David De Gea was the hero for Manchester United as the Spanish keeper ensured that the Red Devils came away with all three points by stopping the Everton onslaught in the final 15 minutes. Before that however it was Angel Di Maria who once again ran the show in midfield as the Argentine playmaker scored one and created another in what turned out to be Van Gaal’s second-straight home win in the League. Radamel Falcao’s first goal for the Red Devils turned out to be the winner as the Red Devils fended off a spirited Everton side to walk away with all three points and going into the international break in fourth place.
Here are the major talking points from the game.
Have the Red Devils finally found their formation?
Even though Manchester United were without several of their first-team stars, the game against Everton proved what many suspected, the Red Devils have finally found their style. Although their last two games finished in very different fashion, the Red Devils have played the same formation and seemed to have worked out how they want to play. In both games, Van Gaal employed a diamond formation in midfield with two up top and that was the same formation he used against Everton at Old Trafford.
At the bottom of the diamond, Daley Blind has found his feet at Old Trafford almost straight away and the Dutchman’s ability to not just break up play but also recycle the ball has made him one of the side’s key players. In front of him, Angel Di Maria and Antonio Valencia both operated centrally with Juan Mata replacing Rooney at the tip of the diamond. What this formation does is not just allow Van Gaal to effectively play three strikers, but also make the most of his attacking players, even if Mata might lose out in the long run to Rooney. The three at the back which he employed at the start seems to have been discarded and Van Gaal has finally found the way he wants his side to play and after two consecutive home wins, it certainly looks as though he is on the right track.
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