5 things we learned from Watford 3-1 United
5. Young gets decent reception... from home fans!
Ashley Young is the only Premier League player who gets a better reception with opposing fans than his own.
While United fans have always been sceptical about the gravity-prone winger, Watford supporters gave their former favourite a standing ovation when he arrived as a first-half sub.
4. Capoue can't stop scoring
Walter Mazzarri has turned Etienne Capoue into a goal machine.
The midfielder had scored once in three Premier League seasons with Tottenham and the Hornets before Mazzarri turned up at Vicarage Road.
Given more freedom to get forward, he has netted an incredible four times in five matches this season.
3. Pogba must do more
Paul Pogba is a capable of special things but he isn’t yet bossing Premier League matches.
The world-record £89million signing struck the bar with an outstanding effort from long range and produced the best tackle of the match to dispossess Daryl Janmaat early in the second half.
But his contributions were occasional and United need a real driving force in central midfield.
2. United are lacking zip
For an hour at least, United looked as pedestrian under Jose Mourinho as they did so often under Louis Van Gaal.
Mourinho has signed some better players but there is still a hesitancy about them.
They are a long way from the classic United sides who would seize a match by the throat and blow opposing sides away with their pace.
1. Rooney's woes continue
Wayne Rooney isn’t currently worth his place in the United side.
Jose Mourinho faces a tough call over whether to axe his captain.
Being rested for the Europa League trip to Feyenoord didn’t do the England skipper any favours as he made a string of basic errors.
As with England in Slovakia, Rooney was played too deep and he is struggling so badly that his technique looks shot to pieces.
5 things we learned from Watford 3-1 United
Jose Mourinho was sentenced to his third straight defeat as late strikes from Camilo Zuniga and Troy Deeney earned Watford a thoroughly-deserved victory.
After defeats by Manchester City and Feyenoord in the previous eight days, United were put to the sword by the Hornets in the first half – with Etienne Capoue’s fourth goal of the season scant reward for their dominance.
Marcus Rashford looked to have grabbed United a point when he netted with an opportunistic strike in the 62 minute after excellent work from Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
But Colombian loanee Zuniga drilled in from Roberto Pererya’s cut-back with his first touch after arriving as a sub and then Deeney scored an injury-time penalty after Marouane Fellaini felled Zuniga to send Mourinho into crisis mode just weeks into his United reign.
With Leicester City, Liverpool and Chelsea coming up in their next four Premier League fixtures, life is unlikely to get any easier for Mourinho and his sluggish side.
Here are five things we learned...
