Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining
Sports Mole for today's Premier League match as
Manchester United host
Everton at Old Trafford!
It will be all eyes on Wayne Rooney today as he returns to the 'Theatre of Dreams' for the first time since his summer exit, but the two clubs themselves have plenty to focus on following vastly differing starts to the season. United have begun the campaign very strongly, whereas Everton have failed to live up to expectation thus far, so the pressure is on the visitors to respond here.
Before we take a closer look at that, though, let's first check out the team news...
MAN UTD STARTING XI: De Gea; Valencia, Bailly, Jones, Young; Matic, Fellaini, Mata, Mkhitaryan, Rashford; Lukaku
MAN UTD SUBS: Romero, Darmian, Smalling, Carrick, Herrera, Lingard, Martial
EVERTON STARTING XI: Pickford; Martina, Keane, Williams, Jagielka, Baines; Schneiderlin, Gueye, Davies; Sigurdsson; Rooney
EVERTON SUBS: Sandro, Mirallas, Klaassen, Besic, Stekelenburg, Calvert-Lewin, Holgate
What can we make of those two teams, then?
Well, the headline news as far as the home side are concerned is that Marouane Fellaini comes in against his former club, replacing the injured Paul Pogba as expected. Fellaini, who scored 33 goals in 177 appearances during his time with the Toffees, has been lavished with praise by Mourinho in recent weeks and is subsequently handed a start this afternoon, with Herrera forced to settle for a place on the bench.
Fellaini scored when replacing Pogba during the midweek win over Basel and will be a threat from set pieces again against his former club today.
Fellaini is not the only Manchester United player coming up against his former club this afternoon, of course, and the in-form
Romelu Lukaku starts up front against for the Red Devils having made a flying start to his career at Old Trafford.
Lukaku has scored four goals in his first four Premier League games for Manchester United, and another one today would see him become only the third player to make it five in five - after Louis Saha and Robin van Persie. Across all competitions, Lukaku already has six goals in as many games for United.
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Lukaku is actually Everton's highest scoring Premier League player of all time having overtaken Duncan Ferguson last season, and he finished his career at Goodison Park with 87 goals in 166 games for the club, 68 of which came in the Premier League.
Should the Belgian score today then he would become the fourth-youngest striker to reach 90 Premier League goals, after only Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler and a certain Michael Owen.
Jose Mourinho has made five changes in all to the side which beat Basel in midweek, with Valencia, Jones, Bailly, Fellaini and Rashford all coming back into the side. Ashley Young somewhat surprisingly keeps his place, though, following a decent showing against the Swiss outfit. He is expected to play on the left side of the defence this time, with Valencia coming back in to his usual position on the right.
Elsewhere, Mkhitaryan retains his spot having registered a league-high five assists already this season.
As for Everton, Wayne Rooney does get his big return to Old Trafford - his first as an opposition player since his summer switch back to his boyhood club.
You'd expect the former England captain to be given a hero's welcome following a hugely successful 13-year stay at United, during which time he won every trophy available to him and scored a club-record 253 goals in 559 appearances.
Rooney has two goals in nine appearances for Everton since his move, but both of those goals have come in four Premier League outings.
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Should Rooney - or Morgan Schneiderlin, for that matter - score this afternoon then they would become just the eighth different player to score against United in the Premier League having previously played for the club in the competition, after Hughes, Dublin, Ince, Gillespie, Berg, Campbell and Welbeck.
However, Rooney lost all four of his games against United during his first stint at Everton and failed to score against them during that time too.
Aside from Rooney, Everton will be looking to fellow summer arrival Gylfi Sigurdsson to find a way through this United defence, and the former Swansea man has a very good record against the Red Devils.
Sigurdsson has been directly involved in six goals in his last six Premier League appearances against Man Utd (three goals, three assists), including netting in his last appearance at Old Trafford in April for Swansea.
He starts just behind Rooney up front today in his favoured number 10 position, with Sandro Ramirez on the bench.
Like United, Everton have made five changes in total for today's game following their poor showing against Atalanta in midweek, with Pickford, Martina, Williams, Gueye and Davies all returning to the side.
