Manchester United produced a second half masterclass against Roma last night.
Five unanswered goals after half-time earned United a 6-2 first leg win, meaning there’s one foot in the Europa League final already.
It was a stunning performance to go much of the way to ending Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s semi-final hoodoo.
And it continued the improvement in United’s attacking play under the Norwegian.
He set the tone in his very first game in interim charge, overseeing a United side smashing in five goals away from home against another of his former clubs Cardiff City.
United were expected to beat Tranmere, Club Brugge and LASK pre-lockdown, and did so comprehensively.
A 6-0 FA Cup win came in January last year, before 5-0 Europa League wins underlined United’s rediscovered ability to pick off minnows comfortably.
An end-to-end 5-2 home win over Bournemouth came during Project Restart, which saw United playing thrilling football and recovering from setbacks by redoubling their attacking efforts.
When United romped past RB Leipzig 5-0 in October 2020, it was the first time they had ripped apart a genuinely impressive side.
That match, like last night’s, saw a second half flurry of goals – inspired by Marcus Rashford off the bench.
United exposed Leeds’ man-marking system in December with a 6-2 win, netting twice through Scott McTominay within three minutes.
It was sweet to ruin the Whites’ big return to Old Trafford in such style and meant they were far more cautious at Elland Road last Sunday.
Solskjaer matched his mentor Sir Alex Ferguson’s Premier League record victory in February, knocking nine past Southampton.
The visitors were down to ten men for almost the whole game, but United were ruthless and didn’t slacken off, which was so pleasing to see.
And then with the biggest game of the season in the balance after 45 minutes, United produced a breathtaking attacking display.
That’s what Solskjaer has been working towards since he took over.
The only time United hit five under Moyes was way back in November 2013, a 5-0 thrashing of Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League group stage.
On the whole, the football was dour and functional under the Scot. The job was just too big for him.
Louis van Gaal fashioned a reputation for total football in his younger days as a manager but the style he employed as United was staggeringly dull.
There was no spontaneity or tempo to the play, and it understandably didn’t go down well with match-going fans.
The only time his United scored five or more was on Marcus Rashford’s debut against minnows Midtjylland, in February 2016.
Jose Mourinho never managed it, which is hardly a surprise given his chose response to a 2-0 lead is bringing on defensive players to preserve it rather than going for more.
It was boring but reasonably effective for United. At Tottenham, it didn’t even work, as they surrendered more leads than any other Premier League side this season.
Solskjaer inherited the squad assembled by Moyes, van Gaal and Mourinho at crossed purposes and great expense, which was used to playing safety-first football.
He has transformed their mentality, and they are capable of ruthlessly exploiting situations in games where there are goals there to be had now.
And that approach has United on the verge of their first major final since May 2018.
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