Mason Greenwood scored twice and Bruno Fernandes produced another midfield masterclass as Manchester United crushed struggling Bournemouth 5-2 at Old Trafford on Saturday.
After surprisingly falling behind to Junior Stanislas' 15th-minute opener, United hit back through Greenwood, before Marcus Rashford gave the hosts the lead from the penalty spot.
Anthony Martial then made it 3-1 just before half-time with a delightful curling effort from the edge of the area.
Bournemouth briefly got themselves back in the game after the interval when Joshua King slotted home a penalty following a handball from Eric Bailly, who had only been on the pitch for four minutes.
However, United swiftly dashed the away side's hopes of a comeback when Greenwood lashed in a fierce shot five minutes later.
Fernandes, who already had two assists to his name, then made it five with a classy free-kick on the edge of the area.
Rashford, who scored his 20th goal of the season and first since the Premier League returned from the three-month coronavirus lockdown, said there is plenty of optimism at United, who have won six and drawn two of their past eight league games, while also reaching the FA Cup semi-finals.
"The lads enjoyed it today. Definitely exciting times," the England striker, 22, told BT Sport. "It doesn't matter who scores as long as we are scoring and picking up points in the table.
"It is always positive for teams if their forwards are scoring. It is important now to push on until the end of the season."
Rashford reserved special praise for Greenwood, who once again showed why he is regarded as such an exciting talent.
"Left foot, right foot he can finish. Both sides are comfortable for him," he said. "I don't want to put too much emphasis on him, just let him play his football and that he is what he does. It is a big bonus to have him in the squad."
United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer agreed with Rashford's assessment of Greenwood, telling BT Sport: "He is a fantastic goalscorer. The moment he chose the goal, they were very important moments for us. He is a very, very talented boy and we will nurture him and manage him as best we can."
While it was a day to savour for United, it was another worrying result for Bournemouth, who have now lost five league games in a row and seven of their past eight.
Second-bottom of the table with five games remaining, time is running out for Eddie Howe to reverse his side's fortunes, but the Bournemouth manager insists they will keep on fighting.
"I thought we were a genuine threat in the game. I didn't see that result coming after our start in the match," he told the BBC.
"It is a real test of our inner strength to bounce back from the run of results. I saw signs today the attacking side our game is still there.
"We are in a negative cycle and we need to break that quickly."
