Man United pummels Fenerbahce 4-1 in rehearsal for Chelsea showdown (Video)

Manchester United’s attacking outburst was well-timed. After the arid 0-0 tie with Liverpool on Monday, in which the Red Devils produced practically nothing, and two more games before that in which they got just one goal apiece, United scored four goals against Fenerbahce on Thursday.

World-record signing Paul Pogba got two, Anthony Martial bagged another and Jesse Lingard got the fourth in the Europa League group stage rout, which got United’s continental campaign back on track. Mourinho’s men had lost their European opener to Feyenoord and barely beaten Ukrainian nobodies Zorya Luhansk 1-0. After three games, they now share the lead in Group A with Feyenoord.

[ Europa League: See Inter Milan’s wonder goal | Scoreboard | Standings ]

The 4-1 victory was tied for the club’s largest of the year, matching the beatdown of defending Premier League champion Leicester City on Sept. 24. And United did it with a diluted lineup against a pedestrian Turkish side, which did boast one-time Red Devil striker Robin van Persie, now 33, in its lineup.

The Red Devils controlled the game from the first whistle, although it took some time to convert that dominance into danger. Fenerbahce’s own mistakes would put the hosts ahead, though. After half an hour, Juan Mata brought down a long ball beautifully and was summarily bundled over by defender Simon Kjaer.

After the world’s slowest run-up, Pogba smashed home the penalty.

A few minutes later, Mata dispatched Martial, who was brought down in the box by Sener. The young French striker took the spot kick himself and scored to the same corner to make it 2-0.

On the brink of halftime, a lovely United attack culminated in Lingard creating room for Pogba with a shrewd setup. The Frenchman whipped in the third goal with a stupendous strike.

Pogba and Lingard marked the occasion by combining for their first weird goal celebration of the game.

Right after halftime, they displayed their second. Pogba played in Wayne Rooney, who laid the ball off for Lingard. The academy product’s scorching shot made it four.

And thus followed the second, overly-orchestrated celebration with Pogba.

Van Persie would get a sentimental goal to save the Turks’ honor in the 83rd minute, when he scored from close range on Emmanuel Emenike’s cross. Old Trafford gave its one-time favorite an ovation for his effort, seeing as it didn’t much matter in the game’s outcome.

Because it was a feel-good night for United, which would muster a few more looks late on as the substitutes injected some energy and hunger into the proceedings. Most of all, though, it was a heartening performance with an eye on Sunday. After scoring just twice in three games, United urgently needed to break out of its attacking slump as it prepared for its big showdown with Chelsea on Sunday, when Mourinho will return to Stamford Bridge.

When he faces the club that he turned into English champions three times, but where the team turned on him last season, he’ll need his talented but mercurial forward line to deliver. And a few extra goals never hurt anybody’s confidence.

Leander Schaerlaeckens is a soccer columnist for Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @LeanderAlphabet.

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