Manchester United made it back-to-back wins under Ruben Amorin as a calculated attacking display saw off Everton by 4-0 amidst frustrated scenes of supporter protest throughout.
The Old Trafford faithful voiced their concerns towards the Glazer family and Ineos kingpin Sir Jim Ratcliffe regarding hiked ticket prices before kickoff, setting the tone for a passionate afternoon in the North West.
On the field, Amorim continued with his favoured 343 structure and squad rotation, making six alterations to his starting XI from the midweek victory against Bodo/Glimt.
Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho dropped to the bench for Marcus Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee, with Kobbie Mainoo returning from his injury spell to earn a first start under his new head coach.
The decision returned the optimum reward, with both forwards bagging a brace in a dominating display that saw the Reds climb to ninth in the Premier League table, four points off the Champions League places.
Manchester United have rediscovered their goalscoring touch
First and foremost, this was a fantastic display from the home side and extended their unbeaten run to seven with five wins in the process.
Continuing from a dominant midweek second-half performance, United started positively – dominating possession and dictating the tempo on their terms.
But Everton are dogged despite their domestic position, and although they are struggling through a lack of attacking output, the Toffess often threaten their opponents for large parts of proceedings.
Following a sustained period of pressure, Sean Dyche’s men assumed a sense of control over the tie after the quarter mark and looked particularly threatening on the counter.
Beto was an available outlet at the head of their attack, and his forward prowess was almost rewarded when his marauding run past Andre Onana presented an opportunity that Matthijs de Ligt marshalled onto the wrong side of the post.
The visitors continued to grow into the game and began earning possession of their own before a Bruno Fernandes set piece found Rashford unmarked at the end of the box, and his deflected effort found the net after 34 minutes.
From that moment, the tide of the affair turned, and the momentum was firmly with the 20-time English champions.
Amad Diallo continued to impress in his wing-back role, and his final-third tenacity reclaimed possession high up the field before Fernandes supplied Zirkzee the opportunity to double his side’s advantage with four minutes of the half to play.
The teams remained unchanged at the break, and despite the frustration vented at ownership, the Old Trafford faithful applauded their men back to the field.
One characteristic during Amorim’s time in the North West has been his side’s ability to start with a bang following goals within the opening 90 seconds in both of his previous outings.
Rashford ensured this trend continued after 21 seconds of the restart, linking up expertly with Amad to smash the ball past the helpless Jordan Pickford.
Amorim’s Reds were in cruise control from here, displaying a commanding sense of flair and confidence throughout – Everton were shellshock.
Inevitably, the continuous pressure was too much to contend with, and Zirkzee earned his second thanks to the endless efforts of his brilliant Ivorian teammate.
The Portuguese chief continued to test his squad and completed multiple changes ahead of Wednesday’s trip to Arsenal.
If there was one black mark on a fantastic day, it was the bookings of Mainoo and Lisandro Martinez. The popular duo will miss the trip to North London through suspension.
The nature of the performance will please the Manchester faithful, but the result signalled the first time United have hit a Premier League opponent by 4+ goals since a 5-1 victory against Leeds in August 2021.
How do you feel about Manchester United following this comprehensive victory over Everton in only Amorim’s third fixture?
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