The development of novel manganese vanadate electrode materials with high capacity and good rate capability is a great challenge. In this work, a novel manganese vanadate grown on reduced graphene oxide is successfully prepared by a fast and facile approach. Small Mn2.1V0.9O4 particles (20–50 nm) are anchored on reduced graphene oxide, which significantly alleviates volume changes and improves electrical conductivity and lithium ion transfer. In addition, the strong chemical interactions between Mn2.1V0.9O4 and reduced graphene oxide are conducive to accelerate charge transfer. These features are favorable for achieving high reversible capacity and excellent rate performance. As an anode for lithium-ion batteries, a high discharge capacity of 981 mA h g−1 is retained after 80 cycles at 100 mA g−1. Even at 2000 mA g−1, a high capacity of 748 mA h g−1 is achieved. New prospects are brought by this work for the synthesis and the potential application of manganese vanadate materials.