Everton vs. Manchester United: Winners and Losers from Premier League Game
Manchester United bounced back from their heavy away defeat to Arsenal prior to the international break with a 3-0 win at Everton.
First-half strikes from Morgan Schneiderlin and Ander Herrera put the visitors into a commanding two-goal lead at the break at Goodison Park in Liverpool, England.
Everton tried to mount a comeback at the start of the second half, only to shoot themselves in the foot.
A stray pass by captain Phil Jagielka led to Wayne Rooney scoring his first away goal in the Premier League since November 2014, ending a drought that had spanned 17 games.
Rooney's well-taken effort against his former club put paid to any hopes Everton had of getting something from the game.
The win is a timely boost for the Red Devils ahead of a busy week that includes a Champions League trip to CSKA Moscow and the small matter of the Manchester derby next weekend.
Here, Bleacher Report picks out the winners and losers from the fixture on Merseyside.
Winner: Ander Herrera
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Ander Herrera made the most of the chance to start for Manchester United, grabbing a goal and also producing an assist in an impressive personal display.
The Spaniard was on hand to head home Marcos Rojo's excellent left-wing cross to make it 2-0 to the visitors after 22 minutes at Goodison Park.
His goal means Herrera has now scored eight times from just 10 shots on target in the Premier League, according to statistician OptaJoe on Twitter.
He then helped wrap up the three points by setting up Wayne Rooney for Manchester United's third.
Yet, despite his performance, the 26-year-old is still not assured of keeping his place in the starting XI.
According to Arash Hekmat of the Mirror, Red Devils manager Louis van Gaal said in his post-match media conference, "It's difficult to drop him [Herrera], but I can do it."
Loser: Memphis Depay
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Memphis Depay was the man who made way for Ander Herrera in Manchester United's starting XI.
The Dutchman had to watch on from the bench as his replacement played a key role in the Red Devils' first away win over Everton since 2011.
Depay has endured a difficult time of late—he fell out with Robin van Persie on international duty, while he was unable to help the Netherlands reach the UEFA Euro 2016 playoffs.
To make matters even worse for the big-money summer signing from PSV Eindhoven, he wore the wrong shirt for the international qualifier against the Czech Republic, a match the Dutch lost 3-2.
Winner: Wayne Rooney
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The wait is finally over: Wayne Rooney has scored an away goal in the Premier League again.
After a drought of 1,550 minutes (h/t OptaJoe for doing all the sums), the Manchester United forward finally found the back of the net away from Old Trafford.
The strike was Rooney's 187th in Premier League action for both Everton and Manchester United, drawing him level with Andrew Cole for second on the all-time list, per talkSPORT on Twitter.
He could well have moved outright in second place behind Alan Shearer (who scored 260 in his career) in the charts, but the England captain failed to make the most of a further opportunity in the second half.
Loser: Phil Jagileka
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Everton came out at the start of the second half determined to get back in the game.
Facing a two-goal deficit, they quickly pegged back their opponents and put pressure on Manchester United's defence. All of a sudden, the home fans sensed a comeback could be on.
However, the head of steam they had been building disappeared into the Merseyside air when Phil Jagielka gifted the visitors the chance to go 3-0 up.
Under no pressure around the halfway line, the defender—who had captained England in the midweek win over Lithuania—gave the ball straight to the opposition.
Just two passes later and Wayne Rooney had slotted home past Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard, with Jagielka unable to catch up with his international colleague to prevent him from scoring.
Winner: Marcos Rojo
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Recalled to play at left-back, Marcos Rojo showed why he can make the position his own in the absence of Luke Shaw.
The Argentina defender helped Manchester United keep a clean sheet against Everton, but he also showed his abilities in attack.
Rojo produced a superb cross that presented Ander Herrera, who had ghosted into the box from his position in midfield, with the chance to double the visitors' lead midway through the opening half.
The only blot on Rojo's copybook was a booking picked up in the second half. However, he's used to having his name taken since arriving in England from Sporting Lisbon.
According to Squawka Football on Twitter, "No Man United player has been shown more yellow cards in the Premier League since the start of last season than Marcos Rojo (7). Feisty one."
Loser: Everton Football Club
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It was a disappointing result for Everton, but a game of football was put into perspective by the news on the morning of the match that former player and manager Howard Kendall had died, as reported by the BBC.
Kendall played for the Toffees before going on to manage them on three different occasions.
During his first spell in charge, he led the club to two league titles, as well as the FA Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup.
Kendall died at the age of 69. All those present at Goodison Park marked his passing with a minute of applause, with the Everton fans also singing his name throughout the moving tribute.
Merseyside was united by the news, too.
Ex-Liverpool player and manager Kenny Dalglish tweeted: "Very very sad news about Howard Kendall. total respect for him as a player manager and person. Fantastic character. Be sadly missed.A legend"
Everton lost a legend. In such circumstances, losing three points didn't seem to matter too much.
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