Romelu Lukaku strikes twice more as Manchester United thrash CSKA

Manchester United have maximum points from their two Champions League outings and return home from Moscow in buoyant mood. From the first to last whistle they coasted to a win that means José Mourinho’s side have now scored 28 goals in nine outings this season.

United owed this victory to the superb Anthony Martial, who created both of Romelu Lukaku’s goals, scored a penalty and generally terrorised CSKA Moscow whenever he took possession.

Mourinho called this the “strongest” display from teams he has managed against CSKA, having done so with Chelsea, Internazionale and Real Madrid. “That was my best team. It is true,” Mourinho said. “I came here and faced very good teams but I think this was the strongest performance. Today we were really strong and it was my strongest performance here.”

Mourinho had made five changes from the 1-0 win at Southampton on Saturday. Marouane Fellaini, Phil Jones and Antonio Valencia did not travel because of injury and Marcus Rashford and Juan Mata were dropped to the bench. In came Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof to a three‑man defence. Mourinho also drafted in Daley Blind as left wing-back, Ander Herrera into midfield, and Martial to attack.

United’s opening goal arrived on four minutes and was started and finished by Lukaku. The No9 spun a pass out to the left that was perfectly weighted into Martial’s path. The Frenchman cut inside and dropped the ball on to the head of Lukaku, who beat Igor Akinfeev to his left from a few yards out.

David de Gea ensured the lead was not conceded within a few seconds. CSKA attacked and an Aleksandr Golovin miskick became a pass that rolled to Alan Dzagoev. The No10 pulled the trigger but De Gea dived to his right to steer the ball out for a corner. CSKA gained nothing from this and soon United were 2-0 up. Henrikh Mkhitaryan was upended by Georgi Schennikov in the area and Jonas Eriksson pointed to the spot. The referee was booed and so was Martial but the Frenchman coolly rolled the ball to Akinfeev’s left as he dived right.

The home crowd continued to roar their team on though they were quietened by United’s third. Again, CSKA succumbed to the Martial-Lukaku combination. The No11 bounced a cross in, Vasili Berezutski air-kicked and there was Lukaku for a 14th goal in 11 appearances this season, his 10th in nine for United. He was close to a first United hat-trick when later taking aim from 25 yards, Akinfeev scrambling to his left to beat the ball out.

Of Lukaku, Mourinho said: “It is a great achievement but it is only possible with a good team. Without a good team it is not possible and the team is playing well. They are amazing numbers for Romelu. He is humble and wants to learn and improve all the time. I think ambition is there and I don’t think he is going to be very impressed with your great words because I think he knows when things aren’t going well your [media] words are also strong in a negative way. I trust he can keep performing for us.”

De Gea’s class is such that when called upon after United’s flurry of goals he could still react expertly to keep out a Fedor Chalov effort and at the interval it remained 3-0, with the contest surely over. CSKA’s sole hope appeared to be to try to get one back early in the second half and see where this might take them.

They swept forward in a move that ended with Golovin firing over De Gea’s bar from outside United’s area. Yet this was a brief respite as the Martial‑Lukaku axis came close to breaching CSKA once more when some razor‑sharp play ended with the former snapping a pass to the latter right in front of Akinfeev and the Belgian should have hit the net rather than the goalkeeper.

Next up Ashley Young, the right wing-back and United’s captain for the night, swung a rare cross in from his side and Blind rose, though he failed to direct his header. When Mkhitaryan smashed home United’s fourth after Martial’s attempt was repelled by Akinfeev the match became the proverbial stroll for United.

This proved the Armenian’s last act as Jesse Lingard replaced him. From here United toyed with Russia’s second-placed side of last year, though Konstantin Kuchaev scored with a low shot from a narrow angle near the close.