Manchester United secured a 4-0 win against Everton at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Antonio Valencia opened the scoring with a stunner early on before Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Romelu Lukaku and Anthony Martial put some gloss on the scoreline in the closing stages.
Wayne Rooney came closest for Everton on his return to Old Trafford but couldn’t apply the finishing touch.
The win takes United to the top of the Premier League, level on points and gold difference with Manchester City.
Here are three things we learned from the win over Everton.
With Juan Mata and Henrikh Mkhitaryan on the pitch, United had enough creativity at their disposal. The duo were consistently involved in some neat play with plenty of clever touches and flicks between them.
That drive from midfield which Paul Pogba has provided to great effect this season was notably missing from the performance but Mata and Mkhitaryan compensated well.
Mata should’ve had an assist when he played Lukaku through in the first half only for the Belgium to fluff his lines. The Spaniard then went on to hit the post with a free-kick. Meanwhile, Mkhitaryan was key to United’s attacks and calmly slotted away for his side’s second.
Marouane Fellaini may not have been able to fill the void left by Pogba but his presence did afford Mata and Mikhitaryan more freedom.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan
It’s not often that you can take positives after being on the wrong side of a 4-0 scoreline but Everton can do just that. The Toffees have had a difficult start to the season, having already faced City, Tottenham, Chelsea and United.
With just one win in the league so far and after conceding 12 without reply in their last four outings in all competitions, it will be difficult for them to see the light. However, the 4-0 scoreline at Old Trafford was harsh on them.
They kept United quiet for most of the game and created a fair few chances themselves with Rooney dragging a shot wide in the first half and then forcing David de Gea into a great save with his feet in the second.
The capitulation began with an error from Ashley Williams as Fellaini stole the ball off him in a move that saw Mkhitaryan make it 2-0 with seven minutes to go. Up until that point, the visitors were well in the game. If noting else, Rooney’s decent display in a tough fixture is cause for optimism. It doesn’t hurt that their fixture list gets a bit easier now as well.
Wayne Rooney
It wasn’t a vintage United performance but while Liverpool and Tottenham bombarded their opponents on Saturday but could only manage a point each, the Red Devils killed the game off in style.
That’s been a theme for United this season, that killer instinct that’s been missing since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.
The 4-0 win wasn’t their best display this season but given that it wasn’t made easy for them and they still managed to run away with it in the end, it may be one of the more satisfying one.
Anthony Martial made it 4-0
