United Thrash Fulham As Arsenal Edge Huddersfield In EPL

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom- Jose Mourinho answered his critics -- for the time being at least -- as his Manchester United side recorded their biggest league victory in 13 months with a 4-1 win over Fulham.

Ashley Young, with his first goal in over 12 months, Juan Mata and Romelu Lukaku shot United into a commanding first-half lead.

But they struggled to add to that advantage after the break, even after Fulham were reduced to 10 men following the dismissal of Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, moments after Aboubakar Kamara had pulled a goal back from the penalty spot.

Eventually, United were able to do so, completing the rout in the 82nd minute when Marcus Rashford beat Fulham keeper Sergio Rico at his near post with a curling shot from the edge of the area.

Young struck early, receiving a short pass from Rashford and beating Denis Odoi far too easily as he cut into the Fulham area.

There was still much for Young to do to beat Rico but the former England international lofted a superbly weighted finish into the top corner to give the visiting keeper no chance.

The second goal, just before the half-hour, was far more routine although no less impressive given the speed with which United launched a devastating counter-attack.

Lukaku slipped the ball down the left wing for Rashford and the England forward picked out Mata, arriving speedily into the Fulham area, with a perfect pass which his Spanish team-mate steered left-footed into the corner.

There was time for United to add a third in the 42nd minute, from a clever corner routine that saw Mata and Jesse Lingard exchange passes before the former crossed into an empty six-yard area where Lukaku gratefully converted the easiest of chances.

Mourinho made four changes to the side that drew with Arsenal in midweek, meaning he has made a league-high 50 changes over the course of the 16-game season.

But there was still no starting place for Paul Pogba, widely criticised for his performance in last weekend's draw at Southampton and benched for the much-improved midweek display against the Gunners.

Yet there was little wrong with the way in which United, so often accused of starting games slowly, set about handling Fulham.

Even before Young's opening goal, teenage full-back Diogo Dalot sent over a couple of dangerous right-wing crosses that Fulham were forced to defend.

A first-time volley from Young also threatened, while Rico made a magnificent diving stop to keep out a sensational long-range shot from a Rashford free-kick while David De Gea's only first-half action was a routine stop from a hopeful Aleksandar Mitrovic attempt.

A three-goal lead for United was fully merited on balance and forced Fulham manager Claudio Ranieri into a double half-time substitution with Luciano Vietto and Kamara thrown on.

Not that matters improved for the Premier League's bottom club. Within minutes of the restart, Rico parried a powerful Rashford shot and Lukaku planted the rebound wide and, moments later, the keeper showed quick reflexes to beat Lukaku to a Dalot cross with his goal again at the striker's mercy.

Ander Herrera also missed a glorious chance, shooting wide from Mata’s pass, before Fulham pulled a goal back in the 67th minute.

United claimed Kamara had fouled Phil Jones as he collected a pass but referee Lee Probert judged Herrera had tripped the Fulham substitute, who took and scored the resulting penalty himself.

Hopes of a Fulham fightback were short-lived, however, with Zambo Anguissa collecting a second yellow card, for fouling Rashford, within a minute and reducing his team to 10 men.

With that extra-man advantage, Lukaku, Rashford and Scott McTominay all wasted glorious chances for more goals.

Arsenal’s victory

Art the same time, Lucas Torreira rode to Arsenal's rescue as the Uruguayan's impressive start to life as a Gunner continued with an overhead kick winner seven minutes from time to beat an obdurate Huddersfield 1-0 at the Emirates.

Torreira hooked home a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang cross from close-range, yet the image that will endure of a feisty contest that saw Arsenal stretch their unbeaten run to 21 games will be of three of their players collecting yellow cards for simulation.

Granit Xhaka, Shkodran Mustafi and Matteo Guendouzi were all booked by referee Paul Tierney for flinging themselves to the ground.

Mustafi and Guendouzi were trying to fool the referee into awarding a desperate home side a penalty, while Xhaka was simply trying to earn his side a free-kick unjustly in the middle of the pitch.

That desperation to make the breakthrough summed up a frustrating afternoon for Unai Emery's men until Torreira's late intervention.

Emery again demonstrated a ruthless streak as after another fitful first-half display from his side, he made a double substitution at half-time.

His introduction of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Alex Iwobi triggered an Arsenal performance that was more centred on a determination to attack rather than to become embroiled in trading tackles, as they had in the first half.

The desire of the Huddersfield players not to give their Arsenal counterparts a moment to dwell on the ball in midfield earned them the wrath of the Emirates crowd and no doubt influenced referee Tierney to caution Alex Pritchard, Danny Williams and Tommy Smith all within eight minutes of each other.

Xhaka, one of five Arsenal players to see yellow, was at least responsible for the game’s opening chance after 28 minutes. His intelligent ball to the near post ought to have been converted by Aubameyang. Yet, instead of meeting the ball with his right foot, the striker tried to use his left but could only stab the ball wide.

If that was a bad miss, Aubameyang was outdone by Alexandre Lacazette 60 seconds later. The Frenchman was found all alone inside the area by Guendouzi. He dallied too long and then slipped, scooping the ball embarrassingly over the bar from 12 yards.

Two minutes before half-time, Pritchard ought to have given Huddersfield the lead, swivelling to strike a Smith cross high and wide.