Even by Jose Mourinho’s standards, things had fallen apart pretty rapidly at Old Trafford in recent weeks. Bad results were piling up, Wayne Rooney was getting in trouble and Jose Mourinho was getting banned from more games than he was winning.
Last night’s victory can be seen as the culmination of a period of healing however, which United fans can be hopeful will lead to a good run now.
Pretty much everything fell into place for United against the Hammers. Mourinho served his pending ban, and the team won anyway. They played well and, vitally, managed to score the goals to prove it. Henrik Mkhitaryan played for the third game in the row and picked up his first assist for United. Wayne Rooney played well.
Even Bastian Schweinsteiger, ostracised since the start of Mourinho’s tenure, was reintroduced to great cheers at Old Trafford.
Overall, the “feelgood factor” was sloshing around the club in a way we haven’t seen in a very long time. With spirits high, there’s no question that the Red Devils are a serious threat – and not just in the EFL cup.