There is likely to be a change in formation too, with Everton reverting to three centre-backs as Williams joins Keane - another former United player - and Jagielka in defence. Martina and Baines will provide the width as wing-backs.
It is a team which was overhauled fairly significantly in the summer, which makes Everton's start to the season all the more disappointing, but for United it has been a completely different story so far this season.
Mourinho, by his own admission, did not bring in as many new faces as he would have liked, but Lukaku in particular has made a significant difference already and United as emerged as one of the favourites for the Premier League title at this early stage of the season having dropped just two points so far.
Indeed, the Red Devils began the weekend top of the pile and, while they have since been knocked off the summit by local rivals Manchester City following their 6-0 drubbing of Watford yesterday, another victory today would draw them back level on 13 points apiece.
United's only dropped points so far this season came against Stoke City in their most recent Premier League outing, while they have also conceded a league-low two goals so far.
Perhaps more significantly given their struggles with putting teams away last season, only the free-scoring Man City have hit the back of the net more times than United too, with the Red Devils averaging three goals per game in the league so far and keeping that rate up in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Couple that with a clean sheet in each of their victories so far this season and you have a recipe for success which is serving Mourinho's side well in the early stages of the season.
United's only defeat of the season in any competition came towards the start of August when they were beaten by Real Madrid in the European Super Cup, but since then they are unbeaten in their last five outings - winning four and drawing just that one against Stoke City.
Ten points from their opening four Premier League games represents their best start to a season since the days of Sir Alex Ferguson too, so the signs seem to be pointing towards United heading in the right direction.
Indeed, United have remarkable spent more time on the top of the Premier League table this season (34 days) than they have done in the previous four seasons combined since Alex Ferguson's retirement (16 days).
There is still a long, long way to go, of course, and it should be noted that United have not exactly had the most difficult start to the season, but having seen their dominance over English football end almost as soon as Ferguson's reign also ended, it will feel good for the club to be back at the top of the pile again.
United boast a 100% record at Old Trafford so far this season, winning all three of their games without conceding and scoring nine goals in the process.
Including their final home game of last season United have now won their last four games at Old Trafford without conceding a goal, and you have to go back more than a decade to April 2006 for the last time they strung together five wins and five clean sheets on the bounce in front of their own fans.
Victory this afternoon would see them win their opening three home Premier League fixtures for the first time since 2011-12, in addition to extending their unbeaten record at Old Trafford which now stretches back more than a year.
Manchester City were the last visiting side to taste victory here all the way back in September 2016, since when United have won 21 and drawn 11 of their 32 outings on home soil across all competitions.
It is a daunting task for Everton this afternoon, then, particularly when they come into the match in such poor form themselves. Optimism was high amongst Everton fans in the buildup to the new campaign following an ambitious summer of spending, and despite the loss of Lukaku the overall feeling was that the squad had been strengthened.
However, despite ending the transfer window as one of the biggest spenders in the Premier League, Everton have made a poor start to their campaign and already find themselves playing catch-up in the race for a top-six spot.
The Toffees come into this one sitting 17th in the Premier League table having picked up just four points from their opening four games, with only goal difference keeping them out of the relegation zone as things stand.
Even more worryingly for Ronald Koeman's side are their struggles in front of goal since Lukaku's departure; Everton have scored just twice this season, with only goalless Crystal Palace managing fewer than that in the Premier League so far.
In fairness to Everton, it has been a very difficult start to the season, and after today they would have already faced four of last season's top six in their first five games. It is that top six which Everton hope to break into, though, and their results against the teams they want to be their direct rivals suggest that there is still a lot of work for them to do before they reach that level.
The Toffees did manage a draw with Manchester City - the only team to take points off them this season - and were only denied the victory by a late equaliser in that match, but they have subsequently been comfortably beaten by Chelsea and Tottenham.
The latter of those results - a 3-0 defeat at home to Spurs - was a particularly disappointing one for Everton, which was also coupled with a poor performance from the Toffees to make matters even worse.
