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Manchester United 4-0 QPR: Angel di Maria scores on his Old Trafford debut as Louis van Gaal's new boys help thrash Rangers
- Di Maria opens the scoring in 24th minute with free-kick meant as a cross
- Ander Herrera doubles lead with first goal for Manchester United in the 35th minute
- Wayne Rooney makes it three before half time
- Juan Mata scores the fourth from a brilliant Di Maria pass
- Radamel Falcao starts on the bench before making Manchester United debut in 67th minute
- Louis van Gaal returns to a back four, abandoning his 3-5-2 formation
Well, that didn’t take long. There were seconds remaining before half-time when Manchester United’s faithful announced they were going to win the league.
Now you’ve got to believe them? Well, not exactly. As regulars at White Hart Lane will testify, Queens Park Rangers have the ability to make a useful team look like world-beaters, only for the next weekend to bring a nasty surprise.
Even so, for a club that was in crisis a matter of weeks ago, this was powerful stuff. United’s ability to challenge for the very top spot this season may still be open to question but this is a team, and a club, on the march now, fuelled by massive investment, dwarfing the likes of promoted Rangers.
Angel di Maria strikes a free-kick from 35 yards which bends over everyone and sneaks in past Rob Green at the far post for his first Manchester United goal
Manchester United fans welcome their new signings. Louis van Gaal spent over £150million on the likes of Angel di Maria and Radamel Falcao this summer
Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand is presented with a plaque by Sir Bobby Charlton as he returned to Old Trafford for the first time with QPR
Old Trafford is intimidating again, too. Its red shirts carry a threat, as does mere sight of the team sheet. These are the Premier League galacticos, the best of two continents expensively combined as an exhilarating attacking force.
Just a point behind Liverpool and Arsenal already, there is no reason why Manchester United should not set automatic qualification for the Champions League as a viable target. Matches against Everton and Chelsea next month may show them whether they can hope for more.
And this wasn’t even United at full strength. Radamel Falcao made his debut from the bench after 67 minutes. Soon he will start. El Tigre will give United even greater bite, even if he will be disappointed with an 84th minute miss, after Robert Green could only parry a shot from the excellent Daley Blind. Green recovered well to block, but one imagines other goalkeepers will not be so lucky as the season progresses.
For now, however, United will have to make do with Angel di Maria.
He is the most expensive signing in Premier League history and, on his home debut, looked as if he has a more than even chance of living up to that billing.
Loan signing Radamel Falcao had to watch from the bench as his new teammates made a strong start against QPR at Old Trafford
Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo takes on Matt Phillips during his Manchester United debut as part of a new-look back four
This was an outstanding performance, and hugely influential, too. Di Maria scored the first, inspired the second and assisted in the fourth.
He demonstrated the engine that was so valuable to Real Madrid last season, and the invention that Van Gaal believes will transform what was an increasingly pedestrian midfield.
He got the breaks at times, too. The first and the fourth had the feel of good fortune about them, even though the end result was no more than he, and United, deserved.
United had the lion’s share of early possession but little end product. Juan Mata shot over after eight minutes and Robin Van Persie took the ball off Ander Herrera’s toes after 16.
Yet Rangers will have felt they were holding out well when Clint Hill made a foolish foul 30 yards out on United’s right flank – fatal with so many dead ball specialists in one team. The free-kick was not within range of a direct shot, however, so the rest packed the box while Di Maria elected to provide delivery.
Angel di Maria dominated the game in the first half, operating mostly from the left, but drifting inside , committing defenders and providing plenty of dangerous passes
Angel di Maria celebrates his first goal for Manchester United with Wayne Rooney after putting his new side into the lead at Old Trafford
Former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville was quick to tweet his appreciation for Old Trafford's new stars Angel Di Maria and Daley Blind
Ander Herrera strikes the ball from the edge of the box beyond Rob Green and into the far corner to make it 2-0 to Manchester United
That the ball swung in and kicked up with one bounce and into Green’s net, therefore, is a little fortunate, no matter Di Maria’s statement to the contrary. He says he was practicing the same manoeuvre in training on Saturday, but his shot certainly did not look to be intended.
What is less questionable, however, is that Di Maria knowingly targeted football’s own corridor of uncertainty, and that this can occasionally hit the jackpot by taking the goalkeeper by surprise. As happened.
Missed by the forwards, missed by the defenders, Di Maria caught Green off guard and although he scrambled across as best he could, it was to no avail.
Di Maria was already off and running – to the wrong corner of the ground, actually, but as an Old Trafford newbie he can be forgiven – shaping his hand in the trademark heart celebration much loved by Gareth Bale. Someone should tell him we hadn’t exactly been missing it.
And with that goal, Rangers best laid plans fell apart. They had been singularly unadventurous to begin with, a lone striker in Charlie Austin, a packed midfield and deep defence. At times they had all 11 in the final third but, now, what use was that? They probed nervously in search of an opening, received two sharp slaps by way of return and the game was over before half time.
On this occasion it was the sheer industry of Di Maria that was responsible. No hint of luck second time around. He broke from the back and carried the ball close to 50 yards before slipping it to Wayne Rooney, much maligned in some quarters, but captain of club and country nonetheless.
Rooney is nothing if not persistent in his play and having been closed down sharply, he refused to give up, winning the loose ball and feeding it to Herrera. Within sight of goal, the Spaniard was clinical.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2755439/Manchester-United-4-0-QPR-Angel-di-Maria-scores-Old-Trafford-debut-Louis-van-Gaal-s-new-boys-help-thrash-Rangers.html#ixzz3DSxgNedB
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