Tuesday 3:06 PM GMT
Man Utd news takes a look at how Henrikh Mkhitaryan has become one of Jose Mourinho's most important players.
By Ciaran Kelly
Three goals. Three goalscorers. Four minutes.
Manchester United'slate flurry against Swansea left the press bench scrambling for extra paragraphs at the Liberty Stadium asRomelu Lukaku,Anthony Martial andPaul Pogba ran riot.
Sky Sports were so bowled over that they awardedHenrikh Mkhitaryanthe man of the match award and, on paper at least, you could hardly disagree.
To fans who missed the game, it seemed Mkhitaryan again made the difference as he doubled his league assists' tally for the whole of last season.
Two assists and 12 chances created suggested the Armenian was at his wicked best as the 'assist king', in Pogba's words words, but that would be an exagerration.
When it came to the first 75 minutes at least.
Although he lined up on the left in United's pre-match attacking drills, with Marcus Rashford on the right and Juan Mata through the middle, Mkhitaryan took up his favoured No.10 role when the whistle went.
But, with Swansea's terriers snapping at his heels, and Pogba and Mata operating in a similar zone, Mkhitaryan struggled to influence proceedings.
Some uncharacteristically wild snap shots summed up a frustrating afternoon in South Wales.
A narrow United instead relied on set-pieces, with Phil Jones' header striking the bar and Eric Bailly later bundling home after Pogba's effort hit the woodwork.
The game drifted before Jose Mourinho made a bold double substitution with 15 minutes' to go, throwing on both Marouane Fellaini and Martial.
It was probably a tight decision, even though Mata rarely finishes a full 90 minutes, but the Portuguese's decision to leave Mkhitaryan on surprised a few people.
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Re-energised, the 28-year-old soon made the difference as Swansea boss Paul Clement abandoned his five-man defence in search of an equaliser.
Mlkhitaryan popped up with not one, but two assists, in United's four-minute rampage to seal all three points and lay down an early marker in the title race.
Tellingly, Lukaku made a beeline for the Armenian after he played him in with a devastatingly incisive through ball for United's crucial second. And he was not done yet.
With Ander Herrera going through his final preparations on the touchline, Mkhitaryan teed up Pogba on the overlap for a stunning lobbed finish.
He even helped create the space for Martial's fourth by dragging full-back Martin Olsson outside, before eventually going off to a standing ovation from the away end.
As opposition legs tired, and adjusted to their new formation, Mkhitaryan made the difference and that mentality will be crucial to United's title prospects.
Encouragingly, too, having been directly involved in only three away league goals last season, Mkhitaryan has hit the ground running away from Old Trafford.
Only truly influential players can remain that switched on with just 15 minutes to go away from home and Mourinho smelt it, making the bold decision to leave him on.
What a contrast to a year previously, when the Portuguese hauled Mkhitaryan off at half-time after a woeful first start for the club in the Manchester derby.
Remarkably, Mkhitaryan had to wait 85 days for his next league start, but the the 28-year-old has since earned Mourinho's trust and gives him that crucial in-game flexibility with his versatility.
Mkhitaryan is now one of the first names on the teamsheet and, tellingly, in the majority of United's lacklustre home draws last season, he was either injured or not starting.
Manchester United players Marcos Rojo, Ashley Young and Luke Shaw return to training
The midfielder also serves as an example to others, namely Victor Lindelof, who need time to adjust to new surroundings and make the step up at Old Trafford.
What a difference a year makes.