Manchester United vs Everton - Premier League: Live score, team news and updates as Under-fire star silences critics to double the home side's lead

It's hard not to feel a little happy for Joshua Ziurkzee (unless you're an Everton fan).

The Dutchman's start to life at Manchester United has not been an easy one, not in the slightest.

He has struggled so much that many fans have even called for him to be let go, even though he only joined in the summer.

Well, today he has shown that his United career is far from over.

Zirkzee really needed that goal, you could see the relief on his face as it went in.

Now he just needs to kick on.

United still have an interest in buying Jarrod Branthwaite from Everton and the young defender would appear to have helped them on the way to a victory here. Hard to blame him for the first goal. Marcus Rashford’s shot was on target and he had to try to clear it.

The second one was a disaster for Branthwaite though as he was caught on the ball over on the far side. Everton manager Sean Dyche will be devastated. His team were in control but now it seems a long way back.

There goes the whistle.

The home crowd serenades Ruben Amorim as United head into the break two goals ahead.

They started slowly, but after taking the lead through Marcus Rashford they came to life.

Everton have a lot of work to do.

Everton really need half-time here.

They have to wait just two more minutes until they can get their rollicking from Sean Dyche.

Maybe they don't want the break actually, if that's the case

Manchester United look like a different team!

It's crazy what a couple goals can do as the hosts are now all over Everton like a rash.

Bruno Fernandes has his swagger back and he nutmegs Ashley Young in the box.

Young just about manages to avoid giving away a penalty and Fernandes goes on.

He decides to pull the trigger but a deflection takes it through to Jordan Pickford.

What a moment for Joshua Zirkzee!

The Dutchman is finally back in the goals, netting his first since the opening game of the season.

Jarrad Branthwaite is involved again as he is caught napping by Bruno Fernandes at the back.

The United skipper races through and squares it for Zirkzee to slide home.

United are flying now!

We have our first booking of the afternoon!

Amad Diallo rinses Vitaly Mykolenko down the right-hand side so the full-back sticks a leg out to wipe him out.

I mean, John Brookes has no choice but to bring the yellow card out, really.

That is just classic, isn't it?

Both Nathan and I praise Everton and rip Manchester United, and then it's the latter who score.

That's football, eh?

Right on cue!

Completely against the run of play, Manchester United have taken the lead.

They need the helping hand of Jarrad Branthwaite as he turns home Marcus Rashford's effort from a corner.

I did say Everton would regret their misses...

I have a feeling Everton are going to regret not taking advantage of a poor United performance.

You just feel they have to find the net soon because United won't be this poor all afternoon.

Well, I don't think they will...

Most annoying part of this half for Ruben Amorim will be that United have made this relatively easy for Everton with a series of panicked passes, ill-thought out crosses and stepping off to allow Everton to step into midfield from the back.

Remember Amorim spoke of confusion in his players with this system at Ipswich? Looks to be more of the same here.

Frustration is just growing and growing in this ground.

Diogo Dalot wastes a great opportunity to attack and suddenly Everton are on the counter.

Iliman Ndiaye just needs to find the right pass and the Toffees are through, but he can't manage it.

The United fans then roar to try encourage their side who look miles off it.

While Everton have been the better side, the quality is not just there at the moment.

There is a reason both of their last two games ended goalless...

The Toffees don't look like being breached but also don't look clinical in front of goal.

Could we be on for another stalemate?

Matthijs de Ligt running in sand as Beto ran past him to come within a foot of scoring.

And Beto isn’t particularly quick, by the way. That was quite an alarming moment for United and their supporters. Everton the better team for the last 15 minutes here.

I completely agree with Nathan, Everton look like they are really enjoying themselves right now.

If a team is going to find the opener, it's the Toffees who are looking way more likely.

Manchester United are really struggling.

Everton are growing in confidence here and I don’t blame them. Manchester United’s problematic midfield is, well, still problematic. Zirkzee is struggling to hold the ball up and in a flash two passes take United’s midfield out of the game.

Andre Onana has been the busier goalkeeper and I didn’t see that coming. Alejandro Garnacho already being ordered to warm up by Ruben Amorim.

