Paul Pogba scored twice as Manchester United hammered Fenerbahce 4-1 at Old Trafford in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday. Pogba and United's goal rush moved them above Fenerbahce into second in Group A, but Feyenoord still lead the way after beating the Red Devils on the first matchday.The world's most expensive player bagged a brace, with Anthony Martial adding a strike in between, as United built a 3-0 lead at the break. Jesse Lingard then scored in the early minutes of the second half as United threatened to run riot.However, the only other goal came from returning hero Robin van Persie, who netted Fenerbahce's consolation inside the final 10 minutes. The former United and Arsenal striker was cheered by the home crowd in a worthy show of appreciation and respect.United manager Jose Mourinho fielded a strong side, with Luke Shaw and Matteo Darmian coming in at full-back, while Michael Carrick started in midfield. Yet the biggest surprise was Wayne Rooney's inclusion as the skipper after his time on the bench, per United's official Twitter account:Mourinho explained his selection while showing respect for the opposition, per the club:One of the notable omissions from United's lineup was summer signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Stuart Mathieson of the Manchester Evening News expressed concern about the Armenian playmaker's absence:The Fenerbahce XI featured more than one familiar face, as Van Persie was joined by ex-Liverpool centre-back Martin Skrtel, per the club:United struggled for fluency early on, while their passing was overly intricate, and there weren't enough incisive runs off the ball.Still, one playmaker was doing his best to imbue the home side with some guile in the final third, per Rob Dawson of the Manchester Evening News:Juan Mata was influential in United winning two penalties in as many minutes after the half-hour mark. For the first, he raced to meet a superb arcing long ball from Michael Carrick, which drew a foul from Skrtel's centre-back partner, Simon Kjaer.Pogba stepped up and decisively swept the spot-kick into the inside corner. The lead was soon doubled when Mata found Martial with an exquisite pass. He was felled in the box and stepped up to tuck home the resulting penalty.United were cruising, but Josef de Souza nearly got one back quickly when he drew David De Gea into a fine stop with his feet after a twisting run.United remained in control, but Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News felt one player was struggling to justify his place at the expense of another:A defensive mistake allowed Lingard to tee up Pogba for his second on the stroke of half-time. The world-record signing lifted a suavely curled shot into the middle of the net for a terrific finish.Pogba got the headline writers working overtime, but former United and Stoke City defender Danny Higginbotham felt a less heralded player was due more respect:Mindful of the upcoming clash with Chelsea in the Premier League, Mourinho substituted centre-back Chris Smalling for Marcos Rojo to start the second half. Yet while things changed at the back, the Red Devils remained devastating up front.A fourth goal soon followed when Pogba and Rooney combined to give Lingard a shooting chance. He didn't waste it, poking a raking drive into the net.As if to underline their ruthlessness in attacking areas, United hadn't wasted a single one of their shots on target, per WhoScored.com:Fenerbahce offered little, but the Turkish side did go close when Van Persie fired a trademark curling effort narrowly wide after some smart holdup play by substitute Emmanuel Emenike.Van Persie soon got his goal, though, when Emenike again lashed a low cross across the face of goal for the Dutchman to tap in. The finish prompted warm applause from the Old Trafford faithful, per BBC Sport's Simon Stone:Post-Match ReactionMourinho couldn't resist a jab at the fickle judgements Pogba has been subjected to this season:He also spelled out exactly what Mkhitaryan has to do to get on the pitch:Worryingly for the Chelsea game, Mourinho revealed a problem for Smalling, per United's official site:Meanwhile, Fenerbahce boss Dick Advocaat sought no excuse for his team's lopsided loss:United showed more fluency going forward as the game wore on. Yet the team is sure to have a different look, both in terms of personnel and tactics, when Mourinho returns to Stamford Bridge against Chelsea on Sunday.
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