Ole Gunnar Solskjaer enjoyed a dream start to life at the helm as Manchester United wound back the clock at Cardiff and scored five goals in a Premier League match for the first time since Alex Ferguson retired.
Poor performances and notable background issues cost divisive Jose Mourinho his job on Tuesday, with the Old Trafford giants turning to a fan favourite and former reserve team boss for the rest of the campaign.
United could scarcely have wished for a better start as they struck five in the league for the first time since Ferguson's final match at the helm in May 2013.
Marcus Rashford, Ander Herrera and Anthony Martial all scored in an entertaining first half, with Jesse Lingard's second-half brace sealing the 5-1 win at Solskjaer's former club Cardiff.
Entertaining, coherent and attack-minded - it was all that United had not been under Mourinho.
The Red Devils turned on the style to restore their two-goal advantage four minutes before the break, though, as Anthony Martial rounded off a brilliant team move.
"Football is easy if you've got good players! They are a great bunch of players and their quality is unbelievable"
— Premier League (@premierleague) December 22, 2018
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer #CARMUN pic.twitter.com/aT9z9C2zZt
Jesse Lingard added to their lead in the 57th minute from the spot after being fouled in the area and the England international completed the rout in the closing stages with his second goal.
The Cardiff City Stadium result is the first time United have scored five goals in the Premier League since Sir Alex Ferguson was in charge, and it keeps Solskjaer's side in sixth place.
