MANCHESTER, Dec 1: Ruben Amorim has got Manchester United fans smiling again after a 4-0 win against Everton on Sunday.
The Old Trafford crowd serenaded United’s players with “ole” late in Amorim’s first Premier League game at Old Trafford.
It marks a big change from the boos that rang around the stadium toward the end of former manager Erik ten Hag’s reign.
In Amorim’s third game in charge in all competitions since taking over last month, United produced its best performance under him, with Marcus Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee scoring two goals each.
“It is a nice result. It is important with a new coach and a new way of playing, we are still learning. We have to back up this performance,” Rashford said.
Amorim is undefeated since taking over last month and United is ninth – four points off the top four.
Third-place Chelsea beat Aston Villa 3-0 and Tottenham drew 1-1 with Fulham a week after thrashing Manchester City 4-0.
On target
It hasn’t taken long for Amorim to get United’s strikers scoring.
Rashford has three goals in three games under the Portuguese, having managed four in 18 before that.
Rasmus Hojlund scored twice in the Europa League win against Bodo Glimt and Zirkzee’s double on Sunday were his first goals since the opening game of the season.
Goals had been hard to come by under Ten Hag, with United only scoring eight in nine games in the league before he was fired.
Rashford began the rout against Everton in the 34th minute and Zirkzee doubled United’s lead five minutes later. Rashford scored again a minute into the second half and Zirkzee’s second came in the 64th after a swift break.
Chelsea run
Chelsea moved back level on points with second-place Arsenal after inflicting the latest loss on Aston Villa.
Goals from Nicolas Jackson, Enzo Fernandez and Cole Palmer ensured Chelsea kept up with London rival Arsenal.
For Villa, it’s eight games without a win in all competitions and a fifth defeat during that run.
Villa dropped into the bottom half of the standings in 12th place.
Spurs slip
Tottenham couldn’t follow up last week’s stunning victory against City with another win that would have seen it edge closer to the top four.
Brennan Johnson put seventh-place Spurs in front in the second half, but substitute Tom Cairney leveled the game before getting sent off late on. (AP)