Manchester United vs Everton 15/12/19

15 December 2019

A resurgent Manchester United side take on struggling Everton at Old Trafford, looking to maintain a good run of form.

The hosts have clinched back-to-back Premier League (PL) victories over fierce rivals Tottenham and Manchester City both by the identical 2-1 scoreline before running riot in the Europa League, demolishing AZ Alkmaar 4-0 at Old Trafford. United’s recent upturn in results has propelled them to fifth in the table, as they now trail fourth-placed Chelsea by five points. Ever since a shock 2-1 home loss to Crystal Palace back in August, the Red Devils have established themselves as a force to be reckoned with when they are at home, racking up an intimidating ten-game unbeaten run at Old Trafford in all competitions (W7, D3). Moreover, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men have netted 2+ match goals in each of their last five competitive home fixtures, opening the scoring in all of those games.

Meanwhile, the visitors have brought their frustrating three-game losing PL streak to a halt with a 3-1 home victory over Chelsea last time out. Still, they are only two points clear of the relegation zone, mainly thanks to a disastrous away record (W1, D1, L6). The Toffees have suffered two defeats in as many away matches against the PL top-five sides this term, scoring three goals while allowing seven across those fixtures. Indeed, Everton’s sloppy defending has seen them concede at least two goals in five of eight PL road trips this season, keeping a clean sheet only once. Another failure is on the horizon, as the Merseyside outfit lost four of their last five top-flight H2Hs with United at Old Trafford (D1, L4), scoring one goal or less in all of those clashes.