West Brom vs. Manchester United: Score, Reaction from 2016 Premier League Match

Manchester United grabbed their third consecutive win in the Premier League on Saturday, beating West Bromwich Albion 2-0 thanks to a brace from Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The Swedish veteran gave the visitors an early lead with a powerful header and doubled his tally after the break, leading United to the win.

As United's official Twitter account shared, Wayne Rooney was a surprise starter on Saturday:

West Brom kicked things off and saw plenty of possession in the opening minutes. But with their first chance of the match, the visitors took the lead. Jesse Lingard found Ibrahimovic with a perfect cross, and the Swede headed home at the back post.

Former England international Gary Lineker liked what he saw:

The Baggies didn't let the setback spoil their solid intentions. Jonas Olsson nearly tied things up two minutes after the first goal, powering a header wide. On the other side of the pitch, Ibrahimovic thought he was on his way to a second goal, only for the linesman to raise his flag.

The pace of the match settled after a quick first 10 minutes, and chances became few. Rooney went close with a superb strike, finding the crossbar with some help from goalkeeper Ben Foster.

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Ibrahimovic was booked for a needless foul on Craig Dawson, and Matt Phillips almost created a chance for himself with a nifty move. The Baggies man found Salomon Rondon with an excellent cross shortly after, but the in-form striker missed his header, glancing the ball wide.

Per Squawka Football, United were struggling in attack:

Phillips couldn't take advantage of a defensive mistake, snatching a loose ball but missing the target with his shot. Despite some late West Brom pressure, the last good chance of the half fell to United, with Lingard firing over from a promising position.

Rondon grew more and more frustarted as the second half wore on, as the forward found no space against Phil Jones. When he finally did, Paul Pogba immediately brought him down, but the resulting free-kick yielded no results.

The Frenchman tried his luck from range before Ibrahimovic struck again, with his shot taking a deflection off Gareth McAuley before beating the goalkeeper. Per WhoScored.com, the Swede has been in great form:

The second goal effectively killed all of the momentum West Brom had built in the second half, and the Baggies resorted to aggressive play rather than attacking. United responded in kind, with Lingard, Rondon and Marcos Rojo all booked in a matter of minutes.

Another long-range effort from Pogba was easily gathered by Foster, while Phillips had a shot blocked.

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With 15 minutes left to play, the Baggies visibly ran out of steam, and United's defence barely came under pressure. Substitute Jonathan Leko did his best to turn the tide, but his team-mates no longer seemed interested in helping.

Per United's official Twitter account, manager Jose Mourinho was delighted with his players' efforts:

United's next outing will be against Sunderland on Boxing Day, while West Brom will face Arsenal.