And suddenly it all looked so easy. Mourinho and the United support won't be fooled of course: this Swansea side was a pale shadow of the one that terrorised Van Gaal's United here last season. Still, the Reds have failed to turn dominance over weaker sides into goals on several occasions this season and there will be much relief in the United ranks at the ease with which they imposed themselves on this game and took their opportunities when they came.
And they came early. Pogba opened the scoring in the fifteenth minute with a superb long range effort before Ibrahimovic brought his barren run to a end with two first half goals. First he drilled home from the edge of the box to double United's lead before Rooney's finely judged pass allowed the Swede to outmuscle his marker and make it three for United just after the half-way mark.
United fans were understandably concerned about the absence of Herrera due to suspension but what the Reds missed in terms of his industry they made up for through the calmness and control of Carrick, who once again made a strong case for appearing more frequently in Mourinho's starting eleven. Although there was no question that a toothless Swansea first half display made life easy for United, the veteran midfielder certainly played a major part in that too.
There's no question that those who played further forward from him benefited from his presence. Rooney had his best game for some time while Pogba showed the kind of cocksure self-assurance Mourinho brought him back for and was able to influence the play in a manner we've only seen fleetingly until today.
Swansea did show more ambition in the second half, and even grabbed a consolation goal when Van Der Hoorn rose to head home Sigurdsson's free kick. It was a reminder of the kind of thing that can happen if you don't convert your chances. Thankfully, on this occasion United did and they left the Liberty Stadium as worthy winners.
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