Manchester United started their 2017-18 Premier League in style, beating visitors West Ham United 4-0 at Old Trafford. Goals came from debutant Romelu Lukaku, who scored two goals on either side of both halves to give his United career the perfect start.
Anthony Martial entered late in the game and contributed with a goal and an assist as he set up Paul Pogba, who scored the fourth goal of the game to add a cherry on top of the cake.
José Mourinho's side seem to have gotten over their problems of finishing their chances of last season and now have great momentum ahead of next weekend's encounter against Swansea City.
Let's take a look at the player ratings and see how Mourinho's men fared in the game against Slaven Bilić's side.
Defence not given too many problems on the day
David De Gea (8/10) - United's Spanish wall in goal begins his seventh campaign in between the posts and did not have too many problems to deal with throughout the game, thanks to a solid showing from the defence. He did well to save Edemilson Fernandes' attempt straight at goal and deflected Marko Arnautović's header over the bar.
Antonio Valencia(8/10)- Industrious as always, Valencia was United's captain on the day. He will be glad to have led his side to such a dominant victory and also keep a clean sheet while at it. He didn't contribute a lot in the final third of the pitch, however, the brilliance of the likes of Juan Mata and Henrikh Mkhitaryan meant that he didn't have to.
Phil Jones(8/10)- An impressive performance from the returning Jones, whose starting came as something of a surprise for most fans. Victor Lindelöf's less than convincing performance against Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup led to him being excluded from the squad altogether. Jones was solid at the back and didn't have too much trouble dealing with the lone striker in the form of former teammate Javier Hernández.
Eric Bailly(8/10)- Another strong and assured performance at the back from the Ivorian, Bailly looked comfortable on the ball and off of it alongside Jones. When out of options, Bailly looked to drift into midfield and link up with his attackers, which was positive to see, like Jones, he didn't have a hard time dealing with Hernández's movement, although the Mexican was fouled one too many times by the United defence.
Daley Blind(8/10)- The Dutchman started at left-back for his side as Mourinho opted to leave Matteo Darmian on the bench, Luke Shaw continues his recovery from an extended injury break. Blind contributed to the game with some well-taken corners, linking up well with Marcus Rashford down the left as well. He rarely looked far off the pace and kept up well with Andre Ayew down his side, making intelligent tackles and showing a good work-rate as well.
Matic and Pogba boss the midfield
Nemanja Matić(9/10)- Matić's debut for United couldn't have started on a better note, the Serbian was excellent in his role in United's midfield alongside the talented Paul Pogba. The Serbian wasn't just a destroyer in midfield but also showed a different side to his game, making small dribbles throughout the game and gliding all over the pitch. He looked very comfortable in the role Mourinho gave him and looks like a great signing already from a first impression.
Paul Pogba(8/10)- Pogba had an impressive game in a creative sense, for the first time in a long time. Matić's presence behind now allowed him to push on and take more advanced positions in the opposition's final third. He looked unshakable on the ball and had more purpose when he had possession of the ball. He capped off a fine day's work with an excellent long-range effort which ended the game on a very happy note for his team-mates and the fans as well.
Mkhitaryan, Mata and Marcus impress
Juan Mata(8/10)- Juan Mata looked like he would be starting in a no.10 role, however, he started out wide and cut inside well time and again to allow Valencia the freedom of the right wing. He used his experience and clever movement to get into useful positions and had two chances where he could've setup Romelu Lukau for tap-ins, however, the Hammers defence blocked the Belgian from finding the goal early on. Mata's movements into the box, linking up with Henrikh Mkhitaryan, were very impressive to see. Substituted for Marouane Fellaini late in the game and left the field receiving great applause from the Old Trafford crowd.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan(9/10)- Henrikh Mkhitaryan started in a more central role behind and was the focal point of much of United's attacks down the middle. He was setting up chances for the likes of Mata and Marcus Rashford. His assist for Anthony Martial late on in the game was impressive as well, improvement is already evident in the Armenian's play when compared to last season.
Marcus Rashford(8/10)- Marcus Rashford started down the left ahead of Frenchman Martial, who began the game on the bench for this one. Rashford's pace was a constant problem for the ageing Pablo Zabaleta and it was the young Englishman who set up Lukaku for his first goal of the game with a very well-timed through ball, there were a few occasions where he could've nicked in a goal himself, however, he lacked the composure in front of goal to finish his chances. Replaced by Martial late on in the game, who made his case to start for next week's game against Swansea City.
Romelu's brace made for a perfect start
Romelu Lukaku(10/10)- There wasn't too much to complain about from the Belgian's debut in the Premier League for United. The former Everton man impressed with his determination to impress and his running off the ball as well as on it. He got into some very good positions and showed his clinical nature when he scored the two goals that he did. One highlight of the game was his blistering run down the right-hand side, not giving up on the ball when it was almost going out of play, that was a positive sight for United fans and Lukaku fans as well.
Substitutes
Anthony Martial(9/10)- Made an instant impact when he came off the bench for Rashford. Seems as though Mourinho had instructed him to show him what he's capable of and he did just that. Tormenting Zabaleta down the wing and using his direct nature to give a lot of troubles to a tired Hammers defence that just weren't able to get ahold of him. He took his goal well when he surged into the box and latched onto Mkhitaryan's well-timed through ball and made it 3-0. He also assisted Pogba in his long-range attempt.
Marouane Fellaini(7/10)- Fellaini came off for Mata in the last phase of the game for Mata and was brought on to seal the victory. He did what was asked of him and made no mistakes, it was surely an interesting sight to see the strength of Fellaini, Matić and Pogba in midfield, playing alongside each other.