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Two braces from Marcus Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee carried Manchester United to a dominant 4-0 win over Everton in the Premier League on Sunday, December 1.
Following a 1-1 draw in his first league clash, Ruben Amorim opted to make three changes. He welcomed Lisandro Martinez back from injury, putting him in place of Jonny Evans, while Kobbie Mainoo and Joshua Zirkzee replaced Christian Eriksen and Alejandro Garnacho.
Everton, meanwhile, were hoping to put a stop to their four-game run without a win in the league. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was dropped for the first time this season as Beto led the line.
Both teams created chances initially but it was Manchester United who seized the initiative late in the first half. Rashford broke the deadlock in the 34th minute, seeing his deflected effort off a corner completely wrong-foot Pickford.
Zirkzee added another in the 41st minute as Amad Diallo won the ball back high up the pitch. Fernandes latched on and laid it off to the Dutchman who poked home to double their advantage.
Any hopes of a comeback in the second half for Everton were quickly snuffed out as Rashford grabbed his second just 20 seconds after the break. Diallo's driving run created space and he found the attacker with a nice slipped through ball, with the 27-year-old making no mistake.
Diallo's energy was crucial yet again, nicking the ball off the visitors and setting up Zirkzee for a simple finish minutes later as Manchester United completed the rout.
The result sees the side jump back into the top half of the table and they currently occupying ninth place. Everton, meanwhile are in 15th and with no goals in their last four league games have a major issue on their hands. Here are the player ratings for Manchester United:
Manchester United Player Ratings
Andre Onana - 6.5/10
A largely silent outing but he continues to grow in confidence, pulling off a sharp save in the second half to preserve Manchester United's clean sheet.
Noussair Mazraoui - 6.5/10
Mazraoui put in a solid shift in the back three for his 60-minute spell and defended well.
Matthijs de Ligt - 6.5/10
Similar to Mazraoui, he was seemingly taken off early with the game almost won and keeping United's upcoming fixture against Arsenal in mind. He was comfortable in possession, completing 95% of his passes.
Lisandro Martinez - 6/10
A welcome return from injury for Amorim but the Argentine international showed some signs of rust with some mediocre defending at times. A yellow card means he will miss the clash against the Gunners.
Amad Diallo - 8/10
A brilliant performance from Diallo, who seems to be a home run pick for the right wing-back role. His energy down that flank posed continuous problems for the visitors as he played a role in three goals.
Casemiro - 6/10
The Brazilian looked clumsy at times and might not be the best fit for what Amorim expects with Ugarte looking more comfortable in that role.
Kobbie Mainoo - 6/10
A solid performance overall with him coming back from injury. Similar to Martinez, his yellow keeps him out of the midweek clash, a huge blow to Manchester United.
Diogo Dalot - 6/10
The drop in form continues for Dalot as he struggles to impress in the left wing-back role. Manchester United may have to look for better options in the position in the transfer market.
Bruno Fernandes - 8/10
He has been unleashed as a creative threat yet again under Amorim, with the freedom to roam infield making him a devastating player. Two assists and three accurate long balls meant he was able to put his great vision on display.
Joshua Zirkzee - 8.5/10
This was easily Zirkzee's best performance in a Manchester United shirt. Struggling to make an impact under Erik ten Hag, the Dutchman seems more comfortable playing behind the striker and popped up for two goals and could carve this a role for him at Manchester United.
Marcus Rashford - 8/10
While there may be concerns about Rashford playing up front, he looked impressive against Everton doing so. Two more goals takes him to four this season and United fans will hope he can find his footing again after a difficult previous campaign.
Substitutes
Harry Maguire - 6.5/10
He was part of the changes intended to rest the key players. Subbing in for de Ligt, he had a solid outing in his return from injury.
Luke Shaw - 6/10
He continues to gain valuable playing time after his injury and could be the answer at the left wing-back role, despite playing in the back three for his half-hour cameo.
Alejandro Garnacho - 5.5/10
Garnacho struggled to connect with his teammates and continues to have a difficult run of form.
Manuel Ugarte - 6.5/10
He was comfortable as a replacement for Casemiro and his experience of having played under Amorim previously could be useful.
Mason Mount - N/A
He came on too late and did not play enough minutes to merit a rating.
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Edited by S Chowdhury