Manchester United wallop West Ham as Lukaku excites supports with brace

Manchester United started their Premier League campaign in
grand fashion at Old Trafford with four unreplied goals against West Ham and
that man, Romelu Lukaku sets United fans on a roller coaster with his brace.

Lukaku announced his arrival at Old Trafford by scoring
twice on his Premier League debut for Manchester United as they embarrassed
West Ham.

Jose Mourinho’s team were a constant threat against a poor
Hammers side, offering excitement and encouragement to their supporters on the
opening weekend of the new Premier League season.

Lukaku, a £75m summer signing from Everton, put the Red
Devils ahead with a rising drive off the post after racing onto Marcus
Rashford’s pass.

The Belgium international doubled the lead after half-time,
glancing in a header from Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s inswinging free-kick, BBC said.

United teenager Rashford curled against the inside of Joe
Hart’s left-hand post before substitute Anthony Martial ended the match as a
contest with a slick finish.

There was still time for a fourth, however, as Paul Pogba
curled in from distance.

The Hammers offered little going forward in a passive
performance, although new signing Marko Arnautovic did flick a header onto the
top of the home crossbar at 2-0.

The Red Devils have now lost only one of their 14
opening-day Premier League fixtures at Old Trafford, while West Ham’s season
began with a record 11th defeat.

Manchester United might have won the Europa League and
League Cup in Mourinho’s debut season at Old Trafford, but Red Devils
supporters will be expecting, if not demanding, a serious title challenge after
a less-than-adequate sixth-placed finish last term.

Mourinho spent almost £150m on Everton striker Lukaku,
Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic and Benfica defender Victor Lindelof this
summer in a bid to achieve it.

Although Mourinho’s new-look side were outclassed by Real
Madrid in Tuesday’s Super Cup defeat, solace could be taken that the European champions
contained a level of quality unlikely to be seen in the Premier League this
season – and certainly not from their opening opponents.

In contrast to a workmanlike performance against Madrid, the
home side played with verve and purpose as the Hammers sat back in a bid to
contain and frustrate them.

It was a tactic that opponents used to successfully stifle
Mourinho’s side on several occasions at Old Trafford last season, but once
Lukaku broke the deadlock the Hammers never looked like clawing their way back
into the game.

Style is equally as important as substance for many United
fans and their attacking approach – which saw them rack up 22 shots – will
provide encouragement to supporters hoping for a first Premier League title
since 2013.