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Eager to return to winning ways in the Premier League following last Sunday’s (October 2) 6-3 drubbing against Manchester City, Manchester United took on Everton on Sunday evening (October 9). Erik ten Hag’s side rose to the challenge at Goodison Park and walked away with a well-deserved 2-1 win.
New signing Antony and five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo found the back of the net for the Mancunians while Alex Iwobi scored Everton’s only goal. Following Sunday’s win, Manchester United find themselves in fifth place in the Premier League standings (15 points from eight games).
Manchester United endured a difficult start to their Premier League matchday eight clash, going a goal behind after five minutes of play. Casemiro shockingly lost possession in the middle of the park, allowing Demarai Gray to drive forward and offload the ball to Iwobi. The midfielder took a touch to set himself up and then dispatched a stunning curler to find the back of the net from 20 yards out.
Goodison’s joy, however, was short-lived, as United’s marquee summer signing equalized for the visitors only 10 minutes later. Anthony Martial received a pass from Bruno Fernandes, carried it forward, and played the Brazilian through. The former Ajax man took care of the rest with a lovely left-footed finish.
Just before the half-hour mark, Martial hobbled off the field, with Ronaldo taking his place. In the 37th minute, Fernandes fired past Everton stopper Jordan Pickford. Unfortunately for Ten Hag’s men, Ronaldo was caught in an offside position during the build-up. Five minutes later, an unmarked Casemiro got a gilt-edged chance to put his team in front, but the Brazilian failed to direct his header on target.
In the 44th minute, Casemiro’s former Real Madrid teammate, Ronaldo, superbly used his pace and found the back of the net in style. The goal marked his 700th club goal in his career, making him the first footballer in history to reach the milestone.
Manchester United did not get many clear-cut opportunities in the second half but thoroughly dominated the proceedings. In the 82nd minute, Marcus Rashford went on a superb solo run and found the back of the net for United. VAR, however, disallowed the goal due to a handball during his run.
Overall, it was a commendable performance by the visitors; one with a lot more positives than negatives. Here are five Red Devils stars who stood out in their 2-1 victory in Merseyside on Sunday:
#5 Diogo Dalot
The Red Devils’ Portuguese right-back Diogo Dalot put in an impressive shift on Sunday. He was quick off the mark, impressed onlookers with his distribution, and was rarely outsmarted by the opposition.
At Goodison, Dalot made three clearances, blocked two shots, attempted two tackles, and won four of six ground duels. He also made 42 accurate passes (82.4% accuracy) and accurately delivered five of six long balls.
#4 Casemiro
Former Real Madrid defensive midfielder Casemiro was at fault for Iwobi’s fifth-minute goal, with the Brazilian getting easily pick-pocketed by Amadou Onana, which led to Gray’s assist. In the 42nd minute, he missed a header from point-blank range, failing to apply the finish to Rashford’s immaculate cross.
Casemiro, however, redeemed himself a couple of minutes later, winning the ball off Iwobi and playing Ronaldo through with a superb pass. The Portugal captain made no mistake in slotting it in.
In addition to the assist, Casemiro made two key passes, accurately delivered three long balls, won three of four aerial duels, attempted four tackles, and made four clearances.
#3 Lisandro Martinez
Ten Hag paired Lisandro Martinez with Victor Lindelof on Sunday and the result was more than satisfactory. Martinez quickly got on his partner’s wavelength and made life difficult for the opposition attackers. He was strong in aerial battles, was always on the lookout for threatening passes, and cleared the ball confidently when needed.
On Sunday, Martinez made four clearances, attempted two tackles, won three aerial duels, and completed 80 passes (87.9% accuracy).
#2 Antony
Brazilian forward Antony enjoyed a fine outing in Manchester United’s colors on Sunday. Not only did he apply a sumptuous finish to Martial’s offload in the 15th minute, but he also flexed his creative muscles well.
Against Everton, Antony made three key passes, won five duels, drew two fouls, attempted two tackles, and made a clearance. It was a confident display by one of the most excitable players in the Premier League right now.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo
Ten Hag opted to field Martial ahead of Ronaldo on Sunday, leaving the Portuguese on the bench. However, Ronaldo got his chance within 30 minutes of the match, courtesy of yet another unfortunate Martial injury. It took him only 15 minutes to make a tangible impact, with the Portugal international going on a brilliant run down the left flank and applying a clinical left-footed finish.
In addition to scoring the goal, Ronaldo also played Rashford on for his disallowed goal in the 82nd minute. Additionally, Ronaldo won six of eight duels, completed both attempted dribbles, made a key pass, and even attempted a tackle.