Things got no better in midweek, though, as Everton put in a truly dreadful display against Atalanta in the Europa League, falling 3-0 down before half time. The Italian hosts could not add to their lead in the second half, but the Everton performance was not much better and they never really looked like getting back into the game.
Today's match is a very difficult one to have follow such a lacklustre display, but Koeman will be demanding a reaction from his side nonetheless.
Everton come into today's match without a win in their last five games, then, and should they fail to end that run here then it will be the first time that Koeman has experienced a six-match winless run in charge of the club.
The Toffees' poor form includes an ongoing three-match losing streak, during which time they have failed to even score a goal, and you have to go back to January 2015 for the last time they lost four games on the bounce and April 2006 for the last time they failed to score in four consecutive matches.
Everton's prospects only look worse when you take their away form into account too.
Ronald Koeman's side have won just once on the road in the Premier League this calendar year, which is fewer than even relegated Sunderland have managed.
That run includes an ongoing 10-match winless streak which has seen them pick up just five points from the last 30 available on the road, and should they fail to win today then it would be their worst away run in the league for 13 years.
There is some cause for optimism, though. Koeman himself has a very good record against Mourinho having never lost in five previous meetings against his counterpart - Mourinho's longest winless run against any fellow Premier League boss. Indeed, Koeman could today become only the third manager - after Pep Guardiola and Diego Simeone - to lead a team to multiple away wins over a
Jose Mourinho side.
PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at Old Trafford, which means that it is time for a prediction!
These two sides come into this match in such contrasting form that it is difficult to see anything other than a home win. Koeman will be demanding a response from his side following their dreadful showing in midweek, but whether they will be able to muster a good enough one against a United side in fine form is a big ask for the visitors. Add to that their poor away form and United's perfect start at home, and we have to go for a home victory.
Sports Mole says: Manchester United 2-0 Everton
As if Everton's general away record isn't bad enough at the moment, their record at Old Trafford in the Premier League is substantially worse. The Toffees have won just one of their last 24 visits to this stadium, losing 18 in that time.
That solitary victory came during David Moyes's time in charge of United when Bryan Oviedo scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory in December 2013.
In fact, Everton are winless in their last five meetings with United home or away - since a 3-0 win at Goodison in April 2015 - and overall in the Premier League have lost 33 times against the Red Devils - their worst record against a single opponent in the division.
Should United win again today then they would equal the Premier League record for most wins against a single opponent, equalling their tally of 34 against Aston Villa.
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Despite such historical dominance from United, both meetings last season ended 1-1 and there could be a third consecutive draw between the sides for the first time in the Premier League this afternoon.
The most recent meeting in April also came at Old Trafford, and Everton were a whisker away from slightly improving their record at the ground after Phil Jagielka's goal had given them the lead. However, Zlatan Ibrahimovic rescued a draw with a penalty deep into stoppage time as United denied Koeman's side at the death.
Okay, the players are out and we're just about ready to get started here! Before we get underway, though, let's first have a reminder of the team news...
MAN UTD STARTING XI: De Gea; Valencia, Bailly, Jones, Young; Matic, Fellaini, Mata, Mkhitaryan, Rashford; Lukaku
EVERTON STARTING XI: Pickford; Martina, Keane, Williams, Jagielka, Baines; Schneiderlin, Gueye, Davies; Sigurdsson; Rooney
KICKOFF: Here we go then! Lukaku gets us underway against his former club at Old Trafford!
The rain is starting to pour down at Old Trafford - it is Manchester after all. The sun was shining seconds ago, but there is a serious deluge now.
GOAL! Manchester United 1-0 Everton (Antonio Valencia)
What. A. Goal!
Manchester United make a perfect start to the match as Antonio Valencia hits an absolute worldie in from the edge of the box! The full-back is left unmarked on the edge as the ball is played across from the left side of the pitch by Matic, and Valencia opts to take it on first time. He couldn't hit it any better and, while it isn't right into the top corner, the power on it leaves Pickford no chance.
An early contender for goal of the season!
That is such a good start for United, but the worst possible one for an Everton side already short of confidence. They would have wanted to frustrate United today, but within four minutes they are behind and already have face an uphill battle now.
