Manchester United arrived at Goodison Park and conquered their opposition as they strolled to an emphatic 3-0 win over Everton on Saturday afternoon.
The Reds started brightly and first half goals from Morgan Schneiderlin and Ander Herrera gave Louis van Gaal’s men a cushion, before overcoming a period of pressure from the home side for Wayne Rooney to slam home his 6th goal of the season and 2nd in the Premier League.
van Gaal spoke after the game about the level of performance and how delighted he was at the response from his team following the defeat to Arsenal prior to the international break, but who shone the brightest?
David De Gea – 7/10
The Spanish stopper continued his excellent form from the midweek games for Spain as he kept his fifth clean sheet in nine games since returning to the first team.
While he didn’t have much to do directly, his presence is felt by the defenders who trust him fully. His decision making is seemingly flawless and his distribution second to none. He showed his unorthodox style is still effective with a fine stop to deny Romelu Lukaku at 2-0 with his feet, while also denying Ross Barkley with a fine save from a powerful shot in the first half.
Matteo Darmian – 7/10
Mr. Reliable, Darmian was back to his old self today as he looked to overcome the humiliation felt against Arsenal.
Two weeks ago Darmian was given a torrid time by in-form Alexis Sanchez but today was up against a very different threat in Steven Naismith. The Scotsman couldn’t get past Darmian for love nor money, with the Italian showing good strength, pace and positioning to ensure he had the advantage at all times.
Another fine performance in a Red shirt as he looks to get back on track for Manchester United.
Phil Jones – 7/10
A return to the first team for England international Phil Jones coincided with a physical battle against in-form Romelu Lukaku today.
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The 23 year old showed good positioning, strength and leadership skills as he helped to keep the front-man quiet throughout the 90 minutes. He seems to have gained some maturity while out injured and alongside Smalling, may have formed a partnership for the future.
Chris Smalling – 8/10
A colossus performance once again from the most in-form defender in the Premier League.
Smalling today was in the way of everything thrown at him and once again took on the role of leader in the back four. Constantly communicating with his partners and midfielders, he was the base from which Manchester United built their attacks on.
He’s moved on from ‘becoming’ a great defender and now is an outstanding defender. A monumental turnaround for someone many fans wanted shipped out of the club 18 months ago.
Marcos Rojo – 7/10
The Argentine came back into the starting line-up in place of Dutchman Daley Blind at left-back and was outstanding.
I’ve long been of the belief that he is a better full-back than central defender and today he showed why. He demonstrated great energy by getting up and down the touchline to join in with attacks but was also solid when Aaron Lennon or Gerard Deulofeu came running at him. He got himself an assist with a wonderful cross for Ander Herrera’s goal too. A top all-round performance.
Morgan Schneiderlin – 8/10
It was widely expected that he would get a recall to the team after the shambles at Arsenal when he was left out but Morgan Schneiderlin showed exactly what he brings to the table.
The Frenchman showed fantastic positioning defensively, pressed well, tackled hard and even chipped in with his first competitive goal for the club in his best performance in a Manchester United shirt to date. He cut passing lanes and used his physicality in midfield to help earn control of the centre of the park, which showed as he intercepted a Phil Jagielka pass before playing the pass to Ander Herrera to set up Wayne Rooney’s goal.
A fine performance that makes him hard to drop ahead of a trip to Moscow and the Manchester Derby next weekend.
Bastian Schweinsteiger – 7/10
The orchestrator once again in a big win for the Reds.
The German showed his trademark aggression in midfield, backed by Schneiderlin and also set the tempo for United attacks as they dominated the ball and were ruthless going forward.
He played a couple of lovely passes, one to Wayne Rooney in particular in the first half and was replaced by Michael Carrick to seemingly preserve him for the big week ahead.
Juan Mata – 6/10
The Spaniard started in his now regular right wing role but struggled to get into the game.
There’s not much to say about him in this game but he’s proven his class time and time again in the past. Was replaced by Jesse Lingard at half-time in what van Gaal described as a ‘tactical change’.
Ander Herrera – 9/10
An all-star performance from Manchester United’s all-star.
The former Athletic Club de Bilbao midfielder started in the No.10 role and was the star of the show as he took the game by the scruff of the neck and dominated from the first minute until he was substituted with 10 remaining.
The Spaniard showed his determination when pressing high to win the ball back early, showed great passing skill and his eye for goal showed once again as he got a goal and assist on his return to the team. His goal means it’s 8 goals from 10 shots on target in the Premier League since signing last summer while his assist makes it 3 goals and 2 assists in five stars in the No.10 role this season.
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Anthony Martial – 8/10
The boy wonder did it again.
Moved to the left-wing to accommodate Memphis dropping to the bench and the inclusion of both Herrera and Rooney, the 19 year old impressed once again showing his pace and ability when one on one against a defender are just as effective in a wide role.
The French international had defender Seamus Coleman on toast throughout the 90 minutes and was unlucky not to score when his shot from Rooney’s cut-back was blocked en route to the net, while he probably should have got himself an assist too.
A fine performance and he continues to show just how important he is to this side.
Wayne Rooney – 7/10
The England captain started, despite many calling for him to drop to the bench but he turned in his best performance in the last six weeks.
Rooney showed good movement and was involved in a lot of build up for United’s attacks, although his passing in the opposition half left plenty to be desired. He broke the offside trap on a number of occasions and was unlucky not to get an assist when Martial’s shot was blocked and after scoring the third goal of the game with a fine side-foot finish, could have scored a second shortly after but he was denied by Tim Howard.
While there was still improvements to be made, it was a step up from previous weeks and the goal could be the start of a goalscoring run.
SUBSTITUTES
Jesse Lingard – 7/10
The Manchester United academy graduate made his first appearance of the season as a half-time subsitute for Juan Mata as van Gaal looked to add more pace and defensive stability to the side in the second half.
He showed great desire to do the job he was asked to do and made a vital intervention in the second half when a cross made it to the back post and he did just enough to put Barkley off before he made it 2-1.
A good performance from the local boy who will be hoping to stay involved in the first-team picture.
Michael Carrick – 6/10
United stepped off the gas once Carrick came on for Schweinsteiger but it’s more than likely that the change was made to kill the game.
Carrick’s calming influence and passing range saw United keep possession well later in the game and prevent Everton from building any momentum in front of the home crowd. A solid performance, albeit not spectacular.
Marouane Fellaini – 5/10
The Belgian came on for the final 10 minutes as a replacement for Man of the Match Ander Herrera and did nothing much of note. The match was already dead and buried and the change was more to get Herrera the ovation he deserved and a rest as he had just returned from injury, but Fellaini did nothing wrong.