'Physical monster' Scott McTominay sets new record as Manchester United put six past Leeds
Scott McTominay got Manchester United off to a flying start (Michael Regan/PA)
It was the fixture the Premier League had longed to see back on its schedule for 16 years and, fans or no fans, boy, was it worth the wait.
It was a game which lived up to the hype — as a total of 43 combined shots testified — and ended with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side recording their biggest win in over nine years and catapulting themselves into the thick of the title race.
It also featured two goals apiece from Scott McTominay and Bruno Fernandes — plus a nomination for the former as proud owner of one of the more unlikely pub quiz answers of the season.
But more important than United’s biggest victory since that famous 8-2 humiliation of Arsenal in August 2011 was the fact that thanks to just a second home league win of the season, they are up to third in a wild and wonderful looking league table — and with the prospect of pulling to within two points of leaders Liverpool should they win their game in hand.
After a succession of dismal home performances, Solskjaer will certainly be hoping this is a sign of things to come as Victor Lindelof and Dan James added to an electrifying start gifted them when McTominay scored twice in the opening three minutes.
United had scored just three home league goals this season before Marcelo Bielsa’s visit, just one of them from open play, but McTominay found the net twice in rapid succession, becoming the first player in Premier League history to score twice in the opening three minutes of a game.
“He’s a physical monster,” said Solskjaer. “And the movement of our front players meant Scott had space in front of him with the ball at his feet.
“He used to be a striker, he can score goals as he proved today, he’s a handful in and around the box and that energy and drive, in a derby like this, was also important.
“We found a way of getting them going. Just imagine if that had 75,000 people here, that would have gone down as one of the best Man United performances against Leeds at home.
“You have to earn the right to win it. That's the challenge. It should have, could have been 12-4. You know it's going to be frantic, hectic against them, because no matter what the result is they have a certain style.”
It took just 67 seconds to open the floodgates after Luke Shaw dispossessed Raphinha. Rashford chased off, Fernandes took the ball on and squared for McTominay to drive home impressively from 20 yards.
For a player who had just six career goals before now, it was some finish and better was to come before three minutes were gone.
Shaw’s throw-in from the left found Martial in far too much space on the edge of the Leeds area and his pass inside the Leeds backline found McTominay’s well-timed run for the Scotland international to finish once more with the minimum of fuss.
It was a staggering start from a United side whose troubles at Old Trafford this season had been threatening to derail their campaign and, if Patrick Bamford had not missed with a free header from Rodrigo’s 12th-minute cross, the visitors might at least have tested their nerve.
Instead, Fred sparked yet another lighting-fast counter-attack on 19 minutes, Rashford’s progress was blocked by Luke Ayling and the ball broke to Fernandes who drove home accurately and clinically into the far corner.
Still Leeds pressed on, with David de Gea saving well from Jack Harrison before Lindelof was on hand to slam the ball in from six yards after Martial had flicked on Shaw’s corner at the near post.
It was a magnificently insane game and, as such, Leeds deserved a goal for their part in it, which duly arrived four minutes before the break when Liam Cooper headed in Raphinha’s corner via de Gea’s post.
Nor did it slow after the interval. It was as “nervy” as a 4-1 lead could possibly be against such a wildcard opponent and Martial should have eased any concerns by restoring a four-goal cushion soon after the restart but screwed his shot wide from 12 yards with only Illan Meslier to beat.
Instead, the hosts soon found themselves under pressure and needed a near-miraculous save from de Gea, falling backwards to push away a spectacular flying far-post volley from Raphinha that looped up and — fortunately for the home side —struck the post.
The keeper was becoming increasingly valuable for United and proved it again, diving sharply to keep out another good effort from Raphinha on the edge of the area, after Alex Telles and McTominay had failed to head clear.
Dan James succeeded where others had failed on 65 minutes, taking a slick McTominay pass and beating Meslier with a quick finish which did not allow the keeper to set himself properly.
When Martial was tripped by Pascal Struijk three minutes later and Fernandes stroked in the penalty, Solskjaer and United could finally breathe a little more easily — not that Leeds were finished.
Raphinha, inevitably, had a hand in it with a neat lay-off which allowed Stuart Dallas to fire in an unstoppable finish from the edge of the “D” for the last goal of the day.
There should have been more for the home team but, in the final six minutes, Edinson Cavani, Telles, Harry Maguire and Fred all hit efforts straight at the keeper when scoring looked easier. True to the nature of the afternoon, Harrison was just ask bad, with a last-minute miss of his own that summed up another crazy afternoon in this craziest of campaigns.
“When you get a start like we did it helps,” said Solskjaer. “But we kept going until the end and showed that we can physically match them.”
De Gea 8; Wan-Bissaka 6, Lindelof 6, Maguire 6, Shaw 7 (Telles 60, 6); McTominay 9, Fred 6; James 6, Fernandes 8 (van de Beek 71, 6), Rashford 8 (Cavani 71, 6); Martial 8. Subs (not used) Henderson, Bailly, Pogba, Mata, Greenwood, Matic.
Meslier 6; Dallas 6, Ayling 5, Cooper 5 (Davis 72, 5), Alioski 4; Phillips 6 (Struijk 45, 5); Raphina 8, Rodrigo 7, Klich 5 (Shackleton 45, 6), Harrison 7; Bamford 5. Subs (not used) Casilla, Poveda-Ocampo, Roberts, Costa, Hernandez, Casey.
A Taylor 7
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
