Marouane Fellaini torments United from start to finish and hands Everton the three points after heading home from a corner. The Toffees continue the strong home form displayed at the end of last season, while United’s two new boys produce contrasting performances as Sir Alex Ferguson’s side get off to a losing start:
Marouane Fellaini
Tucking in behind Nikica Jelavic in David Moyes’ trusted 4-5-1 formation, the Belgian’s aerial ability proved the undoing of United time and again. With Everton targeting the visitors full-backs with long, diagonal balls, Fellaini continually put Sir Alex Ferguson’s side under pressure and grabbed the only goal of the game as Everton pulled off the first shock of the season. As to whether he will continue to play as far more is perhaps debatable – Kevin Mirallas wasn’t registered in time for the game and is also versatile enough to play fill the position but at 6.5 in FPL and 6.1 in the Sky Sports game, Fellaini is sure to see plenty investment before the weekend’s trip to Villa.
Everton Defence
Perhaps last night’s result wasn’t quite as shocking as the media suggest. Everton closed out last season with six clean sheets in their last eight at Goodison and their defensive resilience was at the fore once again last night with an intelligent, well-drilled display ensuring they kicked off the season with a victory. Tony Hibbert and Sylvain Distin come in at 5.5 in FPL and if the Toffees maintain their superb form at the back in front of their supporters, the duo look decent value. With only two home matches in the next seven Gameweeks, though, many will overlook Moyes’ defenders, bearing in mind that Swansea and Spurs play at home five times over the same period.
David De Gea
The Spaniard produced a strong performance between the sticks to surely cement his place as United’s number one. Priced at 6.0 in FPL, De Gea certainly looks firmly in the driving seat ahead of Anders Lindegaard, with his 14.2% ownership on the rise on the back of last night’s heroics.
Shinji Kagawa
Handed the role in “the hole” behind Wayne Rooney with Danny Welbeck and Nani on the flanks, the summer signing looked a class apart but – in a similar story to that of Santi Cazorla on Saturday – failed to produce the points on his debut. What was noticeable is that Kagawa was handed 90 minutes – perhaps a sign of his manager’s faith, with Welbeck, Nani and Tom Cleverley the men to make way when Ferguson sent on the subs. At 8.5, he’s the lowest priced of United attacking midfielders and, with Antonio Valencia featuring at right-back last night, Kagawa looks a promising Fantasy prospect with (FUL, sot, WIG) to follow despite last night’s frustrating blank.
Robin Van Persie
Handed a substitute role midway through the second-half after Ferguson chose to field Wayne Rooney as a lone striker, the Dutchman had an anonymous debut. The Fantasy conundrum between the pair was, if anything, exacerbated by last night’s viewing – United maintained the 4-2-3-1 formation upon Van Persie’s arrival, with the two forwards both taking it in turns to drop deeper and drift out wide as the visitors chased the game. Intriguingly, Van Persie was immediately handed corners from the right hand side – Nani retained the left side, though Rooney took over after the Portuguese man was withdrawn. With the above-mentioned three games to follow, many will still be ready to gamble ahead of the weekend – let’s hope Ferguson’s Friday morning press conference is a little more revealing than usual. Post-match, the United boss was a little critical of his other players, suggesting he expects better service for the Dutchman in order for United to prosper:
We were a wee bit disappointing in terms of finishing off the approach play we had. We played around him (Van Persie) too much, we didn’t show enough penetration. With Robin in your team you know you want to use his ability against centre-backs in situations he is very good at – but we didn’t use him enough.