Everton have set up with a defensive mindset today, staying very deep in the opening exchanges, but their game plan is almost out of the window already. They will need to show a little more ambition than they were perhaps planning to from the get go.
United have been utterly dominant in these opening exchanges. They have started on the front foot immediately, and Everton are allowing them to do so. They are sitting off the hosts and not making things anywhere near difficult for them.
Sit back and enjoy this one, folks. Here is Valencia's screamer in all its glory:
Everton have good enough players to have come here with ambitions to win the game, but they certainly haven't begun as though that was their plan. Koeman's side look really short of confidence following their poor recent form.
Everton have their first chance to test the United defence as Sigurdsson swings a deep free kick into a decent area. The initial header sends it looping to De Gea, who is nudged out of the way by Rooney and earns a free kick.
As much as Lukaku's brilliant form at the start of this season will have delighted United fans, this is perhaps even more important. They look to have goals all throughout their team now, which wasn't so much the case last season when they relied so heavily on Ibrahimovic.
Very good challenge from Williams inside the area, and it was one he needed to get right. Rashford broke into the box, but Williams went to ground and crucially got the ball.
United pour forward again with Lukaku leading the charge down the left flank this time, but his cross into the box is behind Rashford. The hosts keep possession, but another cross from Herrera also fails to find its target moments later.
CHANCE! Everton have their first chance, and it falls to the man they would want it to as well. Rooney has scored plenty of times at this stadium and he may feel he should have done better with this one too as he steers a low first-time effort a yard or so past the far post after being picked out by Martina.
Rooney may not get too many chances today, so that could prove to be a costly miss for the former United skipper. It was by no means a sitter, but Rooney is more than capable of feeding that one into the bottom corner.
Everton have improved since that poor opening 10 minutes or so. They looked all at sea during that stage, but they have settled into the game now.
CHANCE! Oh it should be 2-0, but Lukaku fluffs his lines against his former club! It is a poor mistake from Keane as he gifts the ball to Mata inside his own half, and the Spaniard immediately releases Lukaku.
The Belgian does the hard part by beating a scrambling Williams in the area, but with only Pickford to beat he places his finish wide of the target when he really should have scored! Old Trafford was just waiting for the net to bulge then!
Both strikers in the spotlight have missed decent chances in this opening half an hour or so, then, and that last one was a huge let-off for the visitors. They are in this game now, but a second goal would make things so difficult for them.
Everton have the ball in the back of the net... but the linesman's flag is up.
Martina's initial delivery into the box is a peach which finds Davies, but his diving header from the offside position is well saved by De Gea. Sigurdsson subsequently tucks the rebound home, but the referee's whistle has already gone.
Everton are starting to get some joy down the right flank now, with Martina their main attacking threat at the moment. Young has given him too much space on a few occasions and that is something Mourinho will need to limit sooner rather than later.
Ronald Koeman will be a happier man now than he was 15 minutes ago. The way Everton started the match it looked like it could be a repeat of Thursday's shambolic performance, but they are very much in this game now and United are not having things all their own way.
Everton have seen 61% of the possession in the last 10 minutes, which is a sign of how much they have improved in that time. The next goal in this match is so important.
Mkhitaryan bursts forward right down the middle of the pitch having found a bit of space to run into, but his attempted dink through to Lukaku on the edge of the box is well cut out.
Mkhitaryan again finds space to come forward through the middle and he again makes it to the edge of the box before being stopped in his tracks by a good, clean Williams challenge.
CHANCE! Another chance for United and Lukaku, but a mixture of Jagielka and Pickford do enough to deny the striker. Rashford slides the ball through for the Belgian, who looks to have stolen a march on Jagielka, but the Everton skipper slides in and smuggles the ball behind for a corner.
CHANCE! Another half-chance for United from the resulting corner sees Bailly almost get in front of Jagielka, but once again the Everton skipper does enough to ensure that the only damage is another corner.
Some scrappy defending from Everton and high pressing from United puts the visiting defence under more pressure, but once again they scramble the ball clear.
United are enjoying a really good spell at the end of this first half, keeping the ball inside the Everton half and applying relentless pressure on the defence. The Toffees need to hold out until half time here!
