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Manchester United rode their luck at times, especially in the first half but in the end, secured their most emphatic win of the season, overcoming Everton 3-0 at Goodison Park.
The plaudits will rightly go to Alejandro Garnacho for scoring a worthy winner of the goal of the season award while Kobbie Mainoo shone on his first-ever start in the Premier League.
It was also a fantastic result in terms of the defending as United kept their third clean sheet in a row and have now gone 312 minutes in the Premier League without conceding, the best current record in the league.
Maguire, Lindelof keep yet another clean sheet
Manager Erik ten Hag has been forced to tweak his defence often, due to the number on injuries but seems to have found a working partnership for now.
Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof kept their second consecutive clean sheet and the pair were imperious against the Toffees in front of a charged-up Goodison atmosphere.
The much-maligned pair have been criticised in the past and they had to withstand a storm in the last 15 minutes of the first half but they stood tall and Andre Onana came in clutch at times to ensure yet another clean sheet.
The duo made eight clearances each, as they repelled countless long balls as the team from Merseyside tried to go direct. Both made an interception each as well.
Harry Maguire’s game by numbers vs. Everton:
59 touches
35/45 passes completed
8 clearances
5 aerial duels won
3 long balls completed
1 block
1 interceptionAnother top performance. 😤 pic.twitter.com/sLQvzHalGQ
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) November 26, 2023
In terms of duels, the duo combined to win eight aerial duels, with Everton utilising set-pieces and long balls to try and get Dominic Calvert-Lewin into the game.
They switched the play cleverly and got their side on the front foot with seven successful long balls and the performance was another reminder as to why Raphael Varane is sitting on the bench.
Ten Hag’s Varane stance vindicated so far
The Frenchman is not used to being so low in the pecking order and there are growing reports that the World Cup winner could be on his way out of the club in January.
Ten Hag has denied the rumours of a rift with the defender, whose poor injury record meant the United boss was forced to start Maguire in the first place.
The former skipper has hardly put a foot wrong and has combined to great effect with both the Swede and Jonny Evans, who is currently out injured.
The injury situation and the number of fixtures coming up means the former Real Madrid superstar will get his chances but he will admit that the duo ahead of him have done well in his absence.
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