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Manchester United returned to winning ways in the Premier League as they kicked off the New Year with a comfortable victory over Everton at Goodison Park. After a tepid first half, Anthony Martial broke the deadlock with a well-stroked shot from the edge of the box. Jesse Lingard rounded off the victory in the 81st minute with an excellent strike into the far corner after cutting in from the left wing.
Here are the Player Ratings from the game at Merseyside:-
Everton
Jordan Pickford - 6.5
The young custodian made two good saves to deny Pogba and Lingard in the second half. He could not have done much about the quality of the strikes that went in.
Mason Holgate - 6
Holgate looked positive going forward in the first half but gradually dissipated as an attacking threat as the game wore on.
Michael Keane - 6.5
The summer signing from Burnley made a handful of defensive clearances and came close to scoring from a set-piece as well.
Ashley Williams - 6.5
Williams marshalled his defence well against increasing Manchester United pressure and cannot be held responsible for the concession of the two goals as both were from the edge of the box.
Cuco Martina - 6
Martina too made forward runs in the first half to support Bolasie. But like Holgate, he was made to play narrow in a six-man defence against a resurgent United.
Tom Davies - 6
The teenage midfielder moved the ball around nicely to feed the wingers from the middle of the park, but most of his passes were sideways and bereft of the incision.
Morgan Schneiderlein - 6
The former United midfielder shored up the defensive midfield role well and kept the opposition at bay in the first half, not providing them space to exploit through the middle. He was unable to stem the tide of United attacks that followed in the second period.
Wayne Rooney - 7
Manchester United's record goal-scorer controlled proceedings in an advanced midfield position. He was often the magnet of the team - every time Everton ran out of ideas in attack, they returned a pass to Rooney in order to restart.
Nikola Vlasic - 6.5
Vlasic looked dangerous in the early stages, pressing high up the pitch and delivering square passes into the box. He was resigned to a full-back in a back-six in the second half as the tide turned in United's favour.
Yannick Bolasie - 6.5
Bolasie dominated the left-wing in the opening half an hour against an uncomfortable Victor Lindelof and managed to run the byline on a couple of occasions. He was taken off on the hour as he continues to gather full match fitness since returning from a lengthy injury layoff.
Oumar Niasse - 6.5
Niasse was denied by last man Rojo's tackle in the first half as he teed up a shot from the edge of the six-yard box. He was involved in Everton's attacks and laid the ball off to his team-mates in order to create goal-scoring opportunities. One such layoff resulted in him receiving a cross from the right-wing which he headed just wide. He was amongst Everton's more hard-working players.
Substitutes:
Aaron Lennon - 6.5
Lennon's introduction sparked a brief comeback from Everton as they attacked from his wing, getting teasing balls to run across the box. However, United's second goal killed off any of the optimism that was created after he came on.
James McCarthy - 6.5
Everton showed more physicality in midfield once McCarthy replaced Rooney, winning the ball back and momentarily putting the visitors under pressure. But the second goal ended any hopes of mustering a comeback.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin - 5
Calvert-Lewin came on with United already 2 goals to the good and hardly got a sight of the ball.
Manchester United
David de Gea - 6.5
Everton didn't have a shot on target and as a result, it was a field day for de Gea.
Victor Lindelof - 6.5
Lindelof had a difficult outing in a makeshift right-back position but managed to get through the 90 minutes without committing any major error.
Phil Jones - 6.5
Jones nearly paid for his error which led to Niasse going through on goal, only to be bailed out by Rojo. He was defensively solid otherwise.
Marcos Rojo - 7.5
Rojo was the pick of the defenders at Goodison Park, notably for his last-ditch challenge to deny Niasse's shot from making its way towards the goal. He made interceptions and clearances aplenty to stop crosses from finding their targets.
Luke Shaw - 6.5
Shaw was defensively tested in the first half by the intensity of Vlasic and Holgate on the flank, forcing him into a couple of fluffed clearances. He was able to express himself going forward in the second half, as United piled the pressure on their hosts.
Nemanja Matic - 6.5
Matic was guilty of a handful of mistimed defensive headers which fell to an Everton shirt in dangerous areas but managed to redeem himself with ball interceptions and a relatively wide passing range.
Ander Herrera - 7
Herrera looked positive on the right side of midfield, making assured tackles to win back possession of his side while picking out the right pass to drive his side forward when in the attack. His work-rate was excellent.
Juan Mata - 7.5
Mata's touches were exquisite and gave United control of possession as they entered congested Everton territory. He nearly broke the deadlock for his side, as his left-footed strike from the edge of the box cannoned off the post.
Paul Pogba - 8.5
Pogba was United's standout player on a day when United needed to arrest their streak of draws and convert a dominant performance into a win. His movements and transition from defence to attack was a joy to watch. His fleet-footedness and strength to hold off opponents without losing the ball were key to United's positive display at Goodison Park. He assisted both Martial and Lingard's goals.
Jesse Lingard - 8
Lingard continued his rich vein of goal-scoring form with another stunning strike from 20 yards to wrap up the three points for United, giving Pickford no chance to get close to it. His ability to create space around a defender before getting a shot away was critical. He worked well on the wings and made excellent inroads into the Everton back-line with his pace.
Anthony Martial - 7
Martial had a poor first half in the number nine position, getting his first touch all wrong and failing to get into goal-scoring positions into the box, often deploying himself on the left-wing. He was much more disciplined in the second half, getting in behind an organized Ederton defence and manufacturing space to rifle a shot into the top corner to put United in front. He may have done just enough to keep his place ahead of Rashford as the front-man in the absence of Lukaku and Ibrahimovic.
Substitutes:
Marcus Rashford - 6.5
Rashford had a bright 13 minutes on the pitch, making exciting runs from the left and completing a dribble or two to unsettle the Evertonian defence.
Daley Blind and Axel Tuanzebe - N/A
Both players were introduced very late in the game to shut up shop.
