United revolution clicks into gear

Manchester United 4 QPR 0

A journey of a thousand miles may well begin with a single step and, as such, Van Gaal still faces a long and arduous process if he is to return United to the top of European, let alone English, football.

But, for the first time since the retirement of Alex Ferguson 16 long and frustrating months ago, at least United supporters will wake this morning with renewed optimism over their club’s future in both short and long terms.

“I said before the game, let’s make a new start and okay, the result is fantastic but we can be better,” said Van Gaal after his first victory as United manager. “We have made a very good new start.

“We were better in possession, we were more direct to goal, which I like, and in the second half we created a lot of chances although we didn’t score.”

Angel di Maria, one of four Van Gaal signings among United starters and one of six involved in the 18, was the pick of the new crop and the scorer of the first goal. Ander Herrera, Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata joined him as the contest increasingly took on the air of a training exercise.

Yet far more than the perfunctory victory and three points that lifted them into mid-table, this performance was all about United starting the process of returning to their preeminent position in the game with an array of talented players who, thanks to the transfer policies adopted by Ferguson in his later years and Moyes, have hardly been beating a path to Old Trafford in recent years.

Whoever was to blame for that failed approach in recruitment — be it Ferguson’s complacency, the Glazers’ fiscal mismanagement or the incompetence of Moyes and executive vice chairman Ed Woodward last summer — the late, somewhat frantic, activity in the last window has breathed new life into United.

The new mood of optimism was summed up neatly just before the hour when, with United four goals to the good, di Maria’s deft chip into the Rangers’ area was met by the ghosting run of Robin van Persie’s whose first-time volley drew gasps from the crowd before flying into the body of goalkeeper Robert Green.

The move drew rapturous applause from home supporters and, while it may not have produced a goal, in a glimpse, it demonstrated more imagination, attacking intent and sheer skill than, arguably, anything United produced in 12 months under Moyes.

And central to that verve and style was Di Maria, the near £60m British record transfer signing from Real Madrid.

Better defences than QPR’s will be put to the sword by the Argentinian in seasons to come and when Clint Hill needlessly tripped Herrera after 24 minutes, there was an air of inevitability about the manner in which Di Maria curled a magnificent 25-yard free-kick through the penalty area, over Hill and past the lunge of Green into the net.

“You can say he played well when he made three goals and scored the first one himself,” said Van Gaal. “Then you haven’t played badly. He had a lot of unnecessary losses so even Angel di Maria can do better although when you have scored three and scored one it’s nearly impossible.”

If Harry Redknapp’s master plan had been to frustrate United and attempt to catch them on the break, the plan died with that goal.

Eleven minutes later, Di Maria’s fabulous pass to the sprinting Rooney saw the England man collect his own blocked shot, laying off the loose ball for Herrera who superbly drove the ball home from 18 yards.

Just before the interval Di Maria linked with Herrera whose well-timed pass found Rooney who took advantage of Steven Caulker’s slack marking, and buried the ball past Green from just inside the area.

And, after 57 minutes, Di Maria spotted the run of Mata and drilled a low cross-shot through the QPR central defenders and into path of the former Chelsea man who duly completed the scoring from eight yards.

Radamel Falcao, whose signing appears to have captured the imagination of United fans more than any other, was handed a late cameo as a substitute and should have netted the rebound from Daley Blind’s late shot, rather than strike it directly at the goalkeeper.

It all added up to a forgettable afternoon, on the field at least, for Rio Ferdinand, the new QPR defender who was feted as a returning hero by Old Trafford before kick-off.

But this was an occasion unequivocally about the future for United, not the past. As United players left the field following their pre-match warm-up, the public address blared out the pop standard “You ain’t seen nothing yet,” a message which their supporters will hope proves to be the case.

“I believe in attacking, all my teams have always scored the most in the league,” said Van Gaal. “So I hope at the end of this league we shall have scored the most. But that isn’t our purpose. Our purpose is to finish in the top three and qualify for the Champions League. We have to improve and in the end, I hope to be manager of the Premier League champions — if it’s not this year, then in my second or third year.”

MAN UNITED (4-1-2-1-2): De Gea 6; Rafael 7 (Valencia 67, 6), Evans 6, Blackett 7, Rojo 7; Blind 8, Herrera 8, Di Maria 9 (Januzaj 82); Mata 8 (Falcao 67, 6); Rooney 7, van Persie 7.

QPR (4-5-1): Green 5; Isla 5, Caulker 5, Ferdinand 6, Hill 4 (Traore 46, 6); Phillips 7, Sandro 6 (Henry 73, 6), Fer 6, Kranjcar 6, Hoilett 5; Austin 5 (Vargas 58, 6).

Referee: P Dowd 6.