Manchester United clinched a much deserved 2-1 win over Everton at the Old Trafford on Sunday to relieve pressure on manager Jose Mourinho.
This win would bring some breathing space for the Portuguese who faced a mid-week loss to Juventus in the Champions League. With club legend Eric Cantona present at the stands, it was fitting that his fellow countrymen were the ones to clinch all three points for United.
This win also proved the fact that United could do well without their Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku after he was made to start on the bench having failed to score in his past eight games for the club. Instead, Anthony Martial’s recent form continued to get better as he scored the second goal for the Red Devils to give them a two-goal cushion heading into the break.
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In the 27th minute, it was under-fire midfielder Paul Pogba who gave his side the lead after his penalty almost got saved by a young Jordan Pickford. The Frenchman took no less than 26-stuttering steps to go for the shot before he saw his effort being saved by the England international. But to his good luck, the ball came back to him on the rebound and this time, the World Cup winner calmly slotted it in.
He was also involved in United’s second goal when he fed Martial with a delivery that was finished beautifully by his countryman to hand his side a second.
At the 76th minute mark, it was Everton who finally reaped the reward for their continued persistence after Brazilian Richarlison was taken down by Chris Smalling. The Toffees, winning a penalty, made full use of it with Iceland international Gylfi Siggurdson putting the ball into the corner of the net.
Image credit- The Independent