Premier League
Manchester United vs. Everton
Venue: Old Trafford
Date: Sunday, 17 September 2017
Kick-off: 16:00 BST
Manchester United secured their third 4-0 win in five league games with Everton the victims on this occasion.
Antonio Valencia’s pile-driver gave the hosts an early lead before the visitors responded well and saw chances of their own.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan secured the three points late on, however, before Romelu Lukaku against his former club and Anthony Martial’s penalty added gloss to the scoreline.
It was in the fourth minute that Nemanja Matic’s whipped delivery from the left ran across the penalty area, and captain Valencia’s first time volley flew into the back of the net with some venom.
After receiving a respectable reception on his return to Old Trafford, Wayne Rooney curled wide from Cuco Martina’s low right-hand cross.
Michael Keane, another lining up against his former club, played a sloppy pass which Juan Mata duly obliged to play in Lukaku with, but the Belgian squandered his shot wide of the post in a chance he would’ve been expected to score.
Keane himself glanced a header wide from Gylfi Sigurdsson’s deep free-kick before David De Gea denied Tom Davies with a fine save although the latter was correctly determined to have strayed offside.
Marcus Rashford slipped a through ball for Lukaku to chase only to be thwarted, as half-time arrived on a wet yet sunny Manchester evening.
Less than 60 seconds after the restart and Rooney was presented with another golden opportunity, but he failed to convert in front of the Stretford End, as his left footed effort from close range struck the right leg of De Gea.
A loose attempt from Rashford was bent wide of the far post, De Gea denied Sigurdsson up close and Mata struck the woodwork from a free-kick in a contest where the next goal seemed vital.
Two strikes from Lingard bookended Sandro Ramirez’s blocked shot after the former struck over from Ashley Young’s low cross before seeing Ashley Williams deflect over a second chance.
Matic drove wide from the edge of the area but with less than 10 minutes remaining, the points were sealed.
In an attempt to play out from the back, Williams’ pass hit Marouane Fellaini with the rebound falling kindly to Lukaku, who made a precision pass to his left in which Mkhitaryan slotted home first time past the onrushing Jordan Pickford in the Everton goal.
The Armenian was then replaced by Martial who was to be heavily involved shortly after but only once Lukaku’s free-kick struck the Toffees’ wall, much to the delight of the travelling support, but Matic’s follow-up made its way through to Lukaku at the back post for a simple tap in.
The striker made his feelings known and witnessed his goalkeeper De Gea palm over fellow countryman Ramirez’s shot from range.
Into stoppage time and there was time for Martial’s mazy run to be halted by the hand of the fallen Morgan Schneiderlin, a fifth to feature against previous employers, and Martial himself stepped up and sent Pickford the wrong way from the resulting spot-kick.
Job done, with 16 goals in five league games adding to the three in midweek against FC Basel in the Champions League with United beginning to find a clinical nature that was missing for much of last season.
In truth, the scoreline flattered United, who made hard work of a fixture they drew back in April, but made amends with three late goals, just like against West Ham United and Swansea City last month.
A third home match in a row awaits this Wednesday in the EFL Cup as Burton Albion are welcomed to Old Trafford, with squad rotation expected as Jose Mourinho’s side look to defend the trophy they lifted back in February.
Line-ups:
Manchester United: De Gea; Valencia, Bailly, Jones, Young; Fellaini, Matic; Mata (Herrera 77), Mkhitaryan (Martial 88), Rashford (Lingard 61); Lukaku.
Subs not used: Romero, Smalling, Darmian, Carrick.
Manager: Jose Mourinho
Everton: Pickford; Keane, Williams, Jagielka; Martina, Schneiderlin, Gueye (Calvert-Lewin 76), Baines; Davies (Ramirez 65), Rooney (Mirallas 82), Sigurdsson.
Subs not used: Stekelenburg, Holgate, Besic, Klaassen.
Manager: Ronald Koeman
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