Manchester United ended a run of three successive draws and got 2018 off to a winning start courtesy of a 2-0 victory over Everton at Goodison Park this evening.
A largely uneventful first half ended goalless, but the deadlock was finally broken shortly before the hour mark when Anthony Martial curled his finish into the top corner from the edge of the box.
Jesse Lingard then made sure of the win with a similar goal nine minutes from time as United climbed back up to second in the Premier League table.
Find out how all of the action unfolded courtesy of Sports Mole's minute-by-minute coverage below.
Both of these sides ended 2017 on a rather negative note and so will be looking to bounce back from that this afternoon, just two days after they were last in action.
We will take a close look at the clubs a little later, but let's start with the team news...
Well, we will have a look at the hosts in a short while, but let's start with Manchester United, who make three changes to the side which started the goalless draw against Southampton last time out - perhaps fewer than many would have expected considering the poor nature of that performance and the quick turnaround.
The most notable of those is a start for Anthony Martial up front in his favoured position, with the Frenchman preferred ahead of Marcus Rashford this afternoon.
Lukaku will miss at least two games with the head injury, whereas Zlatan Ibrahimovic is expected to be sidelined for a month with a knee problem, so this is a really good chance for Martial to show why he should be considered as a central striker.
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Matic, as ever, will sit alongside Herrera in the middle of the park, which is a fairly defensive-minded pairing for United.
The team sheet suggests that Lindelof will operate in right-back as cover for Young, with Jones and Rojo making up the centre-back pairing and Luke Shaw handed another start on the left.
Rooney is rightly regarded as a legend among United supporters having won every trophy available to him during his time at Old Trafford, leaving the club as their all-time top scorer after netting 253 times in 559 matches across all competitions.
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Niasse looked like he had no future at the club at various stages of Ronald Koeman's tenure, but for once he will head into a transfer window with a future which seems a lot more encouraging now.
Indeed, Everton make seven changes to their side for this match, including a rare start for Vlasic.
Holgate, Williams and Davies are amongst those to come in, while Schneiderlin retains his place against his former club.
The Toffees had previously gone eight matches without defeat since Allardyce's appointment had been announced, winning five of those and drawing three.
Allardyce will still undoubtedly keep one wary eye on what is going on behind his team, but they are nine points clear of safety now and there are plenty of teams more vulnerable than the Toffees as things stand.
This time last season they were six points and two places better off, but there has certainly been an improvement since Allardyce took charge of the club despite an ongoing three-game winless run.
Goals at the other end have also been a bit of an issue in recent weeks, scoring just once in their last three games, and now only Burnley have scored fewer goals in the top half.
Everton do have that gap to the relegation zone which I alluded to earlier, but having risen up the table with a few victories, they will be all too aware of what a few defeats can do to a team too.
The Toffees held Chelsea to a goalless draw in their most recent one too, and should they repeat the feat today - or even manage a win - then it would be their longest home unbeaten streak since April.
That represents a major improvement in form from the four games prior to that, when they only managed one win and three points from the 12 on offer.
United had only won two of their previous 10 Premier League away games before that, so there is also a better time to be facing United on the road.
Jose Mourinho's side have been far more solid at the back in front of their own fans, but Allardyce's Everton are not exactly renowned for lots of goals flying in.
United had kept three clean sheets in their opening four games away from home this season, but since then United have embarked on their longest run without an away clean sheet since December 2013.
The Red Devils remain six points clear of Arsenal in fifth, and one more above Tottenham Hotspur, though, so there is some margin for error for Mourinho's side.
United are four points and three places better off than they were at the same stage of last season, although they were 'only' 12 points off top of the table last season, whereas now they find themselves 15 points adrift.
More dropped points today would make it five games without a win for the first time since December 2015, when they went eight under Louis van Gaal.
The Red Devils have also only ever experienced one longer run of successive draws in the Premier League, sharing the spoils five times in a row in 1992.
Both teams are looking to bounce back in this one, but it pits two managers renowned for being fairly defensive against each other so neither side is likely to give much away. I will go for a score draw.
SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Everton 1-1 Manchester United
United's tally of 34 Premier League wins over Everton is currently joint with their number of wins over Aston Villa, but they could go out on their own today.
EVERTON STARTING XI: Pickford; Holgate, Williams, Keane, Martina; Davies, Schneiderlin, Vlasic, Rooney, Bolasie; Niasse
MAN UTD STARTING XI: De Gea; Lindelof, Jones, Rojo, Shaw; Matic, Herrera, Mata, Pogba, Lingard; Martial
Manchester United have edged the possession, but clear cut chances have been very few and far between for both sides. United, as things stand, are on course for their fourth consecutive draw.
That really is the sum of the notable attacking moments, though, with Pickford having one nervy moment when he palmed Martial's cross into a dangerous area, while Herrera has fired one long-range effort off target too.
There was also a half-chance for Holgate early on when he rose highest to meet a cross, only to head the ball well off target.
The Frenchman still has plenty to do from there, but he does it brilliantly as he curls a fine striker into the top corner and past a helpless keeper.
It looked like it may have taken a slight deflection on its way through, but Pickford may not have got there anyway.
Second-half goals from Martial and Lingard are enough to fire United back up to second place in the table, while Everton fall to successive defeats for the first time under Sam Allardyce.
Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's match as Manchester United get 2018 off to a winning start with a 2-0 victory over Everton at Goodison. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
