Manchester: Paul Pogba struck twice as Manchester United invigorated their Europa League campaign with a classy 4-1 home victory over Turkish giants Fenerbahce at Old Trafford here Thursday night.
France midfielder Pogba scored from a penalty and curled in from distance to take his tally to three goals since his return from Juventus.
Anthony Martial, with another penalty, and Jesse Lingard were also on target as Jose Mourinho’s team secured a win that left them level on six points with Feyenoord at the top of Group A.
Fenerbahce replied late on through United old boy Robin van Persie, who tucked in a cross from substitute Emanuel Emenike and was rewarded with applause from all four corners of Old Trafford after the end of the game.
The result vindicated Mourinho’s decision to make seven changes to the team that had held in-form Liverpool to a 0-0 draw Monday. The likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ander Herrera and Marcus Rashford are likely to return for Sunday’s Premier League trip to Chelsea, after which United host Manchester City in the League Cup.
Dropped for United’s last three games, captain Wayne Rooney returned up front to face the team against whom he scored a memorable debut hat-trick in a 6-2 Champions League win in September, 2004.
With Juan Mata prominent in the No. 10 role, United’s build-up play was neat, but they showed next to no threat until they were awarded a 31st-minute penalty.
Michael Carrick’s raking pass was beautifully controlled by Mata, who was brought down in turn by a clumsy challenge from the stumbling Simon Kjaer. Up stepped Pogba to coolly tuck the ball away past the right of Volkan Demirel.
The second penalty came three minutes later. Mata’s exquisite, fizzing pass freed Martial, who was caught from behind by Sener Ozbayrakli, and the Frenchman picked himself up to deliver the sentence in person.
The game was up in first half stoppage time as Pogba strode onto Jesse Lingard’s lay-off to curl a glorious first-time shot into the top-left corner from outside the box. Within three minutes of kick-off in the second half, United were four goals to the good as Rooney laid off Pogba’s pass to Lingard, who drove a crisp shot past Demirel from 20 yards.
Mourinho, then after the game lashed out at critics of Pogba. “He needs time,” asserted Mourinho. “He is no robot who will start functioning at the click of a finger. To be in Italy for four five years… he just can’t adjust to another style overnight.”
In other matches, Inter Milan coach Frank de Boer breathed a sigh of relief when his team survived an onslaught from Southampton to end a three-match losing streak with a 1-0 victory while Roma conceded twice late on to draw 3-3 at home to Austria Vienna.
Agencies
