Manchester United mastered Erik ten Hag's style with 14 passes

The extended highlights do not do Manchester United's opening goal against Sheriff justice. The ball was worked from left to right and there were at least 11 passes before Jadon Sancho received the ball inside the area. In total, 14 passes preceded Sancho's 17th-minute goal.

United were exclusively dependent on the counter-attack in the defeat of Arsenal in their last Premier League game and it procured the winner against Liverpool. They have primarily mastered the proactive play Erik ten Hag favours in pre-season and Chisinau in the Europa League is not an acid test.

"You see we can play between the lines and we adapted our game and we scored a great goal," Ten Hag said, "and from that moment on we dictated the game total."

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It serves as a benchmark going forward, although that idealism might be tempered at the Etihad in 16 days' time. That is another fixture where United may rely on breakaways, as they have done against City in the past, particularly if Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial regain fitness.

Ten Hag is unlikely to entertain comparisons with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, so tactically limited he barely evolved in nearly three years as United manager. City will not scent blood as they did at Old Trafford last year as Ten Hag is bound to resist a panicky reversion to a defensive trident, a trademark of Solskjaer's against the elite.

Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez were paired together less than a month ago and already have the makings of a long-term matrimony. Martinez, confrontational in the first minute against Liverpool, is the fire to Varane's ice.

"The reason (for another clean sheet) is we were good in possession and we defended very well," Ten Hag