Manchester United continued their good form by defeating Watford 2-1 on Saturday evening.

Romelu Lukaku opened the scoring for Jose Mourinho's men, before Chris Smalling netted an acrobatic effort just minutes later.

Andre Gray had the ball in the back of the net midway through the second half to halve the deficit but they could not find a way through to preserve their unbeaten run.

United are now up to eighth having picked up nine points from their opening five games.

Jose Mourinho gave a second consecutive start to Marouane Fellaini in the middle of midfield.

The former Everton player has come under criticism in the past for his performances, but he put in an assured display against Watford.

Rio Ferdinand was on punditry duty for the game and he just had to speak about Fellaini in depth.

And he spoke the absolute truth about the Belgian midfielder.

"He hasn’t got the silkiness if you’re talking about passing and comparing him to the likes of Scholes, Beckham and Carrick who were beautiful looking footballers who could pass the ball and thread balls over various distances, he’s not that type of player," he said.

"He offers something those guys didn’t have which is a threat in the box from set pieces where he is going to hurt the opposition.

"Even in defence today late on he made a few very timely interceptions. That’s what he’s there for.

"You have to understand why Jose’s got him in the team. He’s not pretty to look at but he’s very effective in what he does.

"Many of the games he plays in he has an effect on the result because he is so dominant in terms of his figure and physicality.

"He’s demanding of himself, I was at the training ground with him for a year and he’s a great professional.

"When the chips are down he doesn’t shy away. He will have seen the media and some of the fans who are with and against him.

"He says ‘listen I want to stay and work hard and be a Manchester United player’ and I think you have to respect that."

Well said, Rio. Fellaini gets some unnecessary criticism for his play-style.

Admittedly, he's not the most technical midfielder and many United fans have become frustrated at him for that.

But he's extremely effective. Although it's not easy on the eye, he more than often does a job for his side.

He even pops up with some vital goals for the team due to his presence in the air.

Fellaini could have easily jumped ship amid criticism from the fans, but he chose to stay put and fight for his place.

And as Ferdinand says you've got to respect him for that.