Martial, Lingard seal United win at Everton
Manchester United brought an end to a run of three successive draws as goals from Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard brought a 2-0 victory over Everton at Goodison Park.
In a bright start, home keeper Jordan Pickford was quickly out to claim as Lingard threatened, and with four minutes gone Everton’s former United star Wayne Rooney almost grabbed the limelight when his shot was blocked by Phil Jones and span behind.
But the game soon entered a scrappy spell, with the ball zipping around a wet playing surface on a rainy night and neither side able to gain much control.
On the quarter of an hour mark, Paul Pogba set out to change that as he fired in a low cross that eluded the waiting Juan Mata before Martial blasted over from long range.
As the tempo picked up, Everton’s Tom Davies had a 25-yard strike deflected behind for a corner, and when the ball fell to Nikola Vlasic his shot was wayward.
With 24 minutes gone, United were grateful to Marcos Rojo for a superb sliding block to deny Oumar Niasse as the Everton forward tried to make something of a through pass by Vlasic.
Pickford stopped a Rojo header and then blocked from Martial after Luke Shaw and Pogba had created the opening.
With the rain increasing as the half drew towards a conclusion, Jesse Lingard shot wide after a purposeful run and, in the final moments of the half, Rooney was booked for fouling Martial as the United man tried to break.
United began the second half strongly and Pickford tipped over a dipping Mata strike before the midfielder came even closer after 50 minutes, bending an effort past the keeper but seeing it rebound off the post.
Shaw’s low cross was cut out well by Cuco Martina with Lingard waiting in the middle, and then Pogba sent an angled effort past the post as the visitors began to totally dominate.