Scoring two goals in the same game isn’t really Joshua Zirkzee’s thing.
Throughout his senior career, the Netherlands forward had only done that on five occasions — four times with Anderlecht and once with Bologna — before scoring twice in Manchester United’s 4-0 victory against Everton on Sunday.
Zirkzee’s two goals will be a much-needed confidence boost after his form dipped towards the end of Erik ten Hag’s United tenure.
However, his performance against Everton wasn’t limited to the goals he scored. Zirkzee’s off-ball movement and ability to link the attack posed different questions to the opponent’s defence.
Starting as United’s centre-forward, Zirkzee regularly dropped deeper to offer himself as a passing option between the lines, with Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford flanking him to complement his movement.
Zirkzee’s smart occupation of space moved the Everton players across the pitch to create gaps in their defence, which could be exploited by his team-mates.
Below, Rashford’s positioning forces Jarrad Branthwaite to move up towards the United forward, with James Tarkowski (out of shot) moving across to keep an eye on Zirkzee.
The moment Noussair Mazraoui plays the ball to Casemiro, Fernandes dashes forward to attack the space as Zirkzee drops deeper.
The United centre-forward’s movement attracts Idrissa Gueye, opening the gap for Fernandes.
Casemiro’s pass towards Amad (out of shot) is overhit and the right wing-back is flagged offside…
… but the attacking move has created space for Fernandes, with Everton’s centre-backs dragged out of position.
In another example from early in the game, Zirkzee is deeper than Rashford and Fernandes, with the latter occupying Tarkowski.
Zirkzee’s movement forces Abdoulaye Doucoure to track him, which distances the Everton midfielder from Fernandes. As a result, Tarkowski cannot drop to maintain the same line as Branthwaite, who is deeper because of Rashford’s positioning.
Meanwhile, Fernandes’ dash towards the touchline makes it harder for Tarkowski as the centre-back cannot retreat and leave Ashley Young in a two-versus-one scenario.
The manipulation of Tarkowski’s position by the movement of Zirkzee and Fernandes is immediately exploited.
Lisandro Martinez finds Diogo Dalot’s run with a pass over the defence but the left wing-back’s first touch fails him.
Another feature of Zirkzee’s performance was his link-up play. In this example, he drops behind Everton’s midfield to present a passing option to Martinez while Fernandes moves inside.
The Portuguese midfielder then arcs his run into the space behind Gueye, but Zirkzee opts to play the ball wide to Dalot…
… and surges into the penalty area for the return pass. Despite Zirkzee’s excellent movement, Dalot chooses a safer option in returning the ball to Casemiro.
In another example, Zirkzee drops deeper in midfield, with Tarkowski unsure whether to follow the centre-forward.
Zirkzee’s movement drags Doucoure away from Fernandes when Martinez plays the ball into the Dutchman, creating a domino effect.
By dropping deeper and linking the attack with a pass towards Dalot, Zirkzee moves Doucoure away from Fernandes…
… which forces Tarkowski to react, opening space in the centre of defence. Zirkzee smartly attacks that gap but Young closes down Dalot.
Zirkzee’s clever movement wasn’t limited to the central area. Here, he is in a wider position, with Rashford momentarily playing as the centre-forward.
Before Martinez finds Rashford between the lines, Zirkzee occupies Gueye to widen the passing angle and force the Everton midfielder away from the central zone…
… which allows United to combine and find the Netherlands forward. Rashford’s role forces Tarkowski to push up…
… and Zirkzee exploits that by playing the ball towards Fernandes, who cuts across Branthwaite and attacks the space in Everton’s defence, but Jordan Pickford beats him to the ball.
The United attacks that involved Zirkzee were only missing the final action, and that came in the first minute of the second half.
After Casemiro wins the ball in midfield, Zirkzee drops deeper and drags Branthwaite with him as Fernandes plays the ball into the centre-forward.
Rashford spots the space in Everton’s defence and attacks it, while Zirkzee finds Amad’s run out wide.
United’s right wing-back then finds Rashford’s run behind the defence…
… and the latter scores to make it 3-0.
There was a rotational aspect behind starting Zirkzee against Everton and a tactical one as well. “I just try to help my players to put them in the good position for their characteristics,” said United’s head coach, Ruben Amorim, after the match.
“Today, it would be really hard even for Rasmus (Hojlund) to fight with the two Everton centre-backs, so we try to push them to a position that they aren’t comfortable (in) and Josh did a great job.
“Scoring two goals is always important for the confidence but more important than that is the performance.”
What is more encouraging for Zirkzee is that in United’s three games under Amorim, there has been a clear emphasis on using passing combinations to cut through the opponent, something that plays to the forward’s strengths.
Zirkzee and Hojlund offer Amorim different options up front, and choosing between them will depend on the workload, the available players and the opponent. It’s a nice dilemma to have.
