Manchester United moved to within five points of a Champions League spot behind Arsenal thanks to a 3-0 mauling of Stoke City at Old Trafford.
A goal within the opening 15 minutes from Jesse Lingard began the assault as the winger tapped home a well placed delivery from Cameron Borthwick-Jackson.
Anthony Martial added further misery for the away-side as he coolly finished past Jack Butland with a looping shot from just inside the box.
Fearing missing out captain Wayne Rooney delivered the final blow with Martial this time the deliverer to give his side all three points.
Magical Martial
When United signed the relatively unknown 19-year-old for more than £36 million with add ons potentially reaching £50 million, many believed manager Louis Van Gaal was insane.
With an insanely good performance against a physical Stoke side, the former AS Monaco forward is proving all doubters wrong and looks to be a key player at Old Trafford for years to come.
A beautiful goal in the first half highlighted all the talents of the boy turned star as his positioning was perfect and gave Rooney a clear option out wide, with just one touch to move the ball forward and other to fire bast Butland it was the beginning of a display of domination from the player.
A second half assist for his captain Rooney sealed his impact on the match an unselfish accurate pass took out three Stoke defenders to give the 30-year-old the simplest of finishes.
European Dream Crushed?
With United still hopeful of a place in Europe their win at Old Trafford may have severely dented the chances of seeing Stoke in Europe next season.
Mark Hughes' side fell to a second successive Premier League defeat after losing their last fixture 3-0 against Leicester City. With the potters sitting in ninth position and now 12 points off fourth place the dream may be dying thanks to the heartbreaking loss.
Despite a brief fight-back late on in the first half with Jonathon Walters and Ibrahim Afelley both firing wide, the home side freely dominated much of the encounter, taking their chances well and blocked any chance of a way back for the visitors.
With 10 shots managed throughout the 90 minutes you could presume Peter Crouch and co were unlucky not to score but not a single effort found its way on target in what must be a worry for Hughes' with his side without a goal in their last five matches across all competitions.
Fourteen games are remaining in the Premier League before their fate is sealed in May, with their league position to fight for, there are no excuses for Hughes' players to become distracted as only maximum points will offer a faint hope of Europe at the Britannia.
Pressure Eased on Van Gaal
After rumours of resignation plagued the Dutchman at the end of last week, the 64-year-old will be breathing a sigh of relief at seeing his win in an exciting and emphatic style.
With shades of the historic sides that have graced Old Trafford over the years, Van Gaal brought the glory days back in a game that will mean so much to the ex- Holland manager.
After a reserved and somewhat eerie welcome for the Man United manager, Van Gaal was able to replace the welcome with applause come 90 minutes in what will put a smile on the Stretford End fans faces.
An exciting performance from a team on the rise, something fans have been missing this season, that spark returned in the form of three well taken team goals with cups still to play for this season the former Barcelona manager will be hoping to add further smiles to the faces of the paying faithfuls and lead his side to silverware come May.