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Manchester United’s 2-0 win over Everton saw a return to form for a number of players, but Jadon Sancho’s creative masterclass flew somewhat under the radar.
Signed for £73m from Borussia Dortmund in 2021, the winger has largely failed to live up to the mammoth expectation placed on him after his exploits in the Bundesliga.
But yesterday may have marked a beginning of a fresh start for the England international, as he made his mark on the game felt throughout his 77 minutes on the pitch.
Sancho operated from his favoured left wing position, although the fluidity of the Red Devils attack led to him popping up in dangerous positions all around the penalty area.
He was in the right half-space just on the edge of the box for his shrewd assist for Scott McTominay’s opening goal.
While United had, at that point, created a hatful of chance from direct balls into space, Sancho’s ability to slow the game down through clever combination play was evident in that particular passage of play and it allowed him the opportunity to thread an inch-perfect pass into his teammate.
That assist was one of five key passes made by Sancho during the match – a number bettered only by a Bruno Fernandes on top form yesterday.
In sharing the creative burden between them, the pair put the Toffees’ defence to the sword time and again as United elicited a heroic display from Jordan Pickford, who somehow kept the scoreline respectable.
What was especially telling about Sancho’s performance was how well he looked after the ball even with his emphasis on creating chances.
He boasted a 95% passing accuracy – higher than any player to start the match, while ceding possession just six times – lower than any starter.
Manchester United fans will also have been delighted with his dribbling ability, having at one point sat down two Everton defenders who had made the mistake of trying to get tight to him before driving up field to instigate a counterattack.
This was not Jadon Sancho at his best, but it was a performance that had every sign of a player getting back to it.
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