Riding on Cristiano Ronaldo’s 700th club goal, Manchester United climbed to the 5th position with a 2-1 win over Everton at Goodison Park.
Manchester United did not have the desired start as Everton made them pay with an early goal. Amadou Onana got the better of Casemiro and snatched the ball to pass it to Demarai Gray. Gray found Alex Iwobi just outside the penalty box, and the former Arsenal man stunned the away side with a beautifully-taken strike.
Manchester United took control of the game after that, and they got the dividend ten minutes later. Bruno Fernandes started the proceedings as he pounced on a loose ball from Idrissa Gueye, and Anthony Martial fed a delightful through to Antony.
The Brazilian did not make any mistake and curled it into the corner to restore parity. Martial then was subbed off just before the half-hour mark, and Cristiano Ronaldo entered the stage. Casemiro then salvaged his lost glory with a defence-splitting through to his former Real Madrid colleague Ronaldo, who shot it past Jordan Pickford to celebrate his 700th career club goal, and normal service resumed.
Everton tried some last-ditch efforts to rescue a point. But the Manchester United defence held the fort well to collect a hard-earned three points in Merseyside. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over Erik ten Hag’s men.
David de Gea: 6/10
Except for the first goal, Everton did not bother the Spanish goalkeeper in the entire match. The 31-year-old marshalled his area quite well and came out of his designated place to sweep down a couple of dangerous balls. He should be happy with his performance.
David de Gea’s game by numbers vs. Everton:
87% pass accuracy
43 touches
32/37 passes completed
7/12 long balls completed
1 high claim
1 sweeper keeper
1 saveDistributed well and made a vital save towards the end of the game. 🧤 pic.twitter.com/tnF5b3fWGZ
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) October 9, 2022
Diogo Dalot: 6/10
Dalot needs to work on his defensive game. The Portuguese international got caught and lost his marker a number of times. He rode down the right channel pretty well and delivered several good crosses.
Victor Lindelof: 7/10
Lindelof produced a clinical performance at the heart of the Manchester United defence against Everton. He cleared his lines well and complemented his partner quite brilliantly. A good job done at the office.
Lisandro Martinez: 7/10
Martinez took up the challenge well and was pretty robust with his tackles and clearances. He got forward with the ball when needed and did not let his height affect his game a bit.
Luke Shaw: 7/10
Shaw had a good evening as the English defender took his game to a competitive level. Everton did not have an easy pass through his side as Shaw was there to intercept the ball pretty efficiently. He interchanged some crisp passes and combined well with Marcus Rashford to inflict some damage to the Toffees.
Casemiro: 6/10
Everton’s goal came through the midfielder as he gave away the ball too cheaply, and the home side was quick to pounce on the mistake. Casemiro took his time to settle in and started to dictate the tempo of the match. His incisive pass to Cristiano Ronaldo should be an eye-opener for many. With Scott McTominay now suspended, he will take over his position again in the next match.
Christian Eriksen: 7/10
Eriksen took some good positions and made use of the spaces quite good. It was not an excellent performance as far as his ability is concerned but still a good shift to play on.
Antony: 7/10
Three goals in three Premier League matches have elevated the benchmark for the Brazilian. Antony took his strike brilliantly as he controlled Anthony Martial’s through ball on his right leg to open the space and then curled one brilliantly to restore the parity. He often tracked back to help defenders in securing the ground.
Bruno Fernandes: 7/10
Bruno Fernandes latched on to Idrissa Gueye’s misplaced pass to start the build-up to Manchester United’s first goal. He ran tirelessly to find spaces on his own.
Marcus Rashford: 7/10
Marcus Rashford’s game by numbers vs. Everton:
83% pass accuracy
3 long balls completed
2 ground duels won
2 dribbles completed
1/1 aerial duels won
1 key pass
1 big chance createdGoal should’ve stood. 🤷 pic.twitter.com/M0LnWSE0tA
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) October 9, 2022
Another bright display from Rashford, the player to watch in our preview. Seamus Coleman had a torrid day and looked hapless at times in front of Rashford’s burst of pace. He scored a brilliant solo goal, but it was harshly disallowed for a handball. He laid a delicious cross to Casemiro, but the midfielder failed to direct the ball to the target.
Anthony Martial: 6/10
Martial continued his good form as he assisted Antony’s equaliser for the visitors. But his injury issues surfaced again, and he should be having a better check on his fitness regime.
SUBSTITUTES
Cristiano Ronaldo: 8/10
Ronaldo was on target for the first time in the Premier League this season, and his 700th club goal turned out to be the winner. He was brilliant sometimes while linking up play with Bruno Fernandes and Rashford.
Scott McTominay: N/A
Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
