Lukaku’s power and Rashford’s pace give Manchester United renewed hope | Jamie Jackson


José Mourinho paired £75m Romelu Lukaku with Marcus Rashford and it paid dividends with goals and a sense the forwards already understand each other

This was a Romelu Lukaku-Marcus Rashford show that José Mourinho and Manchester United will hope can run and run. The Belgian’s double put United in pole position – before late strikes from Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba – and Rashford again proved he can be the X-factor the manager desperately requires if he is to lead United to a 21st championship. By the hour here Mourinho’s side were stroking the ball around and through West Ham in an impressive fashion witnessed only sporadically last season.

Rashford played a key part in one sequence that closed with an offside Henrikh Mkhitaryan finish, while Lukaku ran across the line and into deep positions to pose the Hammers awkward questions.

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