A goal worthy of winning any match, from Antonio Valencia, helped ensure Wayne Rooney endured a frustrating return to Manchester United following his summer move to Everton.
It has been a turbulent few weeks for Rooney who, on Monday, is set to appear at Stockport magistrates court, charged with drink driving, and he did not come back and do what he surely dreamt of at the Theatre of Dreams: score the kind of fantasy goal claimed by Valencia whose superb half-volley from the edge of the penalty area opened the scoring.
There was a second-half opportunity for Rooney. A very good chance and, probably, one he should have taken it – but United goalkeeper David De Gea saved. That was a nightmare moment for Rooney.
He was eventually substituted, with eight minutes to go, to a brief and respectful ovation and chorus of “Rooney, Rooney” and it was not to be his day – with United adding a second through Henrikh Mkhitaryan soon after and then another from former Everton striker Romelu Lukaku to cap it all before Anthony Martial also struck to put a gloss on the result.
Rooney had started as the lone striker and was isolated for long periods as, worryingly, Ronald Koeman’s side lacked the ambition to be top-four contenders until they gave it a convincing go in the second-half.
United are certainly contenders as they moved back to the top of the table level on points with Manchester City – and nine points, already, ahead of Everton who are only outside the relegation places on goal difference.
Whatever game plan Everton had was undone by Valencia’s strike inside four minutes with Ashley Young retained at left-back, and impressing, turning the ball back to Nemanja Matic who swept it across the area. It took one bounce and sat up for Valencia’s fierce right-foot shot caught out goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and tore high into the net. It was only Valencia’s second goal since Jan 2014 for United.
It took Everton a full 12 minutes to venture into United’s half with any meaningful possession but a half-chance did eventually fall to Rooney after he angled a smart first-time pass out to Cuco Martina who ran on and cut the ball back into the striker’s path only for him to steer his shot across goal and wide.
“Welcome back No10 Wayne Rooney,” had called the stadium announcer before kick-off and there was warm applause for the 31-year-old who had achieved so much in a United shirt and he almost claimed a goal early in the second-half after the ball broke to him from Tom Davies run – only for De Gea to save with his feet. Rooney, though, surely had to score.
Before that and United should have made the game secure as a loose pass from another of their former players, Michael Keane, aimed for another, Morgan Schneiderlin, was sharply intercepted by Juan Mata threaded the ball through to Lukaku who had time and space, checking back as Ashley Williams trued to cover. Lukaku then got his angles all wrong and shot wide. Soon after and the former Everton striker – sold for £75million as part of the deal taking Rooney to Goodison Park – ran through again with only an excellent last-ditch challenge by Phil Jagielka preventing him.
In that second-half Everton certainly started the better. After Rooney’s chance there was another for Gylfi Sigurdsson who juggled the ball through only for De Gea to again block with Koeman throwing his hands up in the air in frustration.
Everton then almost gifted United as second goal as Pickford’s attempted clearance went straight to Mata who was pushed on the lip of the area by Williams who was cautioned. Mata took the free-kick, bending it around the defensive wall only for it to come back off the post before it was scrambled away for a corner.
It remained tight. Matic drove narrowly wide, Jesse Lingard’s shot was deflected over and then the substitute claimed, in vain, for a penalty after he went down under Keane’s challenge. Moments after Rooney departed United made the result secure with Marouane Fellaini’s intercepting and the ball running to Lukaku. The Everton defenders were sucked in and Lukaku reversed the play to the unmarked Mkhitaryan who side-footed past Pickford.
Everton crumbled. A free-kick was conceded with Lukaku firing it into the wall. The ball ran through to Matic who wound himself up for a powerful shot that ricocheted up and finally fell to Lukaku who side-footed home from close-range. After De Gea saved wonderfully from substitute Sandro Ramirez United completed the scoring when their replacement, Anthony Martial, was brought down in the area by Schneidelin. Martial – not Lukaku – took the penalty and rolled it into the net with Pickford diving the other way to complete the rout.
