Manchester United thrashes Swansea in second straight 4-0 win

Romelu Lukaku, Paul Pogba, Eric Bailly and Anthony Martial scored for ManU to secure the top position in the league.

August 19, 2017 08:27 pm | Updated 08:27 pm IST - SWANSEA, Wales

Manchester United's Paul Pogba celebrates scoring his side's third goal, during the English Premier League soccer match between Swansea and Manchester United, at the Liberty Stadium, in Swansea, Wales.

Manchester United's Paul Pogba celebrates scoring his side's third goal, during the English Premier League soccer match between Swansea and Manchester United, at the Liberty Stadium, in Swansea, Wales.

Manchester United swept to its second straight 4-0 win to start the Premier League season by thrashing Swansea on Saturday, with Romelu Lukaku, Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial all scoring again for Jose Mourinho’s side.

Center back Eric Bailly gave United the lead on the stroke of halftime with a close-range strike at a corner, and the visitors were comfortable in the second half before running amok in the final 10 minutes.

Lukaku slotted home in the 80th from a pass by Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who then set up Pogba to deftly chip goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski in the 82nd.

Martial, on as a substitute, scored United’s third goal in a devastating four-minute span when he finished a counter-attack with a low shot into the corner.

Lukaku, Pogba and Martial all scored in a 4—0 home win over West Ham last weekend.

Eight goals scored and two clean sheets makes for an encouraging start to the season for Mourinho, who has built an imposing and clinical team that looks equipped to challenge for the title.

“We are more confident, we know each other more,” said Pogba, who is showing a greater attacking threat this season with Nemanja Matic patrolling United’s midfield behind him.

Mkhitaryan has set up four goals in the opening two league games of the season Pogba called him “the assist man” and Lukaku already has four goals in his first three games, including one against Real Madrid in the UEFA Cuper Cup.

This wasn’t the fast-paced United that demolished West Ham until the final 10 minutes, when Swansea’s defense opened up. The Welsh team, which sold its star player Gylfi Sigurdsson to Everton this week, has beaten United twice in August in the last three years but rarely looked like scoring at Liberty Stadium.

The only time the hosts seriously threatened United was in the third minute when Jordan Ayew broke clear thanks to a fortunate ricochet and curled an attempted cross with the outside of his right foot against the crossbar.

United defender Phil Jones also struck the bar in the ninth minute with an effort that came off his shoulder from Juan Mata’s in-swinging free kick.

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