Manchester United finally turn on the style

Manchester United 3 Stoke 0: Manchester United showed their neighbours and manager-in-waiting Pep Guardiola that they are not ready to go away just yet with one of their finest performances under Louis van Gaal to secure a morale-boosting win over Stoke City.

Manchester City’s appointment of Guardiola, confirmed on Monday, has raised the stakes across the Premier League and most notably in Manchester, where the former Barcelona manager and current Bayern Munich coach is expected to take City to a new level.

United are desperate not to be left behind with the announcement of Guardiola as Manuel Pellegrini’s successor placing even greater scrutiny on their own managerial position, where van Gaal has struggled to convince that he is the man to restore the club’s fading fortunes.