For the first time in nearly a decade, Manchester United hit six goals in a match as they walked to victory at Tranmere Rovers’ Prenton Park.
It was a parade from the start for a United side which must have so often felt as if they have been marching through the town to the stocks.
They've rightly received great criticism for what has been a season of rare, brilliant peaks and regular, gutting troughs. This was a performance more in fitting with the quality of an expensively-assembled team.
Three goals in six minutes flattened an initially impressive Tranmere Rovers. Harry Maguire provided the first fatal blow, striking from 25 yards to leave Prenton Park in a mild state of disbelief. Four more came before half-time from Diogo Dalot, Jesse Lingard, Phil Jones and Anthony Martial. Mason Greenwood made it six shortly after half-time.
It's the first time United have scored six in a match since August 2011 when they hit eight against Arsenal at Old Trafford.
Story of the match
Corey Blackett-Taylor caused United problems down their right, forcing Jones and Lindelof to panic early on. Jones was booked after just three minutes and Prenton Park’s Kop end responded to a positive start. United helped, starting sloppily and giving away possession easily.
But Tranmere’s quick closing down quickly became inconsistent. Harry Maguire was allowed to stretch his legs, moving forward without challenge and opening the pitch up for his side. With no perfect options on, he opened the lead, leathering it in from 25 yards and finding the top right corner. United had needed a piece of individual brilliance to rescue them from the early intimidation. Few were expecting it to come from Maguire, certainly not in the manner that it did.
That was quickly forgotten, though. Diogo Dalot was soon celebrating, too. He played a nice one-two with Martial and matched Maguire’s strike with an emphatic finish into the far left of the goal.
Jesse Lingard followed that up with his first goal in 13 months. Just like Maguire, he found himself unpressurised on the edge of the area and took full advantage. Maguire had brought the ball forward with ease, the United captain flourishing when allowed the space, dictating the game and creating chances for United. Solskjaer’s three-man defence allowed him to do that.
Blackett-Taylor provided Tranmere’s best chance, still working hard on the left while the Rovers were three goals down. He flashed a good ball across the face of goal but no teammate was there to meet it.
By half-time, United’s lead had been stretched to five. First, Phil Jones joined the list of unlikely scorers to find the net as his looping header squeezed in under the crossbar. It was a rare goal from a corner for United. Martial drew closer to the half dozen when, with very little backlift, he did the same as Maguire and Lingard and curled one in from outside the box.
Fred and Tahith Chong came on at the break and United quickly stopped any ideas of a Tranmere resurgence. Chong, who is set to leave in the summer when his contract runs out, did very well to get a touch on a loose ball in the box. He had little time or space to do so as it fell just in front of goalkeeper Scott Davies. Chong got their first, poked it past Davies and was brought over by the Tranmere man.
There was no doubt about the penalty and Mason Greenwood dispatched it to Davies’ right to make it six, celebrating by catching a toilet roll thrown out of United’s away end and launching it into the air. He’s become the youngest United player to score 10 goals for the club since Norman Whiteside did so in 1984.
Lingard hit the post and Chong had an effort bounce back off the crossbar as United continued the pressure.
Takeaways from the match
United's squad are playing for Solskjaer
Though the opposition was weak, this was not a performance of a team disillusioned by their manager. For all of United's recent poor form, it's clear he maintains the faith of his players. United's attitude was exemplary in this game, overcoming an initially rocky start to take it to Tranmere and blow them away in a matter of minutes.
Dalot is a good option for United
The Portuguese right-back has had some injury troubles and been unfortunate on that front. He's watched Aaron Wan-Bissaka take control of that full-back position but he showed his quality against Tranmere as an attacking force. He presents a very different option to Wan-Bissaka and will likely be used more.