Man Utd player ratings vs Everton: 9/10s steal the show as Amorim finds new partnership

Manchester United moved into the top half of the Premier League table for the first time under new boss Ruben Amorim with a clinical 4-0 victory over Everton on Sunday.

After withstanding some early pressure by the visitors at Old Trafford, with a protest over ticket prices outside the ground as the backdrop to the match, Marcus Rashford broke the deadlock with a deflected effort from the edge of the box following a well-rehearsed corner routine.

Joshua Zirkzee doubled their advantage in the first half with his second goal for the club after his £36.5million summer move from Bologna.

Rashford got his second and United’s third just seconds after half-time, finishing off a quick counter-attack following impressive build-up from Amad and Zirkzee.

Amad then picked James Tarkowski’s pocket before sliding the ball across for Zirkzee to bag a second, rounding off a difficult day for the Toffees, who capitulated after a good early start.

Express Sport takes a look at how each United player fared against Everton…

Man Utd (3-4-3)

Goalkeeper

Andre Onana – 7

Had little to do after the opening half an hour before making a superb point-blank save from Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the 85th minute.

Defence

Amad – 9

A constant threat on the right flank, his pressure on the Everton defence led to a turnover that Fernandes pounced upon before teeing up the Dutch forward to score.

He then set up Rashford just moments into the second half to score, thriving in a role that could well be the making of the Ivorian.

His link-up play with the two-goal hero, who often stuck to the right of a fluid front three, was pivotal and something that Amorim will likely look to again in the coming weeks.

Noussair Mazraoui – 7

Calm on the ball and smart when defending against a more physical striker in Beto, the Moroccan has quickly become a very dependable option in Amorim’s back three.

Matthijs de Ligt – 7

Comfortable afternoon in the heart of defence for De Ligt before being replaced by Harry Maguire just before the hour mark.

Lisandro Martinez – 6

Was booked and with his fifth yellow card of the season will be suspended for the upcoming visit to Arsenal in a big blow to continue United’s strong form, having dragged Beto down with the striker racing in on goal.

Diogo Dalot – 6

A solid performance, having been clearly instructed to keep his width on the left flank, though a specialist wing-back may soon be targeted to help take Amorim’s system to the next level.

Midfield

Casemiro – 6

Struggled to contain Dwight McNeil at times against a numerical disadvantage, one downside of Amorim’s 3-4-3 shape, duly replaced by Manuel Ugarte on the hour mark who may well get a start against Arsenal.

Kobbie Mainoo – 6

On his first start returning from injury, Mainoo had a quiet afternoon but picked up a yellow card and is now suspended for the midweek trip to Arsenal. Quickly put his hands up in apology after narrowly avoiding a second caution before being substituted for Mason Mount.

Attack

Bruno Fernandes – 9

Back in the front three after being deployed deeper in the win over Bodo/Glimt and thrived with plenty of freedom, having two runners in Rashford and Zirkzee making runs ahead of him.

The skipper was at his creative best yet again and will prove to be a key figure in the Amorim era, picking out his forwards well and highlighted by the perfect corner to the edge of the box where Rashford was waiting to fire past Jordan Pickford.

Shortly after it was Zirkzee on the receiving end of a Fernandes assist, who was in the right place at the right time to finish well under pressure.

He was a true pleasure to watch and everything Amorim will be hoping to build his team around.

Marcus Rashford – 9

How Rashford would react to another new head coach was a big talking point upon Amorim’s arrival, but the England forward was sharp, a constant threat in behind, and lethal in front of goal.

His effort was deflected off Jarrad Branthwaite, but Rashford forced the goal. His second, however, was no mistake after making a good run off Amad and rifling a ferocious shot through goalkeeper’s legs.

This is the Rashford of old and although a small sample size of three matches, Amorim is getting the best out of United’s diamond in the rough.

Joshua Zirkzee – 9

December will prove to be a crucial month for Zirkzee, with reports out of Italy suggesting that he already wants to move back to Serie A and link up with his former boss Thiago Motta at Juventus.

But he was handed an opportunity to impress against Everton and duly grasped it with both hands, in what may well be his best performance yet in a United shirt.

With Rashford offering a threat in behind, Zirkzee was able to pull Branthwaite and James Tarkowski out of position by dropping deep and linking play, while also retaining a threat in front of goal.

He made sure to be perfectly positioned when Fernandes looked across goal for a team-mate to slide in to double their advantage.

His second goal was of a similar nature, as this time Amad looked up and saw Zirkzee in plenty of space to tap home after successfully pressing the Everton backline.

Substitutes

Harry Maguire (56′) – 6

A solid half an hour on the pitch as Maguire returns from injury.

Luke Shaw (56′) – 6

More minutes under the left-back’s belt, again in the back three, who could be handed a start against Arsenal after Martinez’s suspension.

Alejandro Garnacho (66′) – 7

An exciting cameo on for Fernandes as he proved to be a daunting option off the bench for veteran defender Ashley Young before the former United player was quickly taken off to a big round of applause.

Manuel Ugarte (66′) – 6

Helped preserve a clean sheet alongside Casemiro, a partnership which may well begin the trip to the Emirates together.

Mason Mount (80′) – 6

A few nice touches but little impact in a short time on the pitch.