Manchester United progressed to the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 3-1 victory over Everton at Old Trafford, a seventh straight win in all competitions.
Antony put Erik ten Hag’s United ahead, before Conor Coady equalised for the visitors after a David de Gea howler and then inadvertently reopened the deficit with an own goal. Marcus Rashford wrapped things up from the penalty spot in stoppage time.
Everton came into this with Frank Lampard clinging to his job off the back of a dreadful hiding at the hands of Brighton and made the worst possible start. It was too easy for United as Antony poked home a third-minute breakthrough. James Tarkowski was weak in the tackle and Ben Godfrey did a poor job trying to push Rashford wide as he fired toward Antony at the far post.
Only moments later, Anthony Martial had the chance to double the lead when he narrowly missed the target. But while it looked like Everton were in for a pasting, it was 1-1 before 15 minutes were on the clock and a second goal of even more calamitous defending.
De Gea was the guilty party, having only just survived a scare when a Demarai Gray shot cannoned off the post and into his back but ricocheted out for a corner. For the equalising goal, he somehow allowed the ball to squirm through his legs as Neal Maupay attempted to hook it across goal at the second phase following a corner and Coady couldn’t believe his luck from a yard out.
The tempo was high and Martial soon had more chances, one well saved by Jordan Pickford after being played in at pace by Rashford, the other lacking conviction and blocked. Half an hour in, Pickford had to be alert to parry away a nasty shot from Rashford that bounced in front of him.
With Everton failing to muster any more efforts since the goal before the half-time whistle, United went close to restoring their lead once more when Christian Eriksen curled one narrowly over.
The visitors suffered a blow early in the second half when Alex Iwobi painfully rolled his ankle in a tackle and left the pitch on a stretcher, which was further compounded when United went back ahead through the own goal soon afterwards. Rashford against created it, turning Seamus Coleman inside out and driving the ball low into the box. Coady’s attempt to clear only put it in the net.
De Gea denied Everton a would-be second equaliser with an hour gone, showing why he is normally so good at saving with his legs by throwing out a foot to block a shot from Coleman. Not to be outdone, Pickford spectacularly tipped a swerving Bruno Fernandes effort over at the other end.
Without adding to the lead, United were still living somewhat dangerously, underlined when De Gea came flying out of the penalty area and risked colliding with Diogo Dalot, as well as moments later when VAR intervened to rule out a Dominic Calvert-Lewin goal for an offside in the build-up.
Pickford’s fingertips pushed a dipping Rashford free-kick over the bar in the closing stages. But after setting up the first two goals for his team, the United star finally got one of his own in the 97th minute, sending Pickford the wrong way from 12 yards after substitute Alejandro Garnacho had been brought down in the box by Godfrey.
GK: David de Gea – 3/10 – Only he will know what he was thinking when he left the ball go through his legs at the near post. Truly bizarre lapse of judgement. Later risked another howler when he came flying out of his goal in the second half and almost collided with Dalot.
RB: Diogo Dalot – 7/10 – Saw plenty of the ball and got forward well.
CB: Raphael Varane – 6/10 – Got forward in open play more than once to join in attacks.
CB: Luke Shaw – 6/10 – Back in the centre of defence and did a decent enough job again.
LB: Tyrell Malacia – 6/10 – Played with the kind of tenacity fans have come to expect.
CM: Casemiro – 6/10 – Surprisingly outmuscled by Onana when Everton equalised. It was a rare lapse since he joined the club, but still dominant in midfield otherwise.
CM: Christian Eriksen – 7/10 – Almost scored a spectacular curling effort. Kept it neat in midfield and seemed to often find himself queuing on the edge of the Everton box looking for a key pass.
RW: Antony – 7/10 – Scored his first goal since facing Everton in October. It looked to do his confidence some good and the tricks were out.
AM: Bruno Fernandes (c) – 6/10 – Forced Pickford into a good save but probably not as incisive as he or his manager would have hoped.
LW: Marcus Rashford – 9/10 – Started brightly and looked really threatening exploiting the gap between Everton’s wing-back and right-sided centre-back. Effectively came away with two assists by setting up the first for Antony and then forcing the own goal. Got a goal of his own late on.
ST: Anthony Martial – 6/10 – Took up good positions in dangerous areas but missed a few chances.
Substitutes
SUB: Fred (71′ for Casemiro) – 6/10
SUB: Alejandro Garnacho (71′ for Martial) – 7/10
SUB: Lisandro Martinez (77′ for Shaw) – 7/10
SUB: Harry Maguire (83′ for Eriksen) – N/A
SUB: Scott McTominay (84′ for Antony) – N/A
Manager
Erik ten Hag – 8/10 – Whatever he has done with Rashford has worked wonders. Went with a strong lineup to start with but also made full use of his bench later on.
GK: Jordan Pickford – 7/10 – Made a number of important saves that kept Everton in with a chance.
CB: Ben Godfrey – 4/10 – Struggled against the direct pace of Rashford from the earliest minutes and had his work cut out just to keep his head above water. Gave away a penalty at the death.
CB: Conor Coady – 5/10 – One goal and one own goal, both in the same net in either half.
CB: James Tarkowski – 4/10 – Culpable for the early goal with a poor attempt at a tackle in the middle of the pitch. Lumbered around seemed off the pace.
RWB: Seamus Coleman – 5/10 – Run ragged by Rashford for the second goal but did get forward on a few occasions and made De Gea pull off a save.
CM: Alex Iwobi – 5/10 – Looked in a lot of pain when he left the pitch on a stretcher.
CM: Idrissa Gueye – 5/10 – His night was kind of summed when he roasted by Raphael Varane of all people. Didn’t often give the ball away but didn’t win it back enough.
CM: Amadou Onana – 7/10 – Played a huge role in the Everton equaliser by body rolling Casemiro. Put himself and was later booked for a late tackle on Martinez after only just serving a suspension.
LWB: Vitalii Mykolenko – 5/10 – Had a clear view of Antony for United’s opener but didn’t track the run of the player he was supposed to be marking.
ST: Neal Maupay – 6/10 – Made the equaliser possible by putting the ball across the box, even if there was a big stroke of luck about it. Didn’t offer a great deal else.
ST: Demarai Gray – 7/10 – Hit the post with a pot shot in the first half. Looked like he could have been a real danger if he had been a little more consistent with the ball. Marginally offside for a potential second equaliser from Calvert-Lewin.
Substitutes
SUB: Abdoulaye Doucoure (51′ for Iwobi) – 6/10
