Manchester United secured their first win after the international break when they edged out Everton in a fiercely-contested battle.
The Red Devils performed well for most of the game with goals from Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial giving them a comfortable two-goal lead before Chris Smalling’s rash tackle on Richarlison allowed Everton a way back into the game.
They did manage to hold onto their slender lead at the end, however, and in this article, we will run the rule over the United players in their narrow win over the Toffees.
David de Gea (7.5/10): Although De Gea failed to keep out Gylfi Sigurdsson’s penalty late in the second half, he was competent whenever called upon. The Spaniard looked very confident in terms of handling too and certainly deserved a clean sheet.
Ashley Young (7.5/10): Looked solid in defence as he made a couple of key tackles to prevent the Everton attackers from providing any danger on the right flank. His athleticism was key as United managed to hold onto their slender one-goal lead at the end.
Chris Smalling (7/10): An impressive defensive display was marred when Smalling made a lunging tackle on Richarlison to give away a penalty late in the game, which gave Everton the boost to go on and make the last quarter a nervy affair.
Victor Lindelof (7.5/10): Another comprehensive performance from Victor Lindelof, who is just getting better and better with time. He was composed and avoided taking any risks.
Luke Shaw (6/10): Definitely not the best of games for Luke Shaw, who was given a nightmare by Theo Walcott for the most part of the game. The former Southampton left-back also failed to support the attack as usual and was far from convincing.
Fred (7.5/10): Should start more often as his fluid passing coupled with his agile runs made it difficult for Everton to get a firm grip on the game. He also made three tackles, produced two key passes and maintained a pass accuracy of 90%.
Nemanja Matic (6.5/10): Looked rusty, at times, particularly with the ball while he also failed to keep a check on the offensive runs of the Everton midfielders. He did manage to saddle up as the game went on and was key later on as United chose to contain the Everton attack.
Paul Pogba (8/10): Had a decent outing even though he should have done a lot of better defensively. He lost his marker on a couple of occasions but at the same time, he looked menacing whenever he was on the ball and played a key role in stretching the opposing defence with his accurate penetrative passes.
Pogba was lucky, however, to have had the opportunity of scoring from the rebound of his missed penalty in the first half. He did, however, assist Anthony Martial for United’s second of the evening.
Juan Mata (6.5/10): Made a host of good passes in the first quarter of the game but eventually faded as the game wore on. He improved a little in the second half but his lack of pace certainly didn’t help his cause.
Marcus Rashford (6/10): Failed to make an impact after starting in place of Romelu Lukaku as United’s number nine. Rashford was isolated most of the time and was rightly taken off just after the hour mark.
Anthony Martial (8.5/10): Impressed once again despite failing to convert a huge opportunity late in the game. The Frenchman wreaked havoc on the left-flank with Seamus Coleman, in particular, failing to keep up with the pace and dynamism of the attacking sensation. His goal in the second half once again made the difference.
Substitutes
Romelu Lukaku (6/10): Replaced the ineffective Rashford just minutes after the restart but didn’t fare any better as he was clumsy. The Belgian also missed a golden opportunity to kill the game when he failed to connect the header from an excellent Paul Pogba cross during the final phase of the game.
Ander Herrera (NA): Replaced the tiring Juan Mata with just five minutes remaining on the clock. Made one valuable interception.
Jesse Lingard (NA)
Stat courtesy: Whoscored
