Falcao/Di Maria debuts as United crush QPR
Radamel Falcao made his
debut as Manchester United
belatedly kickstarted their
season with a breezy 4-0
win at home to Queens Park
Rangers in the Premier
League on Sunday.
The 28-year-old Colombia
striker, a loan signing from
Monaco, made his entrance
as a 67th-minute
replacement for Juan Mata,
but by then United had
already secured an overdue first victory of the season.
Falcao, who squandered a late chance, had been the
focus of pre-match attention, but it was £59.7 million
($98 million, 75 million euros) record signing Angel di
Maria who stole the show on his home debut.
The Argentina winger put Louis van Gaal's side ahead
with a 24th-minute free-kick and had a hand in further
goals by Ander Herrera, Wayne Rooney and Mata as
United blew off the cobwebs in style.
After two draws and a loss in the league, and a 4-0
humiliation by Milton Keynes Dons in the League Cup, it
was United's first competitive win under Van Gaal and
meant they avoided going four league games without
winning at the start of a season for the first time since
1986.
While United climbed to ninth in the table, seven points
below leaders #Chelsea but only two points shy of the top
four, QPR remain 16th, a point above the bottom three.
Falcao began the game on the bench on a mild autumnal
afternoon, but fellow signings Daley Blind and Marcos
Rojo were both handed starts as Van Gaal abandoned the
3-4-1-2 formation he had introduced in pre-season.
Blind anchored a midfield diamond in front of a flat back
four, with Herrera and Di Maria either side of him and
Mata supporting strikers Rooney and Robin van Persie.
The sight of former Old Trafford favourite Rio Ferdinand,
now of QPR, receiving a memento from United director
Bobby Charlton prior to kick-off only reinforced the
sense of a changing of the guard.
United quickly took control, with Mata spooning a shot
over from Herrera's cut-back, and mid-way through the
first half they went ahead.
Di Maria immediately looked a threat and he supplied the
breakthrough, whipping in a free-kick from wide on the
right that eluded everyone to creep in at the far post.
Jonny Evans then had to block a shot from Matt Phillips
after United goalkeeper David de Gea charged from his
goal and missed his kick, but 10 minutes before halftime
the hosts doubled their advantage.
Di Maria was again the inspiration, driving deep into QPR
territory and neatly flicking the ball inside for Rooney.
The United captain's shot was blocked, but he steered the
rebound into the path of Herrera, who drove a first-time
shot into the bottom-left corner.
The game was up a minute before the break. A slick
exchange initiated by Di Maria culminated in Herrera
teeing up Rooney to drill a low effort past Rob Green's
outstretched right hand from the edge of the box.
After De Gea had saved with his feet from QPR debutant
Niko Kranjcar and Rooney's prod had been smothered
by Green, Mata added a fourth in the 58th minute, firing
into the roof of the net from Di Maria's miscued shot.
Falcao almost crowned his debut with a goal, but after
Green had parried a skidding shot from Blind, the former
England goalkeeper sprang up quickly to save at the
Colombian's feet.
@LastßornNews(07060428346)
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