Martial and Pogba shine, Man Utd return to winning ways.

Goals: Pogba 27', Martial 49' - Sigurdsson penalty 77'

Man Utd beat Everton to overtake their rivals and climb to eighth place in the Premier League. Mourinho's team now has 17 points and has reduced the gap to the top four to five points.

Manchester United's opening goal came from a penalty kick taken by Pogba after the referee ruled Idrissa Gueye had fouled Martial inside the penalty area. The French midfielder made a bizarre run-up of 26 steps, but goalkeeper Pickford saved his first attempt. The ball rebounded to Pogba, who easily slotted it into the empty net.

In the second half, Pogba returned the favor to Martial with an assist from just outside the penalty area. The in-form striker curled a shot from distance, leaving goalkeeper Pickford helpless. This was the third consecutive Premier League match in which Martial scored for Man Utd.

The match became dramatic in the final minutes when Pogba once again contributed to a goal, but this time it belonged to Everton. The 25-year-old star lost possession, allowing Everton to counter-attack, and Smalling was forced to foul Richardson. From the penalty spot, Gylfi Sigurdsson reduced the deficit. But this was also the final goal of the match.

Manager Mourinho dropped the out-of-form striker Lukaku from the starting lineup and opted for a trio of Martial, Rashford, and Mata. This adjustment proved effective, as Manchester United's attack played more fluidly with better positional interchange and faster-paced attacks than in previous matches. Martial, in particular, proved his irreplaceable position with another outstanding performance.

The French forward deployed in his familiar left-wing position and gave defender Seamus Coleman a nightmare night. For the first half hour, Everton players seemed unable to get past Martial whenever he accelerated. Furthermore, Martial had good chemistry with his teammates, especially his compatriot Pogba.

Pogba was given the role of the number 10 playmaker when manager Mourinho freed him from defensive duties with the pairing of Matic and Fred. Playing freely and close to the opponent's penalty area, Pogba made quality runs and created chances. After assisting Martial's goal at the beginning of the second half, Pogba nearly scored a second goal with a run-in shot, but goalkeeper Pickford made an excellent save.

The England goalkeeper was the main character for Everton, helping them avoid a heavy defeat. But Pickford's brilliance couldn't compensate for Everton's attack. Striker Richarlison was tightly marked by center-backs Lindelof and Smalling, unable to utilize his speed when receiving the ball with his back to the goal. Towards the end of the match, when manager Silva decided to move Richarlison back to the left wing and bring on genuine strikers Cenk Tosun and Lookman, Everton finally created some significant chances.

Man Utd also brought on striker Lukaku in the second half. However, the Belgian forward's performance was lackluster, marking his ninth goalless game for the club. The form of Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez is a major problem for Man Utd right now, as the team cannot rely solely on Martial's consistency in the near future.

Starting lineup

Man Utd: De Gea, Young, Lindelof, Smalling, Shaw, Fred (Lingard 90'), Matic, Pogba, Mata (Herrera 85'), Rashford (Lukaku 65'), Martial.

Everton: Pickford, Coleman, Zouma, Keane, Digne, Gueye (Tosun 78'), Gomes, Walcott (Calvert-Lewin 78'), Sigurdsson, Bernard (Lookman 62'), Richarlison.

Bao Lam