After a disheartening loss to Arsenal in Week 8, Wayne Rooney and Ander Herrera re-energized Manchester United en route to a 3-0 rout of Everton at Goodison Park – the first away win against the Toffees in four years.
In the process, Rooney tied Premier League legend Andy Cole for the second most goals in Premier League history. With the win moving Manchester United into second on the table, one must ask the question if Rooney can claim another Premier League title before even approaching Alan Shearer’s scoring record.
With Anthony Martial by his side and a stellar midfield playing behind him, Rooney and company have as good a chance as any to win the title this year.
Here are the Manchester United player ratings from their 3-0 win over Everton:
GK David de Gea – 8/10
Any time the goalkeeper gets a clean sheet it’s going to be hard to give him lower than top marks. Heck, De Gea could’ve left Goodison Park, gone on a date with his girlfriend and not miss a save.
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DF Matteo Darmian – 7/10
Part of a huge defensive effort for Man United and played his part as well. Darmian had two successful tackles, two clears and drew two fouls.
DF Chris Smalling – 8/10
Sensational day for Smalling, who had an assist to Schneiderlin’s goal to go along with four clears and a drawn foul. He played extremely smart football and kept Everton off balance.
DF Phil Jones – 8/10
Have to give serious props to Jones for playing such a solid game after a serious-looking nose injury suffered in the first half that took him out of the game for a period of time. He cleared the ball a whopping seven times
DF Marcos Rojo – 6.5/10
A very unwise decision to body-check an Everton player could’ve resulted in an injury but did draw the yellow card. Nonetheless, very hard to take points away from Rojo for a solid outing on defense.
MF Morgan Schneiderlin – 8/10
Kept the ball away from Everton for the better part of the match with superb passing – as Man United fans have come to expect from the former Southampton midfielder.
MF Bastian Schweinsteiger – 7.5/10
The German midfield ace proved once again that he’s one of the best players on the field. He averaged at least one touch of the ball nearly every minute before Louis van Gaal gave him a much-deserved breather late in the game.
MF Juan Mata – 5/10
Mata didn’t contribute much to the first half, but he was subbed after the first half probably in order to keep him fresh for the Champions League. Not that Man United needed him to play his best game anyway.
MF Ander Herrera – 10/10
A goal, an assist, a corner, several fouls drawn and some of the smartest footwork you’ll see by a midfielder who isn’t even renown for his scoring ability. When Herrera is hot he might be among the best in the league.
FW Wayne Rooney – 9/10
Rooney’s first half accuracy was spotty, but he kept the Everton defense honest and looked several years younger in the speed department. And of course it wouldn’t be a Man United-Everton clash without a Rooney goal against his former club – ending his 18-game away goal drought in the process.
FW Anthony Martial – 6.5/10
Martial was invisible for the majority of the game playing on the perimeter. He made the most of his opportunities with several well-placed shots, but Everton stopper Tim Howard was ready each time.
Substitutes:
Jesse Lingard – 6/10
Didn’t make much of an impact until the final minutes of the game, but he did a good job of keeping the ball deep in Everton territory.
Michael Carrick – 5/10
Carrick drew a foul but didn’t get near the ball much in the 15 minutes he had to replace Schweinsteiger.
Marouane Fellaini – 4/10
A garbage-time sub for the stellar Ander Herrera, Fellaini was dumped on his face while trying to make a head pass just moments after coming onto the pitch.