The mental edge José Mourinho praised in the build-up was evident in a Manchester United victory which must surely be the template for the season. Fast, cold-eyed and a concerted unit: these were the key components in their defeat of Young Boys on an artificial pitch flagged up as awkward but which proved a slick surface for United to show their class.
Mourinho pointed to his side’s ruthlessness. “At half-time I told the players this the third time in a row we arrive at half-time winning 2-0. Against Burnley we didn’t finish off but we didn’t concede, against Watford we conceded and were in trouble [winning 2-1]. Today we could have had more of that but our best period was when we scored in the second-half and killed the game.
He had made five changes from the Watford game. There was a rare rest for Alexis Sánchez – he was a substitute – and a debut for Diogo Dalot, the young summer signing from Porto having recovered from a knee injury. Luke Shaw, Fred, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford were the other additions as United set out against an opposition recently crowned Swiss champions for a first time in 32 years. Gerardo Seoane sent his team out in the 4-4-2 that had won their opening six league games in a unbeaten start of 10 games.
This left Mourinho motionless but he was a picture of delight when Pogba coolly doubled the lead from the spot. The referee awarded the penalty after he adjudged Shaw’s cross to have been handled by Kevin Mbabu.
It looked harsh but United hardly cared. This had been their most clinical display this campaign and Mourinho’s half-time order to the players was, as he confirmed, to make sure they kept on keeping on.
Martial soon suggested they would by spinning his man with ease and racing at a flat-footed defence that only just managed to recover. The attacker was again the player to trouble Young Boys when, this time moving along the right, he found Rashford but the No 10’s intended pass to Lukaku lost the ball.
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