Manchester United battered Bournemouth 4-1 in a rampant display to go top of the Premier League Summer Series table.
Rasmus Hojlund and Patrick Dorgu had them 2-0 up at half-time before Amad Diallo and 19-year-old Ethan Williams doubled the scoreline in the second half.
Ruben Amorim’s side had the lion’s share of possession and chances, the only downside being Matthijs de Ligt’s late own goal after David Brooks’ cross.
The Red Devils boss had promised an experiment and fans certainly got that, with Bruno Fernandes starting in a deeper role alongside Casemiro.
United supporters were denied the chance to see Matheus Cunha in action as he was out with fatigue, but there were plenty of positives to take from this.
Mail Sport’s Chris Wheeler was in Chicago to bring you the six things we learned.
Man United put in a storming performance in the wind and rain to beat Bournemouth 4-1
Ruban Amorim had lots to be happy about as players across the park performed impressively
Hojlund’s message to Sesko
On the day that Manchester United made their move for RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko, Rasmus Hojlund provided a timely reminder that he still has something to offer in the impressive 4-1 win over Bournemouth in Chicago.
The Dane has most to lose from Sesko’s arrival if United can strike a deal for the Slovenian, and could even be used as a makeweight in a player-plus-cash swap deal. At the very least, he will be relegated to second-choice striker this season, so it was significant that he put United in front against Bournemouth at Soldier Field.
Having hit the post early on against West Ham in New Jersey on Saturday, Hojlund took his opportunity when it arrived in the eighth minute. Patrick Dorgu crossed from the left and Hojlund got away from his marker to send a glancing header inside the post.
The 22-year-old thought he had scored a second when he claimed to have got a touch to Amad Diallo’s shot as United went 3-0 ahead, but one was enough.
It won’t change United’s thinking on signing Sesko, but at least it was a positive reaction by Hojlund to reports that the club have approached Leipzig and speculation over his own future.
It was just one of the positives from another promising performance by United, sweeping aside a Bournemouth side who have won two of the last four encounters between the two clubs 3-0, drawing the other two.
Rasmus Hojlund opened the scoring and was a strong physical presence throughout the game
Fitness work paying off
It has been striking just how sharp and hungry United are looking in pre-season, both in their opening US tour game against West Ham in New Jersey and again here in Chicago.
The fitness work United have done to hit the ground when the season starts with a tough opener against Arsenal on August 17 has been clear to see. The players look lean and full of energy. The passing is crisp, the pressing intense and the movement slick.
It’s also been noticeable that Ruben Amorim has told his players to restart play quickly, and it paid off for the second goal against Bournemouth when Mason Mount’s speed of thought saw him take a quick free kick and Patrick Dorgu muscled Julian Araujo off the ball to score with a shot that keeper Djordje Petrovic should probably have saved.
These are early days, of course, but United are looking much improved on tour with two deserved wins under their belt.
Manchester United’s players looked fit and lean after a demanding summer programme
The movement and passing was slick from their stars as they swept aside Bournemouth
Shaw’s revival
Luke Shaw spoke candidly on the eve of this game about his injury misery last season and desperation to make a fresh start, and the England defender has made a positive start on tour in the US.
Having turned 30 earlier this month, and with a wretched recent injury record, Shaw is understood to be managing the work he does in pre-season, training with his teammates most of the time but sitting out some of the more intense sessions as a precaution.
It also helps that Shaw is operating as a left-sided centre-back in Amorim’s system, which requires him to do less running down the left flank. After a succession of muscle injuries in what he described as a ‘horrible’ season that tested him physically and mentally, that is bound to be a benefit.
‘I’ve spoken a lot about left-centre back or left-wing back, just in general with a lot of people asking me the same question, but not too much with the manager to be fair,’ he told reporters at a community event on Friday.
‘Honestly, I don’t mind where the manager wants me to play. I think at the moment, I’ve been playing left-centre this pre-season so we’ll have to see if that carries on. I’m just really happy to be doing this pre-season. Obviously, I missed last pre-season. I’m just happy to play anywhere.’
It means we will see Shaw as less of an attacking force, but he showed his defensive prowess in the 16th minute with a fantastic interception tackle to stop Antoine Semenyo going clear.
There was a scare shortly afterwards when Shaw went down after Semenyo stood on his foot while scoring a disallowed goal, but the United defender was able to continue after treatment.
It was a solid all-round defensive performance by United marred only by an own-goal late on by substitute Matthijs de Ligt who turned David Brooks’ cross into his own net.
Luke Shaw put in a solid defensive performance on the left side of three centre-backs
Amorim’s tactical tinkering
Questions have been asked about how United will fit in all their forwards this season after spending more than £130million to sign Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha.
Ruben Amorim has a number of other players who can operate in the two No.10 positions including Amad Diallo, Mason Mount, Bruno Fernandes and Joshua Zirkzee. Diallo and Mount played there against Bournemouth, with the Ivorian firing United’s third goal and Mount getting an assist for the second. Fernandes dropped into midfield and Zirkzee has yet to play on tour due to a minor injury.
But Cunha was ruled out of the game with what Amorim described as fatigue and was rested as a precaution, having played in the opening two pre-season friendlies against Leeds and West Ham, which is a reminder that Amorim will need cover in every position.
‘Cunha has fatigue,’ said the United boss before kick-off. ‘We need to assess all the players. We have to be careful with everyone. He’s available for the next one. Mateus felt a little bit fatigued. He was ready to play, he wants to give everything, but we need to be careful.’
Mbeumo has yet to make his debut after signing from Brentford for £72m on the eve of the tour, and although he and Cunha expected to be the first choice No.10s, there will be plenty of opportunities for the others with captain Fernandes expected to start deeper more often.
Ruben Amorim ran some tactical experiments as he seeks to get the most out of his United men
Bruno Fernandes was asked to play deeper alongside Casemiro, which may help them get more attacking talents in the side
United were demanding with their press and often won the ball high up due to their intensity
Matheus Cunha was forced to sit out the match due to being fatigued, but should be back soon
Downpour drives away fans
There were none of the thunderstorms that caused such havoc at the Club World Cup in the US this summer, but a torrential second-half downpour dampened the mood inside Soldier Field and sent hundreds of fans running for the concourses.
It’s not like they weren’t warned after a day of rain in Chicago and brooding skies overhead beforehand. Many came wearing ponchos to keep put the showers which started falling again in the first half. But the heavens really opened after half-time as rain sheeted across the pitch and onto supporters who have no cover at all in this stadium.
They sought sanctuary inside and many will have missed seeing United’s third and fourth goals by Amad Diallo and Ethan Williams. The 61,500-capacity arena was only half full as it was, but there were thousands of empty seats by the end.
Fans were forced to brave the storm – but eventually many couldn’t brave it and left their seats
Patrick Dorgu finished as man of the match with a goal and an assist for Hojlund
Dorgu shines
A good night for Patrick Dorgu who got an assist for the first goal and scored the second at Soldier Field to finish with the man-of-the-match award.
It wasn’t the ideal introduction to English football for Dorgu, joining United in the January transfer window midway through the club’s worst season in more than half a century.
The Dane, who cost £25m from Italian side Lecce, may have been the right wing-back Ruben Amorim wanted for his 3-4-2-1 system, but that mattered little when he was coming into a team on a shocking run of form and short on confidence.
Dorgu won’t be the only United player looking forward to making a fresh start this season, and the signs are good after he crossed for Hojlund’s opener and then fired United further ahead with his first goal for the club. Amorim will be wanting more of the same.
