Odion Ighalo came on, but Anthony Martial was the star as his first career hat-trick helped Manchester United moved within two points of Chelsea with a convincing win over Sheffield United at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.
United went into the clash, knowing anything less than a win will be a blow to their hopes of finishing in the top four.
Having played out an impressive 1-1 draw at Spurs last time out, it did not take long before they got running in their first game at Old Trafford since Premier League returned.
Anthony Martial put Solskajer’s men ahead in the seventh minute after he slotted home from a Marcus Rashford low cross.
United continued to dominate possession with Pogba and Fernandes pulling strings. But despite their dominance, it was not until a minute before half-time that they doubled their lead.
And once again it was Martial who got scored a similar goal to his first strike. The France international fired home from inside the box following a low cross from Aaron Wan Bissaka.
His second of the evening ensured United took a two-goal lead into the break. The second-half resumed with Sheffield trying to find their way back into the game, but they could not muster any real chance.
Sixteen minutes from time, Martial’s got his first career hat-trick to kill any hopes of a comeback. The 24-year-old was set up once again by Marcus Rasjford before lifting the ball past Simon Moore.
United had more chances to add to their tally through Odion Ighalo who came on as a substitute, but the Nigerian was denied by Moore in Sheffield goal.
With the win, United are now just two points behind Chelsea ahead of the Blues game against Manchester City on Thursday.
This post was last modified on June 24, 2020 8:01 pm