Manchester United aces Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez and Robin van Persie led their side to a 3-2 win over Stoke City in the Premier League on Saturday at Old Trafford.
However, the report mentioned that even in victory, and even with a fight back reminiscent of former manager Sir Alex Ferguson's glory years, United looked far from their championship-winning form of last season.
According to Sport24, Van Persie marked his 50th start for the club with his 38th goal in the 43rd minute, cancelling out a Peter Crouch opener, only for Marko Arnautovic to restore Stoke's lead just before the interval with his goal.
However, the report mentioned that Hernandez, a second-half substitute, struck 10 minutes from time to bring United three sorely-needed points just two minutes after Rooney's well-judged glancing header into the top-left corner at the 78th minute.
United had started the game with an apparent spring in their step after a midweek success over Real Sociedad in the Champions League, the report added.