Man Utd hit 19-year high with first-half demolition of Tranmere

Manchester United scored five times in the first half of a competitive match for the first time in 19 years against Tranmere Rovers on Sunday.

With two wins from seven games in all competitions and just six goals scored in 2020, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had been feeling the pressure ahead of the visit to Prenton Park.

United made light of a wretched playing surface, though, with a ruthless first 45 minutes putting them 5-0 ahead.

Harry Maguire scored his first goal for the club with a thumping strike from 25 yards, before Diogo Dalot and Jesse Lingard made it 3-0 after 16 minutes.

Phil Jones’ towering header – his first United goal since March 2014 – made it 4-0 and Anthony Martial added a fifth shortly before the break.

The last time United scored five in the first half of a match was back in February 2001, when they destroyed Arsenal in a 6-1 Premier League victory at Old Trafford.

Solskjaer scored the fifth goal that day, which also featured a Dwight Yorke hat-trick and further strikes from Roy Keane and Teddy Sheringham.

4 – Harry Maguire has scored four goals from outside the box in his club career, with all four coming in different competitions (FA Cup, Premier League, League One and the EFL Trophy). Leather. pic.twitter.com/4RtFaMv7mq

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 26, 2020