Manchester United won their first match under manager Jose Mourinho on Saturday, beating Wigan Athletic 2-0 in a pre-season friendly.
The favourites took control of the match after half-time, as Will Keane opened the score and Andreas Pereira doubled their lead. United had flashed their talent in the first half, and overall, the team put together an excellent showing.
United's next match will be against Borussia Dortmund on Friday, July 22.
As shared by the club's official Twitter account, Mourinho gave summer signings Eric Bailly and Henrikh Mkhitaryan their debuts, while the starting XI was largely made up of young talent. Luke Shaw also celebrated his return:
Wigan appeared the more confident side early, as the Red Devils were uneasy in their passing moves at times, but the visitors' flashed their clear advantage in skill every time they pushed into Wigan's half.
Memphis Depay had a shot blocked after a few minutes, and Mkhitaryan freed up Jesse Lingard with a lovely piece of skill, but he too couldn't get his shot off.
On the other side of the pitch, the Red Devils gave away few open looks, and when the Latics found some space, Daley Blind produced a fine tackle to deny them.
Memphis perhaps should have scored after 26 minutes, as Mkhitaryan fired in a beautiful cross and the Dutchman pushed the ball wide of the mark.
Manchester United Evening News' Rob Dawson was impressed with the Armenian:
While Wigan improved as the half wore on, the better chances kept falling to United, and Mkhitaryan created nearly all of the danger. Memphis was also lively but largely inefficient in front of goal, and a bad miss from 30 yards out somewhat summed up his afternoon.
Young goalkeeper Sam Johnstone cleared a dangerous set-piece delivery, before Mkhitaryan missed from close range with a volley, and with that final chance, the first half came to an end:
La Liga blogger Sergi Dominguez thought fans would be happy with what they saw, despite the lack of goals:
They didn't have to wait long for goals, either. Mourinho made wholesale changes, and new attacking options Keane and Mata took advantage of a huge defensive blunder after just three minutes, allowing the latter to tee up the former.
Here's a look at the goal:
Keane was clearly feeling confident and nearly doubled the team's lead just a few minutes into the half, sending a shot narrowly past Jussi Jaaskelainen's goal after good work from Ashley Young.
It was Pereira who bagged the second goal, however, blasting a shot into the top corner from close range after the Latics failed to clear a set-piece opportunity. Here's the goal:
Backed by the two-goal lead, United went into preservation-mode, taking control of the ball and playing out the match. Blind and Pereira impressed with their ability to find the open man and break up moves from Wigan, and Ander Herrera also did his part, undoubtedly boosting his chances of making the starting XI when the Premier League season kicks off.
Pereira fired a long-range shot well wide of the target, signalling the start of a late push for a third goal. Keane fired a shot over the bar from a tough angle, and Guillermo Varela took a big hit from a Wigan defender close to the final whistle but was able to continue.
Per Simon Bajkowski of the Manchester Evening News, Mourinho was impressed with the thousands of United fans who made the trip to Wigan and singled out one youngster in particular for his performance:
All in all, it was a solid start for Mourinho and his troops, who lacked finesse before half-time but made the most of their chances after their break. Their efficiency will improve as pre-season goes on, and as of right now, Mourinho appears to have this team on the right path.