There will be just one added minute at the end of this first half.
HALF TIME: Manchester United 1-0 Everton
The first half comes to an end at Old Trafford, then, and it is United who go into the break ahead with a 1-0 lead over Everton.
It looked like it might be worse for the Toffees considering the start they made to the game, but they settled into the match and - while United have still been the better team - Everton remain very much in this game.
The only goal of the game arrived after just four minutes, and what a goal it was as well as Valencia put his name into the early-season running for the goal of the season award. Matic swept the ball over to the unmarked full-back on the edge of the box, and he proceeded to unleash a stunning first-time half-volley past Pickford. It didn't go quite in the top corner, but there wasn't much the Everton keeper could do.
United should be further ahead in truth, but Romelu Lukaku missed a golden opportunity to double their lead and get his own name on the scoresheet. A wayward pass from Keane allowed Mata to release Lukaku clean through on goal, and having escaped the attentions of Williams he was left with only the keeper to beat. However, the Belgian placed his effort wide of the target when he really should have scored.
Everton haven't offered much going forward, but Rooney has seen one good chance fall his way. Cuco Martina, who was Everton's best attacking outlet in that first half, played a low ball into the box which found the returning striker in space inside the area, but he guided his first-time effort wide of the target. It wasn't a sitter by any means, but Rooney has the ability to score those chances.
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KICKOFF: Everton get us back underway for the second half at Old Trafford.
CHANCE! Big chance for Everton in the opening minute of the second half! It is really good work from Rooney, who plays the ball forward from Davies before receiving the return pass. The striker stumbles into the area and does really well to beat Bailly in a 50-50, but he then fires his finish straight at De Gea. That should have been 1-1!
That is only Everton's eighth shot on target this season, and it should have been their third goal. Defensively questions should be asked of Bailly, who simply cannot afford to be tackled by Rooney there, but the striker's poor finish spared Bailly's blushes.
Almost another chance for Rooney to go for goal as Davies pokes the ball through for him. For a moment it looks as though he will try a trademark dink, but perhaps thinking that De Gea will know all about them he instead tries to cut back inside. He bundles past Bailly, but Jones comes back to get an important challenge in.
SHOT! Rashford looks to put the brakes on Everton's bright start to this second half as Fellaini wins the ball in midfield and gives it to Rashford. The youngster tries to curl his finish into the bottom corner from the left side of the area, but it is a poor effort and ends up well off target.
Better from United now as they begin to control possession again, playing it around at their own pace and just slowing any Everton momentum.
CHANCE! These former strikers aren't making the most of chances against their former clubs today! This time it is Lukaku who has the chance, drifting off Jagielka to get on the end of Mata's cross. The Belgian has space and tries to control the ball with his chest, but he does so into the ground and that makes the ball bounce up too high for him to get a shot away.
Ronald Koeman will be pleased with his side's reaction so far in this second half. They started the first poorly and were also on the back foot at the end of the opening 45 minutes, but it is the visitors who have looked most like scoring since the interval.
Rooney knocks the ball back to Sigurdsson and wants the return immediately, but Sigurdsson can't get it under control and by the time the return pass eventually arrives, Rooney is offside.
MAN UTD SUB: Manchester United make their first change of the afternoon as Jesse Lingard replaces Rashford.
CHANCE! Everton really should be level in this one! They miss another clear chance, with Sigurdsson the guilty party this time as he fires straight at De Gea.
Martina's cross was flicked into the path of the Iceland midfielder, who misses the ball with his first attempt but then beats teammate Rooney to the ball with his second bite at the cherry. De Gea is quickly off his line to close down the angle and make the save, though, and another good opportunity goes begging for the visitors.
YELLOW CARD! Poor from Pickford as he gives the ball straight to Mata under pressure from Lukaku. Mata opts against going for goal straight away, instead trying to take it past WIlliams, who goes into the book for a foul on the Spaniard. Free kick to United right on the edge of the area...
OFF THE POST! Having won the free kick, Mata takes on the duties himself and curls a fine effort around the wall before seeing the shot clatter off the post. Pickford looked to have it covered in fairness, but that was a very good effort from Mata.
