Manchester United destroy Everton at Goodison Park
Manchester United comfortably beat Everton 3-0 at Goodison Park with a clean sheet and goals from Morgan Schneiderlin, Ander Herrera, and Wayne Rooney doing the trick.
Louis van Gaal made a few changes to the side that faced Arsenal before the international break and they all worked out for the Dutchman from the first whistle.
At the back, Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo came into the team in place of Blind and the injured Ashley Young. While Schneiderlin replaced Michael Carrick in front of the defence, and the attacking midfielders were reshuffled as Herrera slid into the number 10 role. Star man Anthony Martial started at left wing instead of Memphis, and Rooney filled the void at striker.
The Red Devils started the game on the front foot with their usual possession, but Everton quickly grew into the match. The first quarter of an hour saw some nervy moments in United’s defense, as Romelu Lukaku’s physicality proved difficult to handle. Even so, the back line did not concede, unlike Arsenal’s three goals in the first 20 minutes in the most recent match.
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Herrera had the first real chance of the game with a shot from distance but Tim Howard comfortably cleared the shot over the bar. On the subsequent corner, Schneiderlin opened the scoring on his first goal for the Reds. After some pinging about in the box, Chris Smalling ultimately chested the ball down to the Frenchman at the back post. He calmly slotted his shot into the bottom right corner giving United the early lead they’ve been missing in recent games.
Shortly thereafter, Herrera doubled the advantage off of a brilliant ball in from Marcos Rojo. Rooney created the space by drawing an Everton defender, leaving a sizeable gap for his Spanish teammate to place his header out of the reach of Howard. Having only created a couple of chances in the match, United looked clinical in finishing.
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The first half came to a close in much the same manner as it opened, with Everton applying the pressure but not creating any clear cut opportunities. Arguably their best scoring chance came from a Ross Barkley fizzer from a tight angle, which de Gea fisted to safety. United came close to adding another late goal; Rooney made a run in behind the Toffees’ defence and found Martial at the top of the box. The shot was blocked before it had a chance and Howard eventually covered up, but it again showed the Red Devil’s dominance in attack in the first half.
Juan Mata came off at the start of the second half in favor of youngster Jesse Lingard. United got rather lucky not to concede in the first five minutes of the half, with Ross Barkley unable to finish a dangerous cross across the box from Seamus Coleman.
Everton continued the pressure down the left side of the away side’s defence and nearly came back with a goal. Aaron Lennon played a ball across to Lukaku who looked sure to score, only to be thwarted by a spectacular de Gea kick save. The Spanish keeper again came to the rescue with a quick reaction save off a headed free kick.
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The Red Devils absorbed the pressure and were able to score against the run of play. Wayne Rooney silenced his doubters with United’s third goal after fifteen minutes in the second half as Phil Jagielka gave the ball away in possession and the Red Devils broke quickly on the counter. Bastian Schweinsteiger found Herrera to lead the break, before quickly slotting in Rooney. Two touches and the ball was in the back of the net against his former side, tying him with Andy Cole for second on United’s all time goal scoring list. He nearly added a second on a breakaway, but his limited speed ultimately let him down and Howard saved.
Schweinsteiger gave way to Michael Carrick in the 74th minute in a like-for-like replacement as van Gaal looked to hold the clean sheet. Fellaini replaced Ander Herrera, the Man of the Match, in the 81st minute to finish the match against his former team. After the third goal, Manchester United looked to be in cruise control as they coasted to the victory.
The win marked the first time the 20-time champions have gotten the three points at Goodison Park in the last four years. Following the international break, van Gaal’s side rebounded nicely and will look to kick on against CSKA Moscow in the Champions League group stage.