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Three things we learned from Manchester United’s dominant 2-0 win against Everton

by Derick Kinoti


Manchester United hosted Sean Dyche’s Everton at Old Trafford with Erik ten Hag keen on building on his side’s midweek win against Brentford to beat the Toffees.

The United boss named a slightly changed starting XI. Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire received the nod ahead of Diogo Dalot and Raphael Varane.

In Luke Shaw’s absence, Tyrell Malacia started in the left-back role. Bruno Fernandes was United’s deepest-lying midfielder with Scott McTominay and Marcel Sabitzer slightly ahead of him.

Marcus Rashford led the line for the second successive game in a row with Jadon Sancho and Antony flanking him on either side.

Here are three things we learned from Manchester United’s 2-0 victory against Everton.

Exhilarating attacking first-half

To say that the Red Devils were the better side in the opening 45 minutes would be an understatement. Ten Hag’s men were dominant and produced a sensational attacking display that saw them head down the tunnel a goal up.

McTominay broke the deadlock in the 36th minute. The Scotland international got on the end of a superb pass inside the box from Jadon Sancho and rifled it into the back of the net, well beyond Jordan Pickford’s reach.

United had a bevvy of chances and in all truth should have been up by many more. The Reds registered 21 shots, with six being on target. In comparison, their rivals had only five shots. None required David de Gea to swing into action.

United fashioned a multitude of clear-cut chances and both Rashford and Antony had ample opportunities to score.

Sabitzer, who looked to be thriving in a more advanced position, constantly found himself in the box and also tested Pickford a few times from close range.

Fernandes had one or two cracks at goal from outside Everton’s box as did Malacia who skied his effort. United had the lion’s share of possession -60% to Everton’s 40%.

Ten Hag would have undoubtedly been pleased with his team’s swashbuckling, breathtaking football but disappointed that his stars did not make Everton pay more.

If anything, this proves why a world-class goalscorer is at the top of the Dutchman’s wishlist when the summer transfer window opens.

Bruno Fernandes excellent from deep

Much of Ten Hag’s recent problems have been brought about by Casemiro’s absence. The game against Everton marks the last of the Brazilian’s four-game ban and he will be available to play in the league going forward.

However, Ten Hag now seems to have found the solution to fill the big void created by Casemiro’s unavailability in the form of Fernandes.

The Portuguese, as he did against Brentford on Wednesday, played deep from where he looked to make things happen.

Fernandes controlled the tempo of the game and acted as the link between defence and attack. He was spraying long balls to his teammates and did this to great effect, especially in the first half.

The playmaker also did a splendid job of shielding the back four – something that is not a particular strength of his.

Before the game, Ten Hag spoke about Fernandes’s new responsibilities and expressed confidence that just as he did against Brentford, the player could also put in a good performance against the Merseyside club.

“He played there against Newcastle and against Fulham. We miss Casemiro, we miss Eriksen, so we have to find a balance in the middle and I think Bruno is doing a good job over there.”

After the Brentford game, Ten Hag labelled Fernandes the “big engine” and the midfielder vindicated the manager’s decision to deploy him in that area of the pitch once more.

Rashford injury worry

United fans will be waiting with bated breath to learn the extent of Rashford’s injury.

Deep into the second half, the Englishman who was chasing a ball from Christian Eriksen seemed to have strained his groin. He immediately signalled to the bench to be taken off.

Weghorst came in for Rashford who limped down the tunnel in visible discomfort. With fixtures coming in thick and fast, a scenario where Rashford is unavailable is unthinkable.

With Eriksen now back in competitive action and Casemiro also completing his ban, Rashford being sidelined would still represent a significant blow for Ten Hag.

Hopefully, it’s nothing serious and we’ll see Rashford back on the pitch soon enough.

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