Everton are finding it so easy to slice through Manchester United.

It's like a knife through butter as they go from back to front in just a handful of passes.

Dwight McNeil slides Beto through on goal, he goes around Andre Onana and looks set to score.

But now, he drives the ball against the pots from a tight angle.

That's the biggest chance of this match by a country mile!

I really bigged up the Old Trafford atmosphere today, but they are not bringing the noise so far.

The crowd is pretty flat at the moment, I must say.

But wait, just as I am typing they find their voice to moan at the referee. The officials always get the crowd going with their decisions.

Oh, that's a real chance for Manchester United!

Joshua Zirkzee does brilliantly to slide through Amad Diallo on the right-hand side of the area.

The winger is in an ocean's worth of space and looks to bend the ball into the corner.

But it looks like he didn't bring his shooting boots as he blasts it miles wide.

He should do much better.

What is that, Beto??

The Everton striker sends the ball so far up in the stands that it's closer to leaving the stadium than hitting the net.

He is played in and he just needs to test Andre Onana, but he gets his finish all wrong.

The Manchester United fans certainly make him know how poor his strike was.

Ten minutes gone and suffice to say United look a darn site better with the ball than they do without it.

They already move the ball front to back better under Ruben Amorin. They don’t turn it over as easily and that was something that really did have to happen.

Equally, Everton have managed to play through the middle of their opponents quite easily on a couple of occasions. Indeed Everton striker Beto has just wasted the game’s best chance as I was typing.

Everton are starting to grow into this game now, they really are.

Joshua Zirkzee loses the ball in the middle of the park which brings groans from the Old Trafford crowd.

Jesper Lindstrom then fancies his chances from miles out, rather than passing, and his effort is easy for Andre Onana to get a hold of.

Jarrad Branthwaite to the rescue for Everton.

The Toffees switch off and the ball is played over the top for Diogo Dalot to race onto.

He takes the ball into the box and looks destined to find the back of the net, but Branthwaite comes across to take the ball from him.

A top tackle.

Oh, Dwight McNeil!

Everton finally have a little foray forward and McNeil has success as he dances into the box.

But for some reason, he takes far too long to pull the trigger and his strike is blocked.

That was a chance, it really was!

My new favourite thing is Ruben Amorim having no concern for where his technical area actually is and constantly finding himself centimetres away from being on the pitch.

United started brighter and, truth be told, it already feels a big ask against an Everton side that are the joint-lowest scorers in the Premier League this season.

It looks like we already know the way this game is going to go.

Everton are happy to sit back and Manchester United are just going to need to be patient.

Kobbie Mainoo has a pop from arrange, but funnily enough, it doesn't go in.

A decent start from the hosts, though.

Old Trafford is in fine voice today.

'Take me home, United Road' is belted out as loudly as I have heard it this season as the teams take to their huddles.

Everton win the toss and make Man United attack the Stretford End in the first half.

Will it make a difference? We are about to find out as the game is underway.

Conditions don't get much better for a match of Premier League footie.

The two teams come out of the tunnel onto the pitch, bathed in sunshine. It's a lovely day out.

Ruben Amorim is still in a big offer coat, though, as he takes his place in the dugout.

It may be sunny, but it is still chilly.

Let's hope what we see on the pitch matches the mood of the weather.

Hard to escape the feeling that this is a massive, massive game for Joshua Zirkzee. Rasmus Hojlund scored two, added an assist, and by Ruben Amorim’s admission was left ‘dead’ on his feet after his display against Bodo/Glimt.

But even so, Zirkzee has struggled badly since joining in the summer and he must take his chance today. Carlos Fernandes has been working closely with the strikers and so let’s see if any of the new assistant’s magic has rubbed off on the Dutchman…

While the three or four hundred supporters were protesting about United ticket hikes outside the ground, I must have passed about a dozen fans wearing half and half United/Everton scarves.

It tends to be one-off visitors and ‘tourist fans’ who buy those and this is the thing about big Premier League clubs these days.

