Anthony Martial scored a sensational goal on his debut as Manchester United beat Liverpool 3-1 at Old Trafford.
The £58m deadline day signing glided inside from the left, rode a Liverpool tackle and placed the ball into the far corner to give United a two-goal cushion on 86 minutes.
It was a goal strongly reminiscent of Thierry Henry, with whom the teenage Martial has been compared. But any pressure did not show as he came off the bench to make a magnificent contribution.
The goal came just two minutes after an equally brilliant strike by Liverpool’s Christian Benteke, who powered a bicycle kick into the top-right corner past David Dea – the United goalkeeper had received a rousing ovation after signing a new contract.
After a dreadful first half, the game burst into life after the break. First Daley Blind fired into the top corner from a well-worked United set piece, then Ander Herrera converted a penalty he won himself after a foul by Joe Gomez.
Benteke’s wonderful volley briefly gave Liverpool hope, but Martial extinguished it with a memorable opening contribution to English football.