Report: United 4 Everton 0

Manchester United enjoyed a thumping 4-0 win over Everton at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon to secure Ruben Amorim’s first win in the Premier League, following victory in Europe three days earlier.

Marcus Rashford’s deflected strike got the ball rolling in the first half, before Joshua Zirkzee then doubled that lead before the break. Both players then scored again in a dominant second-half display, Rashford striking immediately after the restart and Zirkzee finishing a quick team move on the counter-attack.

The result takes United to six games unbeaten across all competitions, having won three of the last four alone, and to within six points adrift of Arsenal and Chelsea in the table.

FIRST HALF – TWO TO THE GOOD

Only a couple of minutes had passed before Jordan Pickford was tested for the first time, getting his body behind Kobbie Mainoo’s powerful low strike from the edge of the box after some promising play. There was a comfortable early test for Andre Onana after Jesper Lindstrom shot from distance, but United continued to threaten when Zirkzee opened up the pitch for Amad, who got his angles wrong and struck wide from a good position.

Moments later, Amad beat Pickford to the ball on the right-hand side of the box, but his cutback agonisingly didn’t find a red shirt. In a rare Everton attack midway through the half, a combination of Onana and Matthijs de Ligt did enough to push Beto wide to narrow his angle for a shot into the side-netting.

The visitors grew into the game more after that, but United defended well to limit further sights of goal.

Rashford’s breakthrough, 34 minutes in, started with his own lung-busting run forward, winning a corner off James Tarkowski. From the resultant set-piece, our no.10 took up position completely unmarked at the edge of the box, which Bruno Fernandes saw and delivered the ball on a plate to strike on the half-volley. It was destined for the bottom corner but took a wicked deflection off Jarrad Branthwaite to wrongfoot the diving Pickford and end up hitting the middle of the net.

The second goal then followed in the closing stages before the interval, Amad pressing well to nick possession high up the pitch off Branthwaite. That allowed Fernandes to race onto the ball and square for Zirkzee. The Dutchman showed the necessary desire to get there before covering defender Ashley Young and smashed past Pickford, on the slide.

SECOND HALF – RASHFORD & ZIRKZEE AT THE DOUBLE

The second half was only 20 seconds old when Rashford got his second goal, and United’s third. With his back to goal in the middle of the pitch, Zirkzee played a clever ball around the corner for Amad to run onto, before he, in turn, fed Rashford with a through ball to collect and fire between Pickford’s legs.

It made it three in two games under the new boss for the homegrown forward.

Pickford needed to be sharp off his line to snuff another potential United chance when Fernandes chased a pass behind the Everton defence, the Toffees goalkeeper winning the race to clear the danger. But he stood no chance a few minutes later when, for the second time in the match, Amad won the ball high up the pitch.

The United wing-back drove towards goal and played an unselfish square ball to Zirkzee, who kept his composure to stroke the ball back across into the far corner.

Amorim, having made six changes from the team that beat Bodo/Glimt coming into this one, was able to keep players fresh ahead of a busy upcoming period by turning to his bench both before and after the fourth goal. There were more minutes for Luke Shaw, while Harry Maguire made his comeback from a recent injury layoff, and opportunities for Alejandro Garnacho, Manuel Ugarte and Mason Mount. Old Trafford also gave a standing ovation to former skipper Young when he was withdrawn.

In the final stages, Rashford’s eyes lit up for a possible hat-trick, when the ball dropped invitingly for him inside the box, but missed his cue. Meanwhile, Onana hadn’t been called upon since the first half but showed his concentration hadn’t dipped when he reacted to keep out a dangerous Dominic Calvert-Lewin header as Everton searched for a consolation.

Amad had a penalty shout rejected in stoppage time as the Reds finished the game totally in control.

MATCH DETAILS

United: Onana; Mazraoui (Shaw 56), De Ligt (Maguire 56), Martinez; Amad, Casemiro (Garnacho 66), Mainoo (Mount 80), Dalot; Fernandes (c) (Ugarte 66), Rashford; Zirkzee.

Subs not used: Bayindir, Malacia, Antony, Hojlund.

Goals: Rashford 34,46, Zirkzee 41,64.

Booked: Mainoo 49, Martinez 51.

Everton: Pickford; Young (Patterson 73), Tarkowski (c) (O’Brien 82), Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Gueye (Mangala 66), Doucoure; Lindstrom (Harrison 66), McNeil, Ndiaye; Beto (Calvert-Lewin 67).

Subs not used: Begovic, Virginia, Coleman, Armstrong.

Booked: Mykolenko 39, Gueye 57, Young 67.

Attendance: 73,817.

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