Manchester starts year on winning note
JESSE Lingard put the gloss on Manchester United’s first win in five matches as Jose Mourinho’s men beat Everton 2-0 at Goodison Park.
A dismal festive program had all but ruled United out of the title race and the improving hosts must have fancied their chances of heaping more woe upon their rivals.
But after a turgid first period, Anthony Martial broke the deadlock in the 57th minute when he curled home the opener.
And in-form Lingard completed an ultimately comfortable evening for United when he lashed home his seventh goal in nine games, nine minutes from time.
“First game of the year, good win, 2-0,” United midfielder Paul Pogba said, after United broke a run of three straight draws.
“We believe in ourselves, we just had to wake up and today I think we did. We deserved to win against Leicester and Southampton, but that’s foot- ball and today we did what we had to do.”
Bournemouth came from behind twice to draw a thrilling south coast derby with Socceroos goalkeeper Mat Ryan’s Brighton 2-2 in the first Premier League game of 2018.
Bournemouth began the game in a precarious position five points worse off than last New Year’s Day. They got off to the worst possible start in the fifth minute when Brighton’s Anthony Knockaert rounded off a flowing move by squeezing the ball in at the far post for his second goal of the season.
The goal was Brighton’s fastest ever in the Premier League. It was far from oneway traffic, however, with Ryan and his Bournemouth opposite Asmir Begovic both kept busy before Steve Cook equalised against the club where he began his career with a clever back-flick header from a corner on 33 minutes.
Glenn Murray also scored against his former side to re- store Brighton’s lead at the start of the second-half and the home side should have had a third when man of the match Jose Izquierdo shot instead of passed to Davy Propper, who was perfectly placed to score.
Bournemouth took advantage and equalised for the second time after a protracted scramble in the area from another corner. The ball fell to Callum Wilson who stuck out a boot to divert the ball into the net.