Paul Pogba is producing some of the best football of his turbulent Manchester United career — and it is keeping the team at the top of the Premier League.
Just minutes after he was seen racing back 40 metres to win the ball back and thwart a dangerous-looking counterattack, Pogba collected the ball just outside the corner of the penalty area with three Fulham players near him.
Pogba twisted and turned, manoeuvring himself into a pocket of space before unleashing a powerful left-foot shot that curled into the far corner and sealed United's comeback in a 2-1 win at Craven Cottage on Wednesday.
A week ago, a long-range volley by Pogba earned United a 1-0 win at Burnley that moved the team into first place at the midway point of the season for the first time in eight years.
His 65th-minute winner at Fulham also put United on the summit, reclaiming top spot a day after Leicester went there by beating Chelsea 2-0 and hours after Manchester City beat Aston Villa 2-0 to underline its title credentials.
With Pogba playing so well — and showing an appetite for the battle that many United fans have longed to see since his return to the club for a second spell in 2016 — Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team is a serious title contender itself.
Solskjaer is managing to coax a string of impressive displays out of the club's record signing, just a month after the France midfielder's future looked uncertain after his agent, Mino Raiola, told an Italian newspaper that it was ``over'' for Pogba at United.
United is two points clear of second-place City, which is ahead of Leicester only on goal difference.