Northern Ireland defender Jonny Evans started a Manchester United game for the first time since 2015 and rolled back the years with a majestic performance in the 1-0 weekend victory at Burnley.
The 35-year-old, who was playing his 200th game for the club, also conjured up an exquisite assist for Bruno Fernandes stunning winner and later admitted after the game it was “one of the best nights of my life”.
“I loved every minute of it,” Evans told TNT Sport. “Before the game, just sometimes you get a feeling and I couldn’t wait. It was pure excitement and coming up on the bus I was so buzzing.
“To come back here, I think that was my 200th game for Man United. I never thought I would play 200 but it was an absolute honour.”
Evans, who signed a one-year deal with his former club last month, would have undoubtedly capped the night off perfectly if his first-half goal at Turf Moor had not been ruled out due to Rasmus Hojlund being in an offside position.
On the goalscoring front Portsmouth winger Paddy Lane found the net for the second successive game as the South Coast outfit maintained top spot in League One with a 2-1 win at home to Lincoln City.
Speaking to the Portsmouth website he said: “It’s the perfect week, but it doesn’t stop here because we’re only nine games into the season.
“It was a good display overall from us and the gaffer is always on at me to get into the box at the back stick. I took a touch and it’s gone inside the near post – I was buzzing to score in front of the fans at the Fratton End.”
Also getting his name on the scoresheet was former under-21 international striker Lewis McCann whose goal in the 3-1 victory at Morton was his sixth of the season for Dunfermline Athletic.
Meanwhile in the Championship, Jamal Lewis made his first start of the season as Watford fell to a 3-0 defeat at Leeds United and Jordan Thompson chalked up an assist for Stoke City’s consolation goal in the 3-1 reverse at home to Hull City.
Striker Shayne Lavery returned from injury to come on as a second-half substitute for Blackpool who recorded an emphatic 4-1 win at home to struggling Reading in League One and Ciaron Brown’s Oxford United stay in second place in the table after taking all three points at home to Exeter City.
In Scotland, Brad Lyons, Kyle Vassell and Matty Kennedy all started Kilmarnock’s draw at Dundee while Conor McMenamin and Caolan Boyd-Munce both played in St Mirren’s single goal victory over Liam Boyce’s Hearts to stay second in the Scottish Premiership just two points behind leaders Celtic.
Elsewhere, goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell missed Aarhus’ weekend fixture in Denmark due to suspension though Isaac Price was a second-half substitute in Standard Liege’s scoreless draw at home to KVC Westerlo.
Finally, in the U21 Premier League in England, Jamie McDonnell was on target for Nottingham Forest in their 4-3 win over Crystal Palace and Charlie Allen scored his first of the campaign as Leeds United lost 3-2 at Reading.
Teenager Callum Marshall continues his prolific start to the campaign with West Ham United as he scored twice, and also weighed in with an assist, in the Hammers 3-3 draw with Southampton.
His weekend brace means that the former Linfield striker now has 11 goals in just eight outings for West Ham’s under-21 side this season.
