Everton went to Manchester United on Saturday stripped of key performers and with plenty of observers anticipating a tough afternoon for Rafael Benitez's team.

What unfolded, however, was an accomplished display from the visitors, who responded with conviction and urgency after conceding first against the run of play.

Former Everton winger James McFadden was at Old Trafford for BBC Radio 5 live and, as 73,000 supporters filed out into a dank Manchester afternoon, the Scot spoke to evertonfc.com about his old team’s excellent counter-punching performance.

No Gray Areas, ‘Phenomenal’ Demarai’s A Bargain

It was genuinely exhilarating watching half the men dressed head to toe in blue bombing forwards when Everton regained possession deep in their own territory.

On multiple occasions in the opening half, Everton’s front four were joined by Abdoulaye Doucoure and either Ben Godfrey or Lucas Digne in a unified charge – all of them sprinting at top speed and showing the purpose and thrust that are growing into hallmarks of this cohesive Rafa Benitez team.

Demarai Gray was in his element at the vanguard of this repeated razor-sharp counter-attacking.

We knew about Gray's pace and agile footwork but there were countless examples against Manchester United of the 25-year-old’s strength and intelligence.

Gray controlling and feinting and turning to elude Scott McTominay and Fred before striding forwards for a shot on target from 25 yards was a first-rate piece of forward play.

Fred was the victim again when Gray outmuscled the Brazilian at the outset of Everton’s rapier breakaway goal.

The former Leicester City player attempted two shots, supplied a joint match-high two key passes and only Mason Greenwood from United embarked on more than Gray’s three dribbles.

Gray had a pass success rate of 80 per cent and, unfailingly tracking back, completed three clearances.

McFadden was at Birmingham City as Gray advanced through the youth system towards a senior debut at 17.

“He was an exciting young player and got his move to Leicester,” said McFadden.

“It was a bold move to Germany [Gray went to Bayer Leverkusen in January] and it didn’t work out.

“I thought when Everton signed Demarai, to get him for that fee was incredible business.

“He showed his quality against Manchester United – that was a serious performance and his workrate was exceptional.

“A lot of the time when you play in these games, you have to concentrate the whole time because you aren’t getting a lot of the ball.

“He showed his quality every time he got on the ball.

“The chance he created in the first half was from a brilliant turn with his back to goal, to drive at the heart of the Manchester United defence.

“He is a fantastic talent, exciting but producing consistently and with an exceptional work-rate.

“I think he has been a phenomenal signing and will go from strength to strength.”

All In It Together

Everton’s one-for-all spirit was exemplified when all 11 visiting players rushed to the scene following a Scott McTominay foul on Lucas Digne.

You don’t emerge with a draw, let alone muster 12 shots, from owning 28-per-cent possession without unity and oodles of discipline and organisation and concentration.

Rafa Benitez’s team were content to cede the ball to Manchester United and back themselves to contain a home side lousy on sparkling attackers.

When the first lot had managed only Anthony Martial’s goal between them, for example, United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer introduced Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Pogba and Jadon Sancho.

Everton circled the wagons following the arrival of the cavalry, without sacrificing the ambition and purpose that kept United honest throughout.

“There were top performances throughout the team,” said McFadden.

“Ben Godfrey at right-back was excellent. If he was in trouble, Yerry Mina stepped across. If Yerry Mina stepped across, Allan dropped into the centre and it still had a solid feel.

“You need only use the goal as your inspiration for how to battle and persevere.

"Demarai Gray had to fight to get that opportunity, he showed great strength and determination and knew there were players coming to join him.

“You can see there’s a real togetherness in how the players performed.

“There are some important players missing. Seamus Coleman is a leader and huge influence on the team.

“Dominic Calvert-Lewin through the spine, Richarlison is a brilliant footballer.

“When these players come back, if the team performs how they have here, it could be a really exciting season for Everton.”

Gordon’s Coming Of Age Display

It must have been music to Anthony Gordon’s ears.

The winger was heading for the touchline following his finest 72 minutes in a senior Everton jersey and the vocal travelling supporters serenaded Gordon with a song dedicated to the 20-year-old forward.

McFadden ran the left-wing beat for Everton in a lot of his 142 appearances and it was the name of one of his successors on the 38-year-old’s lips at full-time.

“I thought Anthony Gordon was excellent and his workrate was outstanding,” said McFadden.

“It is tough to come into that situation for your first Premier League start in a long time and put in that type of performance.

“He was disciplined and helped his full-back and going forward wanted the ball and made good decisions.”

It feels as if Gordon has been around a while. He made his full Premier League debut in June last year and until the past few weeks had played his senior football exclusively in front of rows of empty seats.

