3 minute read
Ralf Rangnick liked what he saw in his first game in charge of Manchester United while Tottenham and Aston Villa also won in the Premier League.
Ralf Rangnick is already working his magic at Manchester United with the 63-year-old German leading England's biggest club into a game for the first time on Sunday and his imprint was all over an unfussy 1-0 win over Crystal Palace.
The game ended with a chant of "We love you Rangnick, we do" by home fans toward their interim manager who is sometimes referred to as the "Godfather of Gegenpressing."
Indeed, United's players pressed high and hard in a tweaked 4-2-2-2 formation, with even the 36-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo showing a work ethic that belied his age.
"Cristiano Ronaldo's work off the ball, chapeau," Rangnick said with a smile.
But it wasn't world soccer's most prolific scorer who clinched the hard-fought win to kick off the latest new era at United since Alex Ferguson's retirement eight years ago.
That honour fell to Fred, the oft-maligned Brazil midfielder whose work rate and endeavour is likely to make him a key member of Rangnick's line-up, who calmly curled in a finish from the edge of the area with his weaker right foot.
United's defence eked out only its third clean sheet of the season in the league to complete a satisfying first game for Rangnick
"Overall I am more than happy. I was positively surprised by the physical state and intensity," Rangnick said.
"I didn't expect them to play on that kind of level after such a short time."
United jumped up to sixth place and have a friendly league schedule in the coming weeks - starting with a trip to bottom side Norwich next weekend.
Another manager who has had a successful start at a Premier League team is Antonio Conte.
A 3-0 victory over Norwich was routine but didn't contain any goal involvement from Harry Kane, who has managed just one goal and one assist all season.
A brilliant Lucas Moura strike and goals from Davinson Sanchez and Son Heung-min ensured Spurs made it three wins and a draw in four league games under Conte - to sit fifth just two points off fourth-place West Ham United with a game in hand.
The new-manager bounce is in full force at Aston Villa, too, under Steven Gerrard after a 2-1 comeback win over Leicester City.
It's now three victories in four games for Villa since the arrival of the former Liverpool midfielder who will make an emotional return to his boyhood club next weekend.
Gerrard will do so with his team having climbed into the top half after rallying for a win at Villa Park thanks to two goals by centre back Ezri Konsa, in the 17th and 54th minutes after Harvey Barnes put the Foxes ahead in the 14th.
Meanwhile, Patrick Bamford netted an equaliser in the fifth minute of added time to earn Leeds United a 2-2 home draw with Brentford.
