Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United picked up a routine win over Everton as they won by four goals to no reply at Old Trafford. United looked a bit rusty and lethargic in attack for the majority portions of the game but Mourinho’s men once again scored three goals in the last fifteen minutes. Wayne Rooney made an emotional return to Old Trafford in the Everton blue but his performance left a lot to be desired.
Here are our Manchester United’s player ratings for the match against Everton:
GK: David de Gea- 7.5/10
The Spaniard shot-stopper made some fine saves throughout the match. Though Everton rarely looked threatening in front of the goal, de Gea did well to deny Rooney in the second half. He dived well to save another shot from Sandro Ramirez late in the game. The Spaniard looked safe in front of the goal and was composed during the set pieces too.
RB: Antonio Valencia- 8.5/10
The Ecuadorian’s absolute screamer from the edge of the box in the opening minutes of the game gave United the much-needed advantage in the game. His goal was the major difference until the 82nd minute as Everton could have taken the lead through their chances. His overlapping runs through the flank allowed United to keep the ball in the opposition’s half majorly. Valencia’s defensive work was decent too as he was uncompromising in that aspect.
CB: Eric Bailly- 7/10
The youngster had a good duel with Wayne Rooney during the former captain’s stay on the pitch. He did well to deny Rooney some clear chances on the goal. The Ivory Coast international needs to improve his concentration though. Bailly did not get troubled during the aerial duels and will look forward to maintaining his consistent run.
CB: Phil Jones- 7.5/10
Phil Jones’ current form will relieve Jose. He finally looks to resurrect his career at Old Trafford by ringing in such performances. Jones was strong in the box and used his physicality to great effect. He made some good tackles inside the box and helped United keep a clean sheet.
LB: Ashley Young- 6.5/10
Ashley Young was exceptional in the attacking aspect as he made numerous runs into the opposition half. He made a good delivery to Jesse Lingard in the 76th minute but the attacker failed to put it in the net. However, Young struggled against Cuco Martina as the Everton man got behind him many times. It helped Everton create some of the chances through the right flank. Mourinho would expect some more discipline while defending from Young.
CDM: Marouane Fellaini- 6.5/10
The Belgian replaced Pogba in the starting eleven and had a decent encounter against his former employers. He used his tall stature to good effect and won almost everything that came his way in the air. Along with Matic, Fellaini shielded the defence well and wandered forward on a couple of occasions. With a bit more precision while heading, he could have found his name on the score sheet.
CDM: Nemanja Matic- 7.5/10
The Serbian continued to keep things simple and ticked off another impressive game for his new team. He halted many of Everton’s attacks from the midfield itself and the manager will be satisfied with his performances. Matic surprisingly tried to attack and ventured forward more often than before. Maybe, Paul Pogba’s absence means that Matic will have to contribute more in attack.
AM(R): Juan Mata- 7.5/10
The Spaniard was arguably United’s best player in attack until he went off. Mata endured kind of a frustrating day as many of his deliveries were wasted by Lukaku and Rashford. He ran tirelessly and tried to create chances when United were looking silent at the centre. This game shows that Mata is a vital cog in United’s system currently. He hit the post with a freekick as well.
AM(C): Henrik Mkhitaryan- 7/10
Mkhitaryan played in his favoured no. 10 position and looked threatening during parts of the game. He did get on the score sheet but had to toil hard for a long time. He saw some of his key passes being diverted by Jagielka and Ashley Williams. However, he tried his best and guaranteed United a safe victory.
AM(L): Marcus Rashford- 6/10
The youngster had a rather off day on the ground. His runs through the flank were well intercepted by the defenders and he was substituted at the hour mark. Rashford needs to bring in some calmness and composure with the ball at his feet.
ST: Romelu Lukaku- 8/10
There is an argument that Lukaku went missing for major portions of the game. The Belgian did miss some good chances but made up for it through his intelligent play later on. He freed up Rashford numerous time in the box and with some tenacity, Rashford could have scored early. Lukaku’s link-up play with fellow attackers was good. He showed his determination to get a goal as he scored via a rebound.
Substitutes
Jesse Lingard- 6/10
The attacker replaced Rashford and looked more threatening than the number 19. Lingard also missed an easy chance by shooting Ashley Young’s pass over the post in the 76th minute.
Anthony Martial- 6/10
Except for the late penalty that he converted into a goal, the Frenchman did not stay long on the pitch to leave an impact.
Ander Herrera- N.A
