Manchester United ended a run of defeats at Everton as Ander
Herrera scored one and made another in an impressive 3-0 win.
Morgan Schneiderlin (18) and Herrera (22) scored within four
first-half minutes before the Spaniard laid on a third after the break for
Wayne Rooney (62).
Rooney's goal - a first on the road in the league in 11
months and a 187th in the Premier League - drew him level with Andy Cole in
second place on the all-time list and capped a United performance far removed
from their meek display at Arsenal before the international break.
Wayne Rooney says he is happy to have ended his six-game
goal-scoring drought at former club Everton
On the face of it a trip to Goodison Park - scene of three
straight league defeats - looked an unappetising follow-up to that Emirates
surrender, all the more so given the simmering emotion among the home
supporters following the morning news of Howard Kendall's death.
But United were composed on the ball, organised without it
and all-round value for a result that keeps them two points off Manchester City
ahead of of next week's derby.
Wayne Rooney says he is happy to have ended his six-game goal-scoring drought at former club Everton
On
the face of it a trip to Goodison Park - scene of three straight league
defeats - looked an unappetising follow-up to that Emirates surrender,
all the more so given the simmering emotion among the home supporters
following the morning news of Howard Kendall's death.But United were composed on the ball, organised without it and all-round value for a result that keeps them two points off Manchester City ahead of of next week's derby.
Wayne Rooney says he is happy to have ended his six-game goal-scoring drought at former club Everton
Other than a brief spell of Everton pressure after the break
United were in total control, and Louis van Gaal's reshuffle paid off as
Schneiderlin and Herrera - both back in the United midfield - put the game
almost beyond Everton by the midway point in the first half.
Schneiderlin's goal, passed into the corner neatly after
Marcos Rojo and Chris Smalling had kept a half-cleared corner alive, was his
first for United, while Herrera's had more than a hint of Paul Scholes about it
as he arrived in the box late to head in Rojo's left-wing cross.
Van Gaal used Herrera behind Rooney and Anthony Martial on
the left, and the system worked as Everton found Herrera an elusive presence
and struggled to contain Martial's direct running as the game wore on.
The teenager might have scored from Rooney's cut-back before
the break, only for Seamus Coleman to intervene, while at the other end Ross
Barkley's crack from a tight angle was as much as David De Gea had to deal
with.
United's goalkeeper was called into serious action early in
the second half, deflecting Romelu Lukaku's side-footer to safety with an
outstretched left leg, and Barkley did clip the frame of the goal with a late
free-kick.
But they were isolated moments of alarm, and by the time of
Barkley's effort United were three-up, Rooney finishing inside Tim Howard's
near post after Phil Jagielka's awful pass sparked a quick counter-attack.
The former Goodison idol raised a hand in apology and almost
had to repeat the gesture moments later as another poor piece of defending from
Jagielka left him one-on-one. Howard won that duel, but the damage was done.
0 comments:
Post a Comment