Manchester United Find Some of Their Old Swagger in Crushing Win over QPR

OLD TRAFFORD, MANCHESTER—As the clocked ticked down at Old Trafford on Sunday, the fans in the Stretford End went through their song sheet.

They sang about Eric Cantona and Denis Law. They paid tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo and Roy Keane. It was the sound of the supporters enjoying themselves. And it had been missing for quite a while.

The last 20 minutes of the game against Queens Park Rangers was something of a non-event. But even that was a welcome change of pace. 

The points already belonged to Manchester United. Only the scoreline was left to be decided. It used to happen regularly at Old Trafford. Comfortable wins were the norm.

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But that's not been the case for a while now. Home games last season were often a struggle. They would end with the fans singing in defiance rather than celebration. Sunday was a return to the good old days. 

It was the latest fresh start in a season of fresh starts, but United finally took advantage of this one.

The transfer window is closed, the rumour and speculation at an end, at least for now. The squad Louis van Gaal has at his disposal will now not change until January at the earliest. 

These are the players who have been tasked with getting United back into the Champions League, perhaps even mounting a title challenge.

It is too early to say how they will fare. But it was a good start. 

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Angel Di Maria has been overshadowed somewhat by the arrival of Radamel Falcao. And while the Colombian striker got a raucous reception when he came off the bench in the 67th minute against QPR, it was a day that belonged to the Argentinian.

He is the most expensive player in the club's history. The most expensive player in British football history. 

But the 26-year-old put in a performance that suggested we might look upon his £59.7 million fee as a bargain in the not too distant future.

He has got the fans excited again. And his arrival, plus those of Falcao, Daley Blind, Luke Shaw, Ander Herrera and Marcos Rojo, means United again have a squad to rival the best in Europe. It's been a long time since they could say that.

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The forward line, in particular, is one that you can see winning games anywhere. The fans looked on trips to the Etihad Stadium, Anfield and Stamford Bridge with dread last season. But not anymore. Not on this evidence. 

The 4-0 win over QPR was a glimpse into the future. As the injury list clears and the new signings settle in, they should only get better.

But it was also a nod to the past: A time when United made a habit of flattening teams just because they could. 

And given what has happened over the last 12 months, it's something that's certainly worth singing about.