EVERTON SUB: Everton make their first change of the afternoon as Sandro Ramirez replaces Davies.
United had an element of control over the game throughout the first half, but that has not been the case in this second 45 minutes. Everton could easily be level here, and United need a second goal to make sure of this one.
CHANCE! United almost get that second goal as Young makes ground down the left flank before pulling the ball back for Lingard, but the midfielder leans back and scoops his finish over the crossbar.
Good play from Lingard this time as he speeds past Keane down the left flank before winning a free kick from Martina. Good chance to get the ball in the box for the hosts here...
SHOT! Lingard has been heavily involved since coming on! The midfielder is released by Mata down the left channel and cuts inside onto his right foot, but his subsequent effort is blocked by Williams and the ball loops over for a corner.
CLOSE! Good pressure from United here, and Matic looks to get that all-important second goal with a low long-range drive. The midfielder has no other options on really, and his strike skims a yard or so wide.
EVERTON SUB: The Toffees make another change, and it is an attacking one as Dominic Calvert-Lewin replaces Gueye.
MAN UTD SUB: Mourinho also turns to his bench as Ander Herrera comes on in place of Mata.
PENALTY SHOUT! Lingard wants a penalty, but referee Andre Marriner says no. It was certainly worth asking the question and had Lingard gone down a second earlier then it might have been a different story, but the midfielder got his shot away before throwing himself to the ground.
It is still all to play for in this final 10 minutes. Both sides are inviting pressure on themselves as the game begins to open up a little. United are still in the driving seat with their 1-0 lead, but this one is not over just yet.
YELLOW CARD! Bailly can have no complaints here. He goes into the book for a rash challenge on Calvert-Lewin having chased him out from defence.
EVERTON SUB: The visitors make their third and final change as Rooney gets a standing ovation from Old Trafford and a handshake from Mourinho on his way off. He is replaced by Kevin Mirallas.
GOAL! Manchester United 2-0 Everton (Henrikh Mkhitaryan)
United finally wrap the three points up, and it stems from a terrible mistake from Ashley WIlliams.
The Everton defender sees his pass out from the back blocked by Fellaini, which immediately sets Lukaku off in a dangerous position. The striker is unselfish and draws the defenders before playing the ball through to Mkhitaryan, who applies the finishing touch past Pickford.
That will be a tough one to take for Everton, who have more than matched United in this second half. For the hosts, meanwhile, that is a massive relief and they will now keep pace with Man City at the top of the table.
MAN UTD SUB: A third and final change for the hosts sees Mkhitaryan replaced by
Anthony Martial.
GOAL! Manchester United 3-0 Everton (Romelu Lukaku)
United have a third goal, and it is Lukaku who gets it against his former club! The Belgian's initial free kick is blocked, but continues his run into the box afterwards and latches on to a cross moments later to stroke home a finish from close range. He not only celebrates, he makes a point of celebrating in front of the Everton fans.
SAVE! Sandro tries his luck from long range, but De Gea pulls off a fine save to deny Everton a consolation!
PENALTY TO MANCHESTER UNITED!
GOAL! Manchester United 4-0 Everton (Anthony Martial, penalty)
Where has this late flurry come from? This has not been a 4-0 game, but United do indeed grab a fourth in stoppage time as Martial tucks home from the penalty spot. It was Martial who won the penalty himself, escaping two defenders brilliantly before trying to take on Schneiderlin inside the area. The Everton midfielder goes to ground and the ball strikes his arm, leaving the referee no choice but to point to the spot.
FULL TIME: Manchester United 4-0 Everton
It is another daming result on paper for Everton, but in reality there are positives for the Toffees to take from this match. They were very much in the game until the 84th minute, and only three late goals from the hosts gave the scoreline a one-sided look which it doesn't really deserve.
Nevertheless, it is a fourth consecutive defeat without scoring for the Toffees, whereas United move back level with Man City at the top of the table.
Right, that is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining
Sports Mole for today's game as Manchester United score three late goals on their way to a 4-0 victory over Everton. I will leave you with our
match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction on site too. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
