Pravir Singh
Everton vs Manchester United Player Ratings
Manchester United bounced back in sublime fashion beating Everton 3-0 at Goodison Park. It was one of United’s best performances of the season so far. The icing on the cake was Wayne Rooney, netting his 187th Premier League goal. Memphis was dropped for this game finally which meant Martial played out left. This allowed Herrera to operate in that number 10 role with Rooney as the front man. Jones and Rojo came in for Blind and the injured Young. It was Morgan Schneiderlin who opened the scoring with his first goal for United. The ball broke to the unmarked Frenchman in the box after a corner and he made no mistake slotting it into the bottom right corner. Herrera headed into double United’s lead from a wonderful ball by Marcos Rojo just four minutes later. Even has Everton came out all guns blazing in the second half, Wayne Rooney was able to finish past Howard beautifully to put the game beyond doubt in the 62nd minute.
David De Gea- 8
United’s number one was in great form as he made many smart saves with his feet including an important one to deny Lukaku in the second half. Showed why he’s so crucial for United ensuring they left Merseyside with a clean sheet.
Matteo Darmian- 7
A much better outing from the Italian this time out. He defended against Naismith very well and got into good positions putting in some decent balls.
Chris Smalling- 9
Smalling was terrific once again. He made some absolutely wonderful challenges and he showed great strength in dealing with Lukaku. Didn’t allow the Belgian to get away.
Phil Jones- 8
It was Jones’ first start of the season and he did a good job. He didn’t let himself get bullied and made some good interceptions. Went off with a bloody nose halfway through the first half, however, that didn’t stop him doing a solid job.
Marcos Rojo- 8
Rojo hasn’t played much football this season and it was always going to be a test against Aaron Lennon. He played in a fantastic ball for Ander Herrera’s goal. He did a fearless job in defence making it hard to drop him for the next game.
Bastian Schweinsteiger- 7.5
He had a much better game than last time. It was easier for him to influence proceedings and he did a good job helping United retain possession.
Morgan Schneiderlin- 8
Schneiderlin calmly slotted home for his first United goal. Not only that, he was involved in the build-up to Rooney’s goal as well. He did a good job giving the defence an extra layer of protection.
Juan Mata- 6
He’s been United’s player of the season so far arguably, but he had a very quiet first half. Everton were poor and you would have expected him to take advantage. He wasn’t really poor; however LVG still replaced him at half-time.
Ander Herrera- 9
Got a chance to play in that number 10 role and he was terrific today. He made a brilliant run to score United’s first headed goal of the season. His passing and movement was good and he provided Wayne Rooney with the assist for their third.
Anthony Martial- 7
Martial took up the position vacated by Memphis on the left-hand side. He looked to create something every time he got the ball. He arguably should have taken his chance when Rooney squared it to him in the box, only for his shot to be blocked by the defender.
Wayne Rooney- 7
The skipper wasn’t at his absolute best, but he had much a better game. He looked to shoot when he got into a dangerous area which is a positive sign. Got his first goal at Goodison since 2007 with a lovely finish. Could have had an assist to his name when he unselfishly squared it for Martial.
Substitutes:
Jesse Lingard- 6.5
Came on for Mata at the beginning of the second half and looked very lively. He covered up a lot of ground. Had a decent chance from the edge of area, but skewed his shot wide.
Michael Carrick- 6.5
United had wrapped up the game by the time he came on. Had very little to do and was not really troubled.
Marouane Fellaini- 5.5
The big Belgian made an appearance late on in the game. However, he wasn’t able to make much of an impact against his former club.
