Swansea 1-3 Manchester United: Zlatan Ibrahimovic breaks barren goalscoring spell with double after Paul Pogba silences doubters with superb opener

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So even when Manchester United win, it seems they lose. This was a victory both convincing and thoroughly deserved. The scoreline did not reflect their dominance over a wretched Swansea team.

There was a super goal from Paul Pogba, two from the hitherto barren Zlatan Ibrahimovic and a fine performance from Wayne Rooney. So three points and some ground made up on Arsenal and Manchester City at least.

All good? No, not quite. Enter manager Jose Mourinho with a metaphorical hand grenade. Some of his players are not prepared to play through pain, he said. They are not a good fit for his culture, for the Manchester United culture. Stand back and watch it blow. 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic celebrates his goal with a Kung Fu kick while team-mates Juan Mata and Phil Jones look on 

Ibrahimovic, who had failed to score in any of his last six games, drives the ball into the net from outside the area

Paul Pogba opens the scoring with a delightful strike from long range to give Manchester United an early lead

Pogba kisses his gloves as he celebrates his impressive goal against Bob Bradley's struggling Swansea side

MATCH FACTS, RATINGS, PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE AND MATCH ZONE

SWANSEA (4-4-2): Fabianski 5.5; Rangel 5, Van der Hoorn 6, Mawson 6, Kingsley 5.5; Routledge 4 (Barrow 46mins, 5.5), Britton 5 (Fer 70, 5), Ki 5, Sigurdsson 5.5;  Borja Baston 5, Llorente 4 (Montero 46, 5)

Subs not used: Amat, Nordfeldt, Cork, Naughton

Goal: Van der Hoorn 69 

MANCHESTER UNITED (4-3-3): De Gea 6; Young 6, Jones 6.5, Rojo 6.5, Darmian 6; Carrick 7, Fellaini 6.5, Pogba 6.5 (Fosu-Mensah 90+4); Mata 6.5 (Lingard 82), Rooney 8 (Schneiderlin 89), Ibrahimovic 7.5

Subs not used: Martial, Blind, Rashford, Romero

Goals: Pogba 15, Ibrahimovic 21, 33

Booked: Mata, Ibrahimovic  

Referee: Neil Swarbrick

Attendance: 20,938 

Ratings by Mike Keegan 

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Here's how Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored his first goal of the afternoon - click HERE for more of our brilliant Match Zone

It would appear Mourinho was talking about defenders Chris Smalling and Luke Shaw. Smalling, who played in the 4-0 defeat by Chelsea recently after two painkilling injections in his foot. Shaw, not long recovered from a broken leg.

Against that background, and even by Mourinho’s own standards, these were extraordinary words. They were words that meant by the time the United bus headed out of Swansea, another fire was burning right in the heart of United’s season, a fire started deliberately by their manager.

People will not now talk about this game, they will talk about this. From Mourinho it is a tactic fraught with danger. At Chelsea last time round, Mourinho took on his players and lost. What is he endeavouring to achieve this time?

What is clear is that the United manager is reaching some conclusions about life at Old Trafford. After 11 Premier League games and a handful of Europa League fixtures, he has obviously seen too many things he does not like. 

Manchester United chief Ed Woodward throws his hand in the air following Pogba's goal while Jose Mourinho stays cool

Fabianski dives in vain as Pogba's strike flies past him and into the back of his net with just 15 minutes on the clock

Where he goes from here will, as always, be dictated largely by results but post-match he maybe missed a trick.

This was actually one of his better days as United manager. Despite an afternoon spent in the stands courtesy of recent issues with the FA, Mourinho picked a perfect team for what could have been a difficult game.

His side responded with a disciplined, professional performance. There was something to build on, or so it seemed. Instead he has started to remove bricks from his squad’s foundations.

Swansea coach Bob Bradley will be relieved at least. In South Wales the hopeless nature of his team’s performance will be picked over. It is one point from four games on his watch. But in a wider context, his team’s part in what happened at the Liberty Stadium will sink to sub-plot level. Certainly the American will hope so. 

The former Juventus man looks to the sky following his 15th minute strike, his fourth goal since rejoining Manchester United

Pogba beats the Manchester United badge as he wheels away in celebration alongside Michael Carrick and Matteo Darmian

Watching Swansea, in the first half particularly, explained completely Mourinho’s team selection. No pace, just bodies. Big bodies.

Swansea are a physically small team lacking in fundamental fight so this United team was able to impose itself with ease. With that came territory and after that came the kind of precise, controlled football that players of this calibre are able to play if given sufficient time and space by the opposition.

Maybe this sounds like faint praise. It shouldn’t do because it isn’t.

United were given a clear plan by their manager and executed it perfectly. That is how you win a match, especially when you are short on form and inspiration yourselves. 

Pogba is surrounded by his team-mates as the likes of Jones and Michael Carrick join in on the celebrations

Ibrahimovic shoots at goal to score his second goal as Swansea midfielder Ki Sung-yueng fails to close the striker down

Jones, who was making his first appearance of the season, shares a joke with Ibrahimovic after evading the striker's kick

Pogba scored an excellent early goal and Ibrahimovic his first two in the Premier League since early September. There could have been others, too. Rooney, meanwhile, enjoyed his best game for a long time while Michael Carrick was also excellent. Oddly, this was Carrick’s first Premier League start this season.

Pogba’s goal was brilliant, a sizzling volley with his right foot from the edge of the area in the 15th minute. The strike was so pure that the ball hardly even rotated. Lukasz Fabianski in the Swansea goal may have done better with United’s second goal but with the first he had no chance at all.

It was a goal that ended the contest, too. Swansea had nothing to offer. No bravery, no honesty, no application. To all intent and purposes they did not exist. 

Swansea boss Bradley shows his disappointment on the touchline while Rui Faria celebrates Manchester United's third goal

Ibrahimovic pokes home from close range to score his second goal and Manchester United's third at the Liberty Stadium

Fabianski is unable to get his hand on Ibrahimovic's close-range finish as the Swede makes it 3-0 before the half-time break

Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney gives Ibrahimovic a celebratory hug after the former PSG man scored his second

That was not United’s problem and they eased forward. They were short on flair at times but were long on common sense and direction.

After Thursday’s Europe League horror against Fenerbahce in Istanbul, that was what was required and when Swansea failed dismally to close down Ibrahimovic in the 22nd minute the Swede’s low shot from 18 yards was too strong for Fabianski’s right hand.

Ibrahimovic was to score again before the break. This time the challenge from Angel Rangel was too weak to trouble him as he moved on to Rooney’s neat pass. Subsequently he had all the time in the world to beat the Swansea goalkeeper. 

Mourinho gesticulates from the stands as he is flanked by his coaches while assistant Faria takes control from the touchline

Swansea defender Mike van der Hoorn (centre) heads the ball past Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea

Ibrahimovic will miss his side's next match against Arsenal as he picked up his fifth booking of the domestic campaign

With so long still to go, humiliation beckoned for Swansea. They would have deserved it, too. But in an atmosphere of such compliancy United could not maintain their levels and Swansea actually managed to score with a header from Mike van der Hoorn with 20 minutes of the game remaining.

There was the time for a comeback but seemingly not the will. Swansea were booed off at the end and it is unlikely to be the last time.

As for United, a day that went well ended strangely. Mourinho seemed to want to say more before a United press official ushered him away. For once, he may be glad of that.