Bournemouth 1 United 3

The Vitality Stadium was the scene of one of United's most dismal performances in a season of dismal performances last year.  It was therefore very satisfying to see United see Bournemouth off so convincingly at the beginning of this Premier League season.  Although this was far from a perfect performance, it contained levels of energy and desire to win that were so woefully absent last season and enough moments of quality to make Reds fans optimistic about the season ahead.

Defences were on top for much of the first half, with the Reds appeared hindered by an all too familiar lack of pace in the final third.  Although it was good to see Mata featuring in Mourinho's plans,replacing the injured Lingard, his inclusion certainly looked to be one of admittedly several factors contributing to a lack of penetration in United's attack.

It was therefore something of a pleasant surprise that it was Mata's persistence that brought a breakthrough for United five minutes before half-time.  Francis' careless back pass put the Spaniard in and, although his shot failed to beat Boruc, the ball rebounded off the Bournemouth defender, allowing Mata to tap in from close range.

Rooney almost capitalised after a deft flick from Ibrahimovic early in the second half, but Boruc did well to block his shot with his legs.  Rooney then had what looked a good shout for a penalty waved away before being on hand to double the Reds' lead just before the hour mark, his head putting the finishing touch to Martial's mishit shot.

Minutes later it was 3-0.  Ibrahimovic had drawn a fine save from Boruc from a free kick, but moments later he gave the keeper no chance when he drilled his long-range shot just inside his post.  It didn't take long for Bournemouth to pull one back though and Smith's fierce shot into the top corner was arguably the goal of the game.  

From there, despite occasional threats from the home side and one superb save from De Gea in stoppage time, it was a largely straightforward matter for United to see the game out and secure an opening day victory.  This, of course, is exactly the kind of away game United should be winning and such a victory would, not so long ago, been regarded as routine.  We've learned through bitter recent experience not to take such things for granted anymore, however, and the feel-good factor here registered pretty high up the scale.

Norwich 0 United 1

United went into this game without Rashford or Martial and the uninspiring fare on offer illustrated just how valuable they've proved during our recent upturn in form.  Fortunately, we ran into a Norwich side who were even worse and, largely thanks to an appalling piece of defending, left Carrow Road with what could still prove a vital three points.

Robbed of the pace of Rashford and Martial, United looked as dull as they have for so much of the season.  Against a nervous looking Norwich, the lack of adventure was all too apparent.  De Gea saved to deny Jerome early on when the forward probably ought to have done better, but Norwich offered little else in a dire first half.  

Sadly, the Reds offered nothing better.  We dominated possession, of course, but the build-up play was slow and laborious.  Smalling's header over the bar from a corner was the closest United came and there was a disappointing new addition to the continuing saga of our defensive injuries when Darmian was forced off with what looked a nasty foot injury.

United opened the second half with a little more urgency and Herrera almost capitalised when his volley from Mata's pass went narrowly wide.  If this signified a more adventurous approach from the Reds in the second half, then the improvement turned out to be only marginal.

It took a horrendous defensive error from the home side to bring about the crucial goal.  Bassong's missed header allowed Rooney a run on goal and then, just as it looked like the chance had been squandered, the United captain produced a pass to set up the advancing Mata, who drilled home from close range.  

If the move emphasised that Rooney's future is probably as a creator rather than a scorer of goals, the sublime pass he then laid on for Schneiderlin offered further evidence.  Sadly, the Frenchman's future certainly isn't as a forward and he illustrated this by steering his shot tamely wide.

Although Norwich played most of the second half with a second striker, they offered little more than speculative yahoos into the box that were easily dealt with, more often than not by the typically efficient Chris Smalling and United were allowed to stroll to a comfortable win.

The three points keep us in the chase for a Champions League spot, but there will be many among the Reds support scratching their heads about how on earth we allowed these opponents to win at Old Trafford earlier in the season.  Had we not, the road to European qualification would surely have been a hell of a lot smoother and not involve reliance on a notoriously unreliable Arsenal at city or a that tricky midweek trip to the Boleyn Ground.

West Bromwich Albion 1 United 0

United's winning run came to an end at The Hawthorns when the Reds failed to hold out against West Brom, a single Rondon goal giving Albion victory after Juan Mata had been sent off in the first half.

Mata was the hero in midweek, but he gave his side an enormous problem here when he was sent off after receiving a second yellow card.  Both offences were completely unnecessary, a failure to retreat at a free kick followed by a silly challenge on Darren Fletcher when his team were in no serious danger on either occasion.  There will be some who claim the second yellow was harsh, but there was really no reason for the Spaniard to give the referee a decision to make.

The Reds were forced to reorganise to withstand the inevitable pressure from the home side.  Chris Smalling, back in the side following his recent injury, looked solid at the back and made some vital challenges as the Baggies sought to push home their advantage.

United looked to have weathered this early storm and appeared fairly comfortable before West Brom took the lead in the second half.  For the first time in the half, the Reds were stretched defensively and, when Rondon was given time to control a dangerous cross from the left before shooting, the result was sadly predictable.

Before the goal Anthony Martial, now pushed into a long striker position, had looked capable of exploiting gaps that the home side left.  Following the goal, however, these gaps were no longer evident, and the Reds never looked likely to get back on terms.

It was a disappointing three points dropped and a huge setback as United look to make up ground on the top four.  With the two legs of the Europa Cup game and the FA Cup Quarter-Final to come before the next league game away at city, the Reds face a crucial two weeks.  What better place to bounce back from this than Anfield on Thursday?

United 1 Watford 0

A touch of class from Juan Mata was enough to secure three points from a tight game against Watford.

With a chilly wind swirling around Old Trafford, the Reds often struggled to come to terms with the conditions, while Watford's tough pressing game often threatened to bring the visitors at least a share of the points.  They certainly carved out the best chances in the first half, De Gea twice saving smartly from Ighalo, who also saw another effort go wide.

United were enjoying much of the possession but our attacking play was fitful until midway through the second half when a sustained period of pressure almost brought results.  Mata drew a fine save from Gomes and Rashford's cross failed agonisingly to find a colleague in the area.

Admittedly, Watford still carried a threat and might still have grabbed a vital goal themselves when Prodl's header went narrowly wide of the United post.  However, it was the Reds who secured victory with only seven minutes left.  After Martial had been fouled just outside the area, captain for the night Mata stepped up and curled a sublime free kick past Gomes.

It was, in truth, more of a hard-fought victory than United at their attacking best.  Few players performed at the peak, although Varela had another fine game at right back.  Fosu-Mensah had his first start in central defence and, although he made some errors, he made several timely interventions.  Given that it was one of those games in which the long-term viability of Blind as a central defender was once again called into question, he frequently had to.

With Arsenal, Spurs and city all losing, this was a vital three points for the Reds, however, who suddenly look again capable of mounting a challenge for Champions League qualification.