback was squashed in 10 whirlwind second-half minutes as Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial registered quick-fire goals to give the Red Devils an unassailable 3-0 lead.

Daniel James' late goal put the icing on the cake as the Red Devils registered a sensational opening day victory against a fellow top-six side.

As Manchester United got their campaign up and running with a big win against Chelsea, let's look at three reasons why they ran out 4-0 winners.

#1 Manchester United looked devastating on the counterattack

Despite not playing as well as they would have liked, Manchester United were at their counter attacking best as Chelsea had no answers to their second half brilliance.

Paul Pogba's brilliantly lofted pass put Marcus Rashford through and the Englishman finished with relative ease past the onrushing Arrizabalaga to put them 3-0 ahead in the second half.

The Red Devils registered an unassailable lead in 10 whirlwind second-half minutes, leaving Chelsea's defense scratching their heads despite their best efforts.

Although the likes of Kurt Zouma and Andres Christensen had a torrid outings, Manchester United deserve credit as their counter-attacking brilliance exposed the Blues' shortcomings at the back to devastating effect.

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#2 The Red Devils' new signings shined on their competitive debuts

Two of Manchester United's new signings were in the starting XI and Old Trafford got a glimpse of what the future has to offer.

Harry Maguire, fresh from completing his world record transfer from Leicester City, started in the heart of the defense alongside Victor Lindelof and the Englishman marshaled the back-line right from the get-go.

The 26-year-old didn't put a foot wrong and was a commanding presence at the back as Manchester United ran out comfortable winners.

His compatriot Aaron Wan-Bissaka occupied the right-back spot and the youngster was lively throughout the game as he kept Chelsea's attackers in bay.

Manchester United's new recruits were fantastic right throughout the game and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's decision to sanction big money moves for the pair has been vindicated in some style.

Daniel James came off the bench to score in the Stretford End to cap off a fantastic outing for the Red Devils, with all their new recruits playing key roles.

Manchester United's transfer policy has often come under scrutiny but the club's summer recruits dazzled on their debuts, indicating a change of fortunes for the Red Devils.

#3 The hosts took initiative of the game in the second half

Manchester United went in to the interval with a 1-0 lead but their performance was far from convincing, as Chelsea were arguably the better side.

As Frank Lampard's side looked threatening and signaled their intent to strike back, the hosts took initiative of the game and ran out convincing winners in the second-half.

Paul Pogba in particular had two contrasting halves of football but the mercurial midfielder finished the game with two assists to his name.

The Frenchman was caught napping on a few occasions Chelsea had no problems bypassing the United midfield as they threatened to come back in to the game despite trailing 1-0.

The World Cup winner showed his true quality in the second half as he was central to all of Manchester United's attacks.

His pass was brilliantly latched on to by Marcus Rashford for the game's third goal and he made a defining contribution once again as Danny James put the icing on the cake with the fourth goal.

Manchester United looked a different team in the second half and killed off the game with incredible efficiency just as Chelsea began to threaten.

Edited by Kingshuk Kusari