United played with a smile against Cardiff, and whatever happens dull football is unlikely to be the Norwegian’s undoing

Ole Gunnar Solskjær looked natty in club suit and tie as he posed for pre-game photographs, then he sat on the bench and had to wait precisely three minutes and three seconds to see the opening goal of his Manchester United tenure.

The Norwegian pumped both fists after Cardiff’s wall could do nothing to stop Marcus Rashford’s swerving effort from flying past Neil Etheridge in the home goal, then hugged his No 2, Mike Phelan, as Michael Carrick watched alongside them. Television pictures cut to Ed Woodward, the executive vice‑chairman, grinning in the posh seats. If Solskjær’s brief is to return thrills-and-spills fantasy football to United – and afterwards Wayne Rooney said he had texted his former teammate along these lines – then this was a dream start.

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An early task here had been to read the 45-year-old’s first team sheet and look for the name of Paul Pogba. After being omitted from the XI by José Mourinho for three of his last four outings, the Frenchman was included.

Solskjær said of him: “I think he brings what he can, he’s a quality player. But that’s the same with all of them. I’ve worked with Paul before and enjoyed the two days we’ve had and will enjoy working with him and the rest of them in the next four or five months. Paul is capable of playing as an 8, as a 10, as a 6.”

Mourinho’s replacement did not appear for the warm-up, instead leaving Phelan to monitor the session at a venue that carried unhappy memories for the Norwegian: he oversaw the Bluebirds’ relegation to the Championship in 2014, with a 2-1 defeat here to Chelsea on the final day condemning them to last place.

The 1999 European Cup hero is the fifth manager of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era and the second interim pick. In David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Mourinho, Woodward hired three permanent No 1s who all adhered to a stultifying, pragmatism-first ethos. Only Solskjær’s predecessor as caretaker, Ryan Giggs, in his four matches after Moyes’s removal, had suggested via selection and style a comprehension of how United have to perform.

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Like Solskjær, Phelan and Carrick played under Ferguson, who embodied the club’s ethos. So it felt natural to see the temporary manager engaging in tactical powwows with Carrick on the bench and Phelan urging the team to defend a higher line. More eyebrow-raising was how United doubled their lead: a 30-yard Ander Herrera effort deflected off Greg Cunningham which means the Spaniard has now equalled last season’s tally of two goals.

At half-time the travelling support were in a Solskjær-wonderland. Victor Camarasa’s 38th-minute penalty had given Cardiff a foothold but a sweet one-touch move ended in Anthony Martial’s ninth goal of the season.

Too much can be read into a single 45 minutes but there was a discernible strut and swagger as United moved Neil Warnock’s men about and controlled ball and contest. The interesting thing now was to see if Solskjær would instruct his charges to keep their foot on the throttle.

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The answer would surely be a resounding yes and the way United moved deep into home territory at the start of the second half was an initial affirmation. One slick no-look Pogba pass that put Rashford in behind reinforced the sense and then Jesse Lingard killed any lingering doubt. For the first time in recent memory he ran with the ball and dribbled, a surge that took the No 14 into the area and over for a penalty. Lingard smashed it home to further ease the pain caused by the troubled Mourinho reign.

Lingard’s second made this the most perfect of nights for United. The last time they scored five in the Premier League was in Ferguson’s final match, the 5-5 draw against West Brom, or, as Solskjær quipped: “Mick Phelan’s last game”.

United now face Huddersfield and Bournemouth at home, before a trip to Newcastle and then Reading’s visit in the FA Cup. By the time Solskjær’s side arrive at Wembley to take on Tottenham on 13 January a clearer picture will have formed on where United are heading. These are early days but it seems he will not fail as a result of playing the snooze-fest football that turned so many supporters off his predecessor.

As he said: “It’s a great start and we are going to enjoy the next couple of days but Boxing Day is coming and nothing is history quicker than a football game, so there are still things to work on. But they grasped some of the ideas very quickly. The attitude has been fantastic.”