Image source, Getty Images

Ole Gunnar might not have dreamt about how this match panned out, but if he had then it would have been like this.

Five goals, renewed confidence, more unity.

If cheap Danish lagers did first game in charge of Manchester United...

Thanks for your company this evening. Night!

Solskjaer says it was an easy decision to bring Paul Pogba back into the United team: "I think he brings what he can, he’s a quality player. But that’s the same with all of them. I’ve worked with Paul before and enjoyed the two days we’ve had and will enjoy working with him and the rest of them in the next four or five months.

"Rashford has that bend, he can shoot. And of course it is a great start. The second goal was deflected but still a good goal. But the reaction after the penalty, I thought that was brilliant. First Paul plays Luke Shaw though and we almost score then Martial scores. That was an important moment in the game.

"They are good players, and we knew today we are not going to beat Cardiff if this becomes a fight because they are better than us at that, they are bigger than us. If the ball is up in the air we need to get it down, pass it quickly, move quickly, and the third goal was different class.

"It’s a great start and we are going to enjoy the next couple of days but boxing day is coming and nothing is history quicker than a football game, so there are still things to work on but they grasped some of the ideas very quickly.

"We’ll take it one game at a time, but I’ll enjoy tonight."

Manchester United

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer speaking to BBC Sport:

"I’ve got to be honest I didn’t dream about this game last night. It was the first good night of sleep I’ve had because the boys have made me settle in very quickly, I’ve enjoyed being in the dressing room and the first couple of night I was thinking about every single little thing. I woke up this morning at half eight and it was the best sleep I’ve ever had.

"My team was sorted early yesterday, because if you don’t pick your team the night before you just think ‘of this or that’, so I picked it early."

Cardiff City

Cardiff manager Neil Warnock, speaking to BT Sport: "If you’d told me at the start of this season that we'd be out of the bottom three at Christmas I’d have snapped your hand off.

"We’ve got two big games coming up [at Crystal Palace and Leicester]. We know we need to improve our away form.

"I wasn’t disappointed in the effort, it was just misdirected at times."

Cardiff City

Cardiff manager Neil Warnock, speaking to BT Sport: "The first goal we conceded was a Sunday league goal. We started well but before you know it we were 2-0 down.

"I thought we came back well but then we conceded another stupid goal [before half-time].

"At half-time I still thought we had a chance. I thought if we get the next goal we might get something. It’s very disappointing."

That's what I thought. Neil Warnock disagrees...

BBC Radio Wales
Former Cardiff defender Jason Perry

It's hard to have a go at Cardiff. United were just too good. My worry was the goal difference.

This game isn't going to decide if Cardiff stay up or not though.

Manchester United

Former Manchester United and England forward Wayne Rooney, speaking to BT Sport: "Manchester United's a big part of my life and it was never nice watching what was going on. Once Ole got the job I thought I'd give him a message of congratulations.

"The first thing [he needed to do] was get the lads enjoying playing football.

"Everyone from the staff to the kitmen - they weren’t enjoying it. You can see the staff are happy today and the players are too."

He didn't say it explicitly, but you gathered that Wayne Rooney had been told by some of his former team-mates that they were unhappy under Jose Mourinho.

Manchester United

Former Manchester United and England forward Wayne Rooney, speaking to BT Sport: "The players obviously looked a bit restricted [under Mourinho]. The players have ability and today we've seen that.

"A lot of things were happening around the team and around the manager, which isn’t good. Ole’s given them that freedom.

"It’s a fantastic day for the club."

Neil Warnock has described Cardiff's defending as "Sunday League". Full quotes on the way...

Cardiff City

Former Cardiff defender Danny Gabbidon, speaking to BT Sport: “It was difficult for Cardiff. If you turn the ball over as easily as they did, are as passive defensively and give the players around you so much space, you’re going to have a very tough time getting results.

“Solskjaer will be delighted but Cardiff didn’t make life easy for themselves.”

Manchester United

Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says he is not daunted by the eight-point gap between Manchester United and the top four.

"We take one game at a time now. We've caught up eight or nine points before but we've got to go one step at a time.

"I was proud and humble at the reception from the fans, it has been an emotional all week.

"But it's a start and we move on."

Manchester United

Solskjaer on what he's tried to change over the past couple of days: "We had a session yesterday about patterns of play and we wanted Ashley Young and Luke Shaw to push on more, it worked out well today.

"Your work-rate is the easiest thing to work on. It is free. It is the attitude and application of the boys.

"If we approach all the games like this - and we want them to approach them all like this - with combination play and playing the ball forward then I'll be happy.

"The foundation was in the defending today. I thought the two centre-backs and two full-backs were brilliant today."

Manchester United

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, speaking to BT Sport: "Football is easy if you've got good players! They are a great bunch of players and their quality is unbelievable.

"I arrived on Wednesday night and only had Thursday and Friday with the players. Wayne Rooney text me and gave me some advice - so it must be down to him! He told me to make them play football, enjoy themselves and be Manchester United."

Manchester United

Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard: "The lads played with a lot of energy, enjoyment and excitement. We scored five goals, which is good.

"When you’ve got confidence, you put yourselves in positions to score goals. That’s what we did.

“We were playing higher and the full-backs were higher. We pinned them back and created a lot of chances."

Manchester United

Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford, speaking to BT Sport about Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's impact: "He wants us to be positive on the ball and always look for the gaps. That was just the start. We're going to improve and get better at it.

"The Christmas period is very busy so it is about recovering and making sure we're ready for the next games. We have to keep improving and go up another level."

Paul Pogba provided three assists today - as many as he had in the previous 17 matches.