On only his sixth top-flight start – he last began a Premier League match on Boxing Day last year – Gordon looked to the manner born in one of the most testing environments for any footballer.

He ran himself daft, sacrificing for his team from the outset.

No forward player made as many tackles as Gordon’s three and he added two interceptions and two recoveries.

There can be an issue for an attacker working his socks off defensively when the ball is at his feet, the legs and mind that have whirred tirelessly to frustrate opponents drained of the energy and spark to steam forwards and create.

Gordon was immune from such problems. He created two chances and, as Everton emerged from their defensive shape during the opening half, Victor Lindelof had no answer to Gordon’s blink-and-you-will-miss-him turn of pace to race to the byline and cross.

Equally, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, broadly considered one of the Premier League’s best defensive full-backs, would have walked off knowing he’d been in a game against the young Englishman.

It is testament to the faith Gordon’s teammates have in their young winger that 43.5 per cent of Everton’s attacks were directed down his left channel, as opposed to 34 per cent on the opposite flank.

It appeared at the beginning of the season that we were set for a three-way shootout for the positions on Everton’s wings.

But to Andros Townsend, Demarai Gray and Alex Iwobi we can add the name of Anthony Gordon, chorused by appreciative Evertonians on Saturday.

Godfrey Right Back At It

A strong Yorkshire means a strong England went the old trope in cricketing circles.

Well, at Everton, a similar sentiment grew last season. Everton’s Player of the Year awards were swept up by two men form the White Rose county.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin was missing against Manchester United but from Ben Godfrey, who claimed young player honours in his debut Everton campaign last season, there was a performance illustrative of a player rediscovering his finest football.

Rafa Benitez conceded following Everton’s victory over Norwich City last week that Godfrey was operating at 70-per-cent fitness.

Godfrey sat out Everton’s opening four matches after contracting COVID but it was noticeable that at the first opportunity Benitez got the 23-year-old in his team – for the visit from Burnley three weeks ago.

The player has filled three positions in his five straight starts and on Saturday was employed at right-back.

A sure sign of Godfrey coming onto his game is the four tackles he made – more than any other player on the field – and the five clearances the former Norwich City man completed were equalled only by fellow defender Michael Keane.

Godfrey was fearless in his attacking, teaming up with Andros Townsend to cause the hosts a headache on their left side.

Watch Everton celebrating Townsend’s goal against and you’ll note Godfrey bounding into the picture to join the fun.

He looked like a supreme athlete covering the Old Trafford turf in that moment, a man shaking the last after-effects of illness.

A strong Ben Godfrey in defence more often than not means a strong Everton right now.

Counter-Attacking Precision

Everton cut Manchester United to ribbons with a counter-attacking goal full of speed and accuracy and composure and technical brilliance.

Kudos to Andros Townsend for keeping his head to rifle a finish that David De Gea could only watch fly across his line of sight and into the far corner.

Townsend continues to rewrite his numbers and force us to reimagine what might be possible from the free transfer this season.

The 30-year-old’s goal was his fifth in eight starts and paired with three assists amounts to eight direct goal contributions this term.

He is alone in the Premier League in averaging two or more shots and chances created and tackles per 90 minutes this season.

“To finish like that is a difficult skill but Andros has done it throughout his career,” said McFadden.

“We know how special his left foot is – this was with his right foot and a great goal.

“Being that left footer playing on the right, you need to work on dragging it onto you right foot and you can tell it is something he has worked on.

“He was confident taking it on his right and it was about getting a good connection.

“David De Gea, even in the form he’s been in this season, didn’t move.

“There was nothing he could do about it.

“Knowing Big Dunc [Ferguson, Everton Assistant Manager and McFadden’s former teammate] and the type of stuff he used to do, there’s no doubt they work on those types of situations every day.”

Demarai Gray began a thrilling breakway with a surge over halfway, contemptuously batting off Fred’s physical challenge before feeding Abdoulaye Doucoure.

The midfielder demonstrated superb balance and poise to throw Luke Shaw and Victor Lindelof off the scent, then rolled an ideally weighted pass for Townsend to finish.

“It was perfection,” said McFadden.

“You work on those types of situations where you are trying to hit on the counter from a set-play or corner and that is what happened.

"Initially, Demarai Gray showed outstanding desire to get on the end of it [Allan clearance] and great strength, then he got his head up and saw Doucoure bursting to get forward.

“It was the right pass, a good weight of pass and into the right position.

“And it was sensational from Doucoure, he looked up and recognised Andros Townsend was coming outside him.

“Doucoure took a nice touch inside and played it into the path of Townsend, who only needed to take a touch and it was a brilliant, controlled finish with his right foot.

“Based on the performance, it was no less than Everton deserved.”