The bottom line from a suitably intense, frayed and at times alarmingly open encounter is that the clouds around Manchester United are clearing. This was their fourth league win in a row and it offered the latest confirmation that, in Rasmus Højlund, they have a centre‑forward worthy of the handsome investment paid to Atalanta last summer.
When Højlund converted twice in the first seven minutes, becoming the youngest player to score in six successive Premier League games, United appeared to have laid the platform for a straightforward evening.
