Manchester United's resurgence continued on Sunday afternoon, with the Red Devils recording an impressive 4-0 victory over Everton in the Premier League to make it three games unbeaten under the leadership of new head coach Ruben Amorim.
Marcus Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee both struck braces as the Red Devils moved into ninth position in the Premier League table courtesy of the four-goal victory over the Toffees at Old Trafford, and it was a dominant performance from the 20-time English champions.
The breakthrough came in the 34th minute of the contest, with Rashford's strike from a Bruno Fernandes corner taking a big deflection off Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite before beating Toffees goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
Man United then doubled their lead in the 42nd minute through Zirkzee, with the Netherlands international on the scoresheet for the first time since the opening night of the 2024-25 Premier League campaign.
Excellent running from Amad Diallo, who took the ball away from Branthwaite down the right, led to Fernandes delivering a cross into Zirkzee, and the striker fired into the back of the net to spark jubilant scenes inside the stadium.
Man United then put the game beyond Everton shortly after the restart, with Rashford finishing under Pickford after being released by Amad to make it three goals in two league appearances since Amorim's arrival.
Three became four for the Red Devils in the 64th minute, and it was again wonderful work from the man-of-the-match Amad, who robbed James Tarkowski of the ball in a wide area before sliding a pass into Zirkzee, and the striker slotted into the back of the net.
Man United are now only four points behind fourth-placed Brighton & Hove Albion in the table, but Everton remain down in 15th, just two points clear of the relegation zone, with the Merseyside outfit on 11 points from 13 matches.
MAN UNITED VS. EVERTON HIGHLIGHTS
34th min: Man United 1-0 Everton (Marcus Rashford)
Man United make the breakthrough in the 34th minute of the contest, and the goal comes from Rashford, with the Englishman's strike from a Fernandes corner taking a deflection off Branthwaite before landing in the back of the net.
41st min: Man United 2-0 Everton (Joshua Zirkzee)
Man United have their second of the match in the 41st minute, as Amad takes the ball away from Branthwaite down the right before Fernandes delivers an excellent cross into Zirkzee, who simply cannot miss.
Zirkzee finally has his second goal for the 20-time English champions.
46th min: Man United 3-0 Everton (Marcus Rashford)
Man United score their third of the match shortly after the restart, and it is a second for Rashford, with the Englishman finishing under Pickford after being released by Amad; Everton are undone again just 20 seconds into the second period.
64th min: Man United 4-0 Everton (Joshua Zirkzee)
The home side have their fourth of the match in the 64th minute, and it is again excellent work from Amad, who takes the ball away from Tarkowski in a wide area before feeding Zirkzee, with the Dutchman expertly finding the bottom corner.
MAN OF THE MATCH - AMAD DIALLO
© Imago
Rashford and Zirkzee both scored braces, but Amad was the star of the show on Sunday, with the Ivory Coast international becoming one of the team's most important players, and he could thrive in Amorim's 3-4-3 system.
Amad set up Rashford and Zirkzee to score in the second period, and his tireless work down the right was absolutely crucial for Man United, with the 22-year-old, who made four tackles in total, not giving Everton's defenders a second to rest on the ball.
MAN UNITED VS. EVERTON MATCH STATS
Possession: Man United 60%-40% Everton
Shots: Man United 11-8 Everton
Shots on target: Man United 5-2 Everton
Corners: Man United 2-2 Everton
Fouls: Man United 12-12 Everton
BEST STATS
2 - Rúben Amorim is the first Manchester United manager to be 2+ goals up at half time of his first Premier League game at Old Trafford. Acquainted. pic.twitter.com/cJVojVpJLP
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 1, 2024
Man Utd produce their biggest win of the season in Ruben Amorim's PL home debut 🔥😈 pic.twitter.com/ZAcNhcCbeP
— Premier League USA (@PLinUSA) December 1, 2024
WHAT NEXT?
Man United will be aiming to make it three straight wins in all competitions when they head to Arsenal in the Premier League on Wednesday night, but they will be missing both Lisandro Martinez and Kobbie Mainoo through suspension for that clash.
Everton, meanwhile, will look to bounce back from the disappointing result when they welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to Goodison Park on Wednesday night, and there will pressure on Toffees head coach Sean Dyche to deliver a positive result.
Matt Law
