Second-half goals from Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard saw United make a winning start to 2018, lifting them back above Chelsea and into second place in the process.
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An unlikely brace from Ashley Young against one of his former clubs put United in control of the contest in the first half and Anthony Martial then added a third soon after to send the clinical visitors into the break with a commanding lead
The Red Devils have now won all four of their Group A games, but CSKA Moscow’s win over Basel means that official progression to the knockout stages must wait
Spurs were without injured top-scorer Harry Kane, and the visitors struggled to create much in his absence during a slow and uneventful opening half an hour
Palace have already extended the worst-ever top flight start for a generation to six matches and despite the strength of their upcoming opponents, they cannot afford to go almost a quarter of the way through the campaign without any sort of a return
Man United had a lot of the ball in the early moments, and the Red Devils took the lead inside the first four minutes when Martial’s brilliant cross was headed home by Lukaku, who had risen above Ignashevich at the far post
The hosts needed just four minutes to break the deadlock against the Toffees when Antonio Valencia’s stunning strike ripped into the back of the net, but the majority of the match was a lot more even than the final scoreline suggests
The result was harsh on Swansea, who remained competitive throughout the contest, but United’s extra quality in the final third eventually proved the difference and Jose Mourinho’s side already boast a strong goal difference while sitting at the top of the standings
The win puts United just a point behind Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City before Thursday night’s derby clash at the Etihad Stadium, which could well prove to be a top-four shootout
The Frenchman, who took Marcus Rashford’s place in one of two changes, looked a threat throughout and fully justified manager Jose Mourinho’s decision to hand him just a second league start of the year
Rooney netted his 249th goal for the club to set United on their way to the fourth round, with further strikes from Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford wrapping up an eighth straight victory for the Red Devils
Next up for Man United is a trip to West Ham United on January 2, while Middlesbrough will welcome Leicester City on the same afternoon
Anthony Martial gave United the lead midway through the second half but with eight minutes left, De Gea spilled a weak effort from Glen Johnson and Joe Allen was able to convert the rebound
It looked as though France might become the latest host nation to slip up in the opening game of a European Championship, but Payet made himself the hero late on with a stunning strike into the top corner to win the match for his side.
Nevertheless, Les Bleus feature six Premier League players in their line-up, as Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris captains the side and Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud leads the attack
Kickoff was delayed by 45 minutes after the visitors’ team coach was attacked on the way to the stadium by West Ham fans, but that didn’t dampen the mood of the supporters and the game finally got underway amidst a deafening atmosphere
The home side scored three times in the space of six second-half minutes to move to within seven points of the league leaders, Leicester City, while Man United remain fifth, four points from the Champions League positions
Both teams were full of pace and purpose in the opening 15 minutes, with Martial and Rashford causing Everton problems down the left and Gerard Deulofeu threatening to open up the home side’s defence with his ability to carry the ball
As in the first leg, United lost a key man in the warm-up with Anthony Martial forced to make way for Rashford, who was promoted from the bench to deputise for the French forward
The result has kept Man United in fifth spot – five points off the top four, while Stoke remain in ninth