Week five arrived and the positive early impressions made by the two Manchester clubs were reinforced as they scored 10 goals between them and conceded none. They now sit atop the table together, separated only by alphabetical order with identical records.
The style in which they have arrived at this point has been subtly different, with United particularly adept at running up the score late in games. Nine goals in the last 10 minutes of just five games is an impressive run of form that could well reflect the strength of options Jose Mourinho has to bring off the bench, but the Romelu Lukaku factor also looms large.
It was evident on Sunday, when Wayne Rooney - albeit after a decent performance - was substituted having run his race by the 82nd minute. Witnessing him walking around ineffectively as time wore on meant his withdrawal had become necessary. It offered a stark reminder that, at 31 years old and with a lot of football in his legs, Rooney can no longer offer 90 minutes of relentless energy. Perhaps this was at least part of the reason why Mourinho allowed him to fall down the pecking order last season.
The contrast with Lukaku is notable. In the eight minutes plus injury time after Rooney’s substitution, United scored three times, with the Belgian netting one and providing an assist by bamboozling Everton’s defence on the run, before showcasing his vision to spot the pass to the open Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
This continues on from a highly successful run of form late in games during his final season at Everton, in which he scored eight times in the last 10 minutes of league games. This total is two more than any other Premier League player across the last four campaign. Already he has added another two late goals this term, and woe betide any defence that feels it has done its job and can coast through the final minutes against United. On the evidence of the opening weeks, that is when they are at their strongest.
Another aspect in which Lukaku has impressed is his increased shot volume. The logic is sound enough; you imagine spearheading this Manchester United team should offer more opportunities than that of playing up front for Everton. In this limited run of games (albeit against teams that United have dominated) it has followed exactly that expectation.
Lukaku has averaged well over four shots per game so far, up from last year’s rate of just over three. It might sound like a small increase, but the difference between good and great can be decided by those players who are able to get their volumes right into the elite levels. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi regularly take more shots than anybody else in Europe, and it follows that they score more goals than most too. It is early days for sure, but five goals in five league games - backing up a season in which he scored 25 - suggests Lukaku was as sure a bet as they come.
Elsewhere in the league, Leicester are quietly going about their business, but still looking far more like their 2016/17 iteration than their 2015/16 selves. A tricky opening set of fixtures brought tough trips to Old Trafford and the Emirates and a visit from Chelsea. There was no shame in losing all three, but in each of the matches they were firmly outplayed and failed to limit their opposition’s shooting effectively.
Perhaps more concerning was the timidity of their 1-1 draw at Huddersfield. They did not create a single central close chance in open play and their only shot on target was their equalising penalty. Against a promoted team, more is rightly expected. Leicester’s away form in 2016/17 was pretty woeful - only three teams collected fewer than their 10 points on the road - and it is something they will need to remedy quickly if they have a genuine chance of re-establishing themselves in the top half of the table.
It is also unlikely that they will be able to continue to rely on half of their shots on target becoming goals (7/14). That rate leads the league so far and will inevitably come down, with long-term rates of 40% usually a season high. Sure, it’s only a goal or two at this stage, but Craig Shakespeare has yet to prove that his tenure has actually improved the team - it could be argued that he merely enjoyed the transient benefits of an unsustainable run of form last term.
Numbers via InStat
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