They don’t care who sits in their seats on a match day or indeed where they come from. They just want the bums on the seats and the money spent in the megastore. The day we see empty spaces at Old Trafford will be a long time in coming. That’s the reality.

Andre Onana is really enjoying himself in this warm-up.

I mean, I have just seen him randomly do a roly-poly after catching a ball, before sporting a cheeky grin to his coach.

That was something I would have done while playing in my local team as a kid.

Positive energy, I love it.

United fans turned out in their hundreds outside Old Trafford today before facing Everton to protest against the club's decision to raise matchday ticket prices to £66 per game, with no concessions for children or pensioners.

In front of the Trinity Statue, United fans held onto a 'Stop Exploiting Loyalty' banner, with chants against Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazers, accusing them of being 'touts' and 'taking the p**s'.

Right, we are not far away from kick-off now.

The players are just going through the motions of their shooting drills before coming off the pitch.

It's always the best part of the warm-up to watch, don't you think?

Not as fun as the actual game, though, so get a wriggle on lads.

Chris Sutton, It's All Kicking Off! co-host, on BBC Sport:

There has been so much hype, or even over-hype, about Manchester United. I feel a bit sorry for their new manager Ruben Amorim because he needs time, and two or three transfer windows, to put things right.

Once the initial buzz of Amorim's first home game dies down, things could go flat at Old Trafford - the way it has done quite a lot recently.

I hope it happens for them under Amorim because he seems like a decent guy, but he's in the Manchester United madhouse now and he's about to find out what it's like to be under the microscope every single week.

It's Stat Pack time!

Our friends at Squawka have once again provided us with some pre-match statistics to help build your excitement.

The one that pops out to me is just how many Premier League wins Man United have over Everton.

41 is crazy, right?

In fact, the highest tally of any side in the competition's history against one opponent.

Looking down the teams sheets there is only one side I fear for here and it's not Manchester United.

This United team looks to have some balance to it and there is some depth to the bench also. A fit and fresh Kobbie Mainoo is an upgrade in the central areas.

Everton look vulnerable on the other hand. I don't see how they can hurt United. Beto up front doesn't inspire confidence.

Manchester United fans, you are absolutely going to love this statistic.

From the start of last season, Ruben Amorim won all 22 of his home league games in charge of Sporting CP.

Yes, you read that right.

In those 22 matches, his side scored 72 goals and only conceded 13 in return.

Pretty mental, eh?

I have found some more photos of the protest and it just shows the scale of it.

There is even a banner aimed directly at Jim Ratcliffe, the fans simply are not happy with him.

United fans making themselves heard!

The United fans do not seem like a happy bunch at the moment.

And that's not because of what's happening on the pitch, either.

They are currently protesting the rise in ticket prices outside Old Trafford with a banner saying 'Stop exploiting loyalty'.

They have been heard singing chants such as 'Just like the Glazers, Jim Ratcliffe’s a c**t'.

Mail Sport reported earlier this week that Everton fans will be joining forces with them in protest, and Manchester City and Liverpool fans will do the same later.

Unity.

Sean Dyche, Everton manager, speaking on Friday:

You work with them [attackers] constantly on goal threat and it's not just the strikers. A lot was made of our set-pieces and that's still absolutely valid. We want to be a threat from those and [also see] how many different ways we can affect the opposition from open play.

We found it tough against a compact defence against Brentford - when they went down to 10 men, we couldn't find those key moments. In other games we have and not finished it. At the end of the day, it's the scoreline that you're looking for to get that right.

We've obviously made a considerable difference to the defending stats from the opening part of the season, and then it's finding that balance between defending well as a team and attacking well as a team. The final moment of truth is the hardest as a manager - you can't kick it in for them.

Everyone talks of a 'new manager bounce' and the rest of it, so it's more difficult in that way of thinking, but they've still got good players. A new manager to the Premier League will maybe give a different feel to it. I'm sure he's been working with the players and trying to get his thoughts across.

Ruben Amorim, Manchester United boss, speaking on Thursday night:

Win. I am hoping to win. It is going to be a different match. [There will be] a lot of fighting, long balls, second balls. A quality coach that understands the league and understands the quality of the opponent.

We need to have the ball because we have a short time to recover with the team. So I hope for a win and I hope to see different things from my team, like we did from Ipswich to now. With Everton, [we will be] without training and I expect to see different things and better things.

Watching Everton's recent matches has not been the most entertaining thing in the world.

Their last two matches have both ended in stalemate, while they also failed to score in a loss to Southampton before that.

There have been a total of five goals in their last five Premier League matches.

It's hardly Box Office stuff, eh?

But hopefully, that changes today and they can serve us up with a cracker for lunch.

My hopes aren't exactly high, but you never know when Manchester United are involved.

United's 3-2 win over Bodo/Glimt is a fine example, it was a belter.

I bet Manchester United fans are buzzing to see this man back, right?

Kobbie Mainoo is yet to feature under Ruben Amorim, in fact, he has been absent for some time now through injury.

United's midfield just doesn't look the same without him, his return is much needed.

I am curious to see how he fares in this new system, given he will now play in a midfield two with Casemiro.

Basically, he will have to be the legs, as Casemiro isn't exactly blessed in that department anymore.

Mainoo will be notching up those miles today!

Alan Shearer, former Newcastle striker, speaking to Betfair:

After the first two minutes of Amorim's first game you thought 'here we go' but it all went a bit flat after two or three minutes and I thought they were fortunate to come away with a point.

He's had a few days to work on the system and they've played in Europe on Thursday, but I think with the home crowd, Man United will have too much for Everton, although it won't be easy. It'll be tough but they may just scrape the three points.

It's a big day for Beto!

The striker comes in for Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who drops to the bench, as Sean Dyche's only change.

It's a big call from the Toffees boss, dropping their main man up top.

But will it pay off?

Well, there are some big calls in here.

Ruben Amorim has made six changes to the side that squeaked past Bodo/Glimt in midweek.

Surprisingly, Rasmus Hojlund is one of them despite his two goals to win that match.

Joshua Zirkzee comes into replace him, while he will line up in a front three with Amad Diallo and Marcus Rashford.

Kobbie Mainoo also returns from injury to start.

I must say, I find these dressing room photos rather bizarre.

Obviously, the players are always going to be smiling when they greet their team-mates.

However, it just feels like they are putting it on for show because the camera is there, but maybe I am being a cynic for no reason.

Anyway, the United boys are in town and we are just moments away from finding out the team news.

Old Trafford is not a happy hunting ground for Everton...

I'm pretty sure all Toffees fans never arrive in Manchester expecting a victory, and there is a reason why.

Everton have not taken three points away from from home against Manchester United since 2013.

In fact, they only have two wins there against them in their last 32 meetings at Old Trafford.

Theatre of Dreams? More like Theatre of Nightmares... I'll see myself out.

It's another first for Ruben Amorim today.

The new Manchester United boss will lead his team out at Old Trafford in the Premier League for the very first time.

He got a taste of what the Theatre of Dreams is like on Thursday against Bodo/Glimt, but this will be another level.

Expect another big reception from the home fans today, they will want to be behind their coach all the way.

Normally early Sunday kick-offs don't really bring the noise, but I just have a sneaky feeling today will be different.

Well, it depends if United turn up, I guess?

Right, let's have a look at today's menu...

While we will only be focusing on Manchester United and Everton in this blog, there are still many other Premier League matches today.

You can find all of these games in other live blogs on our site, we have you covered.

Here is the billing:

• Manchester United vs Everton, 13:30 GMT
• Chelsea vs Aston Villa, 13:30 GMT
• Tottenham vs Fulham, 13:30 GMT
• Liverpool vs Manchester City, 16:00 GMT

Oh boy, am I excited for this one!

The goals-galore nature of yesterday's action has only notched up the level of anticipation for today's clash at Old Trafford.

Manchester United host Everton as they look to continue their recent run of home form.

Ruben Amorim got a taste for how difficult his job would be on Thursday, and he can expect the same today.

This fixture usually tends to go the way of the Red Devils, the Toffees always find it a sticky task...

OK, that was a terrible pun, I know.

And with that, I think it's about time we get cracking, don't you think?