Manchester United moved into the Premier League top four as they continued their unbeaten run under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with a regulation 3-0 win at Fulham.
United were 11 points off the top four when Solskjaer took over from Jose Mourinho, but Saturday's win put them 11 points behind league leaders Manchester City.
The hosts could have taken the lead inside the first couple of minutes, but once Paul Pogba lashed in a 14th-minute opener it was one-way traffic and Anthony Martial and a Pogba second from the penalty spot completed the scoring.
An eighth win in nine Premier League games under Solskjaer moved United up into fourth place, a point above Chelsea who face Manchester City on Sunday, and now makes Champions League qualification a real possibility.
Claudio Ranieri’s side actually started much the brighter and had a couple of great chances on the break inside the opening five minutes, as they looked for a first league win over United in 11 attempts.
With those chances wasted, Pogba rifled in an opener after 14 minutes, but Fulham keeper Sergio Rico really should have done much better on his near post as he left a gaping hole between himself and the near post and could only watch Pogba’s powerful drive ripple the back of his net.
Martial’s second was a wonderful solo effort as he picked the ball up on halfway and galloped towards goal, holding off Denis Odoi and dancing past Maxim le Marchand before slotting home expertly.
United always looked like adding another and it came, eventually, from Pogba’s 65th-minute penalty after Juan Mata was brought down to cap another miserable afternoon for second-bottom Fulham and yet another win for the remarkable Solskjaer era.
Fulham 0-3 Manchester United Opta stats
- Fulham have conceded 58 goals in 26 Premier League games this season; only three sides have shipped more at this stage in the history of the competition (Barnsley in 97/98 – 62, Swindon in 93/94 – 60 and Blackburn in 11/12 – 59).
- Manchester United have won six consecutive away games in all competitions for the first time since May 2009.
- Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solksjaer has picked up 25 points in the Premier League since taking over in December (W8 D1), more than any other manager has managed in his first nine games in charge of a single club in the competition.
- Fulham have lost 20 Premier League games against Manchester United, against no other team have they lost more (also 20 v Arsenal).
- Manchester United have scored seven goals from the penalty spot in the Premier League this season, more than any other side.
- Manchester United’s Paul Pogba has reached double figures for goals for the first time ever in a single league campaign (11).
- 36% of Paul Pogba's Premier League goals for Manchester United have come in his nine games under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (8/22).
- Anthony Martial has now been directly involved in 50 Premier League goals (33 goals, 17 assists), more than any other Manchester United player since his debut in September 2015.
- Via his assist for Anthony Martial, Manchester United defender Phil Jones registered his first goal involvement in 87 Premier League appearances, since an assist against Norwich in April 2014.