Ibra sparks Utd, Everton sink Foxes
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Evergreen Manchester United
striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic likened himself to film character Benjamin
Button after inspiring his team to a 3-0 victory at Premier League
basement club Sunderland on Sunday.
Ibrahimovic, 35, opened the scoring with his 28th
goal of the season and after Seb Larsson had been sent off for
Sunderland, goals from Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Marcus Rashford completed
victory.
"I feel like Benjamin Button. I was born old and
will die young," Ibrahimovic said, citing the 2008 Brad Pitt film about a
man who
ages in reverse.
In the day's other game, league top scorer Romelu
Lukaku took his tally to 23 goals with a brace as Everton ended
Leicester City's sixgame winning run with an entertaining 4-2 victory.
United extended their unbeaten record to 21 league
games and climbed to fifth place in the table, four points below
fourth-place Manchester City, who have played a game more.
"The result was good," said United manager Jose
Mourinho, whose side will return to sixth place if Arsenal win at
Crystal Palace on Monday.
"We resisted the results of yesterday when
Manchester City and Liverpool won. They left us in a position of 'yes or
no?' It was 'yes'."
United were without goalkeeper David de Gea due to a
minor hip injury, with Sergio Romero deputising, but Mourinho expects
the Spaniard to be fit for the visit of leaders Chelsea next Sunday.
Ibrahimovic broke the deadlock on the halfhour at
the Stadium of Light, fending off Billy Jones and whipping a low shot
past Jordan Pickford from 20 yards for his 18th goal of the league
campaign.
Sunderland then lost Larsson to a furiously
contested straight red card after referee Craig Pawson decided the
Swede's challenge on Ander Herrera had been unduly reckless.
The hosts' hopes of a comeback evaporated within 46
seconds of kick-off in the second half as Luke Shaw fed Mkhitaryan to
drill a low, angled shot beyond Pickford's dive.
EARLY BIRD DAVIES
Substitute Rashford completed the scoring late on,
exchanging passes with Ibrahimovic and arrowing a low drive into the
bottomleft corner.
United play Anderlecht in Brussels on Thursday in the first leg of their Europa League quarterfinal.
Sunderland have lost six and drawn one of their
last seven games and now lie 10 points adrift of safety, relegation to
the Championship looming closer with each passing week.
"Today the result was helped by the referee," said Sunderland manager David Moyes, the former United boss.
"Manchester United were playing well, but the red card was a decision that went against us.
"We keep going. We have another home game next Saturday (against West Ham United) and we have to try and win it.”
Everton drew level with sixth-place Arsenal,
having played three more games, after thwarting Leicester manager Craig
Shakespeare's quest for a sixth successive league win and seventh in
total.
Homegrown 18-year-old midfielder Tom Davies put
Everton ahead after only 31 seconds following a dart into the box by
Kevin Mirallas.
Demarai Gray released Islam Slimani to level in the
fourth minute and six minutes later, Marc Albrighton's free-kick from
wide on the left embarrassed Joel Robles to put Leicester ahead.
But Lukaku equalised in the 23rd minute, heading in
an exquisite cross by Ross Barkley, and after Phil Jagielka had headed
in from a corner, Lukaku smashed in his second with over half an hour to
play.
"After we got to 42 we really controlled the game
and it's one of the most complete performances of the season," said
Everton manager Ronald Koeman.
"Everybody knows (Lukaku) is a key player for Everton and we will try to do everything to keep him here."
Leicester, who visit Atletico Madrid on Wednesday in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal, remain 11th.
"We haven't got time to dwell on it. They are reporting tomorrow and we move on."
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