Everton vs Manchester United: 5 Key Talking Points

#3 Jesse Lingard's improvement - as well as Luke Shaw's - is a credit to Mourinho's management

Pickford has no chance as Jesse Lingard drives a spectacular goal home

Anyone who says Jose Mourinho hasn't improved Manchester United's players hasn't seen United play much this season - or simply don't like the man. Phil Jones and Chris Smalling have been solid figures this season in defence (the latter when fit, which is much more often now than before). Ashley Young has looked a whole new footballer - and a natural at left-back. Anthony Martial has become more clinical, and more hard-working and while Mourinho still seems to be working on the likes of Marcus Rashford and Romelu Lukaku, there can be no denying the positive effect he's had on the players in his squad.

On the night, Luke Shaw and Jesse Lingard provided the perfect example of this.

Shaw was brilliant down the wing and worked tirelessly all night while Jesse Lingard has been Manchester United's standout performer over the past two months... both were treated rather roughly by Mourinho in the beginning (Shaw, of course, more than his compatriot) but both have shown the mental toughness that the Portuguese so prizes and have turned a corner in their careers.

Jesse Lingard especially deserves credit for the indispensable player he has become:

Jose Mourinho on Jesse Lingard: "One thing is to be a young talent, another thing is to be a very good player, Some players are not capable of that jump. They go from great potential to normal players. Lingard is giving that jump." pic.twitter.com/pRUsEtZIIh

— Squawka News (@SquawkaNews) January 1, 2018