The fifth goal was the one that really mattered. It was the 90th minute, the game had in effect been over for more than half an hour, but when Jesse Lingard rolled the ball into an empty net, after gliding around Neil Etheridge, the Cardiff goalkeeper, the significance of the scoreline was lost on nobody. This was the first time that United have scored five goals in the Premier League since Sir Alex Ferguson’s last game in charge.

Not a bad way, in other words, for Ole Gunnar Solskjær to get his reign as temporary manager up and running as United rediscovered their swagger of old with a victory that was every bit as convincing as the result suggests. Freeflowing, re-energised and liberated, United swept Cardiff aside with ruthless efficiency on a night when the Norwegian’s name was sung loud and clear throughout the game.

Solskjær brings back Manchester United’s swagger – and Paul Pogba | Jamie Jackson Read more

It was startling to see the transformation in United’s attacking play at times and, perhaps more than anything, the way in which confidence returned to a group of players who looked unrecognisable from the team that has toiled under José Mourinho for so much of this season.

Paul Pogba, who was restored to the starting lineup, had a hand in three goals. Lingard scored twice, Anthony Martial finished off a lovely one-touch move, Ander Herrera got his name on the scoresheet and Marcus Rashford registered the first goal of the Solskjær era with only 183 seconds on the clock.

Solskjær could not have wished for a better start in that respect and even when Victor Camarasa converted a penalty to halve the deficit, there was never really any danger that United were going to loosen their grip on the game. “The attitude of the players was fantastic,” Solskjær said. “To get the focus and perform as well as they did impressed me.”

Cardiff, it has to be said, were obliging opponents. Neil Warnock described their defending as “Sunday League” and from United’s point of view it will take a lot more than a victory over a relegation-threatened team to provide evidence that the club are back on track. At the same time it was easy to understand the scenes at the final whistle, when Solskjær and the United players gathered in front of the jubilant travelling supporters to celebrate what felt like a landmark win.

As well as being dominant in possession and putting together some lovely attacking moves, particularly in the lead up to Martial’s goal, it was noticeable how Solskjær’s players snapped into tackles and matched Cardiff physically. “One of the things I talked about today was that a Man United team should never be outworked,” Solskjær said. “If you run more than them, then your skills will give you a chance to win the game.”

Play Video 0:57 'It makes you proud': Solskjær reacts after winning start at Manchester United – video

Solskjær, who spent nine largely forgettable months in charge of Cardiff in 2014, was booed on arrival as he stepped off the United team bus but it was the away fans who were making all the noise as soon as the match started, fuelled by the sight of a club legend in the dugout and their team scoring twice inside the opening half an hour.

Rashford was about 25 yards out when he struck the free-kick that swerved and dipped before finding the net, leaving Etheridge rooted to the spot. Warnock was deeply unimpressed with that goal, presumably because of the way in which Harry Arter and Callum Paterson parted to leave a huge space for Rashford to strike the ball in between.

United’s second was laced with good fortune as Herrera, receiving a square pass from Pogba about 30 yards out, accepted the invitation to shoot as space opened up invitingly in front of him. The Spaniard’s rising right-foot effort took a significant deflection off Greg Cunningham and the ball looped into the top corner.

Mauricio Pochettino’s big dilemma: United job his if he wants it | Paul Wilson Read more

Cardiff had not managed a shot on target at that point but that changed when Rashford was penalised for handball. The United striker was bitterly unhappy with the decision, claiming he controlled the ball with a combination of his chest and shoulder, but Camarasa emphatically dispatched his penalty kick and suddenly it was a game on. Or so we thought.

Within three minutes United had doubled their advantage again with a goal of the highest quality. In a blur of one-touch passing and fluid movement, Martial, Pogba and Lingard carved Cardiff open. Martial finished what he started, coolly placing a low shot past Etheridge and United were in total control once again. “It was exhilarating to watch and as long as they keep that standard up we’ll pick up points,” Solskjær said.

Lingard then added the fourth via a penalty, after Sol Bamba was adjudged to have tripped him, before going on to complete the rout when he ran on to Pogba’s measured pass.

Warnock was probably right when he implied that Cardiff were their own worst enemies at times but he still found a positive. “If you’d told me at the start of the season that we’d be out of the bottom three at Christmas, I’d have snatched your hand off,” he said.