3-0 is an important score line in Louis Van Gaal's career. At Bayern Munich it was a 3-0 win over Hannover that triggered a nine game win streak which catapulted the Bundesliga giants to the title. It was followed by a 4-0 decimation of Juventus as Bayern reached the final of the Champions League.
At Manchester United the win over Tottenham Hotspurs with the same margin seems to have triggered a similar upswing in fortunes.
While it is premature to suggest that United will go unbeaten from here till end of the season, and the title is surely Chelsea's to lose, the Red Devils have played like a different team since the FA cup defeat to Arsenal.
The team looks much more balanced and the Dutchman's favoured 4-3-3 set up finally seems to have settled with the players. The movement is fluid, passing smoother and attack carries distinct venom.
In fact, the 2-1 score line against Liverpool does not do United justice. Rooney's penalty should have made it 3-1 and if it wasn't for an error by Angel Di Maria the Evertonian would have scored from open play.
The Sturridge goal too was United's own making. Carrick dawdling on the ball for a bit too long, Blind slipping during build up and an uncanny miss from David De Gea.
Too often have fans and experts criticized Van Gaal's system for placid possession saying it lacks a cutting edge. The last two games- with Mata in the thick of it- United's attack has looked much more threatening.
Gary Neville summed it up accurately.
"I think it's a significant day, I really do. Significant not just because Manchester United have won, but their performance."
That is the big difference. Everyone was waiting for United to start dominating the games. They did, sporadically. They had fleeting periods of sterile domination over mid table teams.
Over the last two wins however, United have looked Ferguson-esque in their play. Van Gaal's football philosophy is nothing like the Scot's but he has the same arrogance as the former Old Trafford boss. His team is now reflecting the same arrogance on the field.
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