Juan Mata Says 'Hope Renewed' After Manchester United's 4-0 Win over Chelsea

Juan Mata has said "there were a lot of positives" from Manchester United's 4-0 win over Chelsea on Sunday, and the Red Devils "have hope renewed" from the result.

The Red Devils finished the 2018-19 campaign in dreadful fashion, finishing sixth in the Premier League following a five-game winless run to close out the season.

They made some key signings over the summer, bringing in Daniel James, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire.

It was widely felt, though, that they had left themselves short in attack and midfield, especially with the deadline-day departure of Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan.

However, United started the 2019-20 campaign in emphatic fashion as they thrashed Chelsea thanks to a Marcus Rashford double and goals from Anthony Martial and James:

Mata, 31, said United did not necessarily deserve the lopsided scoreline, but he added it has given Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side a big boost, per the club's official website:

"It's the start of a new Premier League season and, as always, at this stage of the campaign, we have hope renewed. After agreeing to a new contract with the club [to 2021] and a very positive pre-season in every sense of the word, yesterday we started the league off on the right foot. It's true that the final scoreline was probably a little flattering for what happened out on the pitch itself, but the general feeling is that we had a great second half and scored our goals at key moments.

"Chelsea started well, dominating and having some chances, but in the end we took the three points, kept a clean sheet and there were a lot of positives. For example, the debuts for Harry, Aaron and Daniel (who scored as well).

"They have adapted very quickly to the rest of the team and I am sure they are going to offer us a lot. It was the perfect way to start and the atmosphere at Old Trafford was fantastic. Hopefully we’ll enjoy a lot of afternoons like this one over the coming months."

One of the most disappointing aspects of United's campaign in 2018-19 was how porous their defence was.

They conceded 54 goals in the English top flight, an ignominious club record in the Premier League era:

And even the previously infallible David de Gea struggled late on in the campaign.

The Spanish goalkeeper looked sharp against Chelsea, making some fine saves when the visitors were on top, and perhaps most gratifyingly, the four defenders in front of him looked like a coherent unit.

Maguire was particularly impressive on his United debut following his £80 million switch from Leicester City:

Despite Sunday's fine result, there are likely few United fans envisaging a genuine title run this term as Solskjaer's squad is still lacking in several areas.

If they can continue to impress defensively, though, that will go a long way to United breaking back into the Premier League's top four, and the midfield and attack can be addressed in future transfer windows.