Manchester United helped themselves to yet another 4-0 victory at Old Trafford, Everton being the beneficiaries this time around. The game sprung to life after 3 minutes, as a thunderbolt from Antonio Valencia helped Manchester United take an early lead on the night. It seemed to be another stroll in the park from then on, but it wasn’t to be. Manchester United seemed pedestrian for the better part of the game, and had it not been for the late surge after 80 minutes, we could have seen a nervy ending at Old Trafford, reminiscent of last season.
Let’s look at some of the talking points from the Man Utd vs Everton game:
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Romelu Lukaku has the final laugh
After having made the switch from Everton to Manchester United over the summer, much of the pre-match focus was on Romelu Lukaku. He has been in scintillating form and continued in the same manner against his old team. He did get a lot of stick from his ex-fans, and his former teammates as he was devoid of space and service for most of the game. But good strikers, more often than not, make the most of what they have to work with. While he did miss a one on one against Pickford, Lukaku was sharp in possession and looked to influence the play as much as possible. His decision making was spot on, as he played a delightful through ball to release Mkhitaryan on goal, before being the ultimate opportunist and scoring against his old team from what seemed like nothing. Expect a lot more from the Belgian this season!
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Wayne Rooney and his homecoming
Wayne Rooney’s return to the place he called home was going to be a talking point. The Manchester United legend graced the Old Trafford pitch for the first time, as a rival player and did not disappoint. After being largely anonymous in the beginning, he began to drop deep and create chances in the process. He was a handful for Bailly and Jones and almost helped himself to a goal but it wasn’t to be. It was also fitting that the goal glut at the end had to occur after Rooney’s substitution.
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Nemanja Matic – The difference
It’s surprising to see how much of a difference can a single player have on a team, and that’s exactly what Matic is doing. Once again, he was spectacular on the night. His interceptions and passing was on point, as Manchester United went joint top of the league table. His presence in midfield gives fans assurance that the danger, if any, will be handled.
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Paul Pogba’s absence felt
For most of the match, Manchester United seemed to be the same team that lacked any real pace in midfield. Their passing was mostly sideward and pedestrian. This could be pointed towards the selection of Matic and Fellaini in midfield. For the first time, we could see the home team give a lot of free spaces in between the defence and midfield, which Rooney and Siggurdson should have profited from. All of these clearly show how much of an influence Paul Pogba has on Manchester United’s midfield and how deeply he was missed on the night.
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Manchester United show ruthlessness
A Manchester United team of recent past would look for a 1-0 win over such opponents. Jose’s XI are clearly a different devil. They take the phrase ‘You’re vulnerable when you’ve just scored’ and turned it around. Yet again, Manchester United have managed to score 3 or more goals in the closing stages of the game. This kind of ruthless and attacking football is a welcome change for the fans at Old Trafford and it’s here to stay!
