Man Utd beat Everton to return to second place

Goals from Martial and Lingard helped Man Utd win 2-0 right at Goodison Park.

Martial takes a free kick from the edge of the box. Photo: Reuters

The ball flew into the top corner to open the score for Man Utd. Photo: Reuters

Goals: Martial 57', Lingard 81'

Man Utd eased to a win over Everton to end a run of three consecutive draws in the Premier League. The team also returned to second place with 47 points, 12 points behind Man City and two points ahead of Chelsea having played a game more.

Home team Everton did not cause much trouble for Man Utd despite the return of Wayne Rooney. The former Man Utd captain even created conditions for his old team to open the scoring. Starting from Rooney's loss of the ball, Man Utd created an attack in which Pogba made a cross for Martial to score from the edge of the 16m50 box.

Towards the end of the match, Jesse Lingard dribbled straight into the 16m50 box before firing a cross-angle shot past goalkeeper Pickford. Lingard's goal also sealed the match's score.

Rooney received a yellow card in the match against Man Utd again. Photo: PA

Man Utd were without both strikers Lukaku and Ibrahimovic due to injury but still proved too strong for Everton. The home team still maintained an annoying defensive style under coach Sam Allardyce but Man Utd had an effective day. The quartet of Martial, Lingard, Pogba and Mata created dangerous opportunities despite often facing a dense defense in the 16m50 area.

After a goalless first half, Man Utd stepped up the tempo in the second half and should have opened the scoring with a long-range effort from Mata. The Spanish midfielder curled a left-footed shot from 25 metres into the far post. Mata's finish opened the door for Man Utd to shoot from outside the box. Just minutes later, Martial opened the scoring with a classy finish.

The goal from the Man Utd centre-forward was the turning point of the game as Everton looked set for a draw. The Frenchman’s strike forced the hosts to press higher in the remaining minutes and created space for Lingard to score the winner.

Lingard scored his sixth Premier League goal since the start of December. Photo: PA

After an impressive start to life at Everton, manager Sam Allardyce has seen his team lose two consecutive games against Bournemouth and Man Utd. The biggest problem he faces, like his predecessor Ronald Koeman, is the ability of his strikers to score goals. Everton have not had a worthy replacement after Lukaku left.

This will be a problem that needs to be solved in the winter transfer window. The strikers that Sam Allardyce has at his disposal such as Baye Oumar Niasse and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are not quality goalscorers. Meanwhile, Rooney only plays an average role in the attacking midfielder position and has difficulty putting pressure on the opponent's defense.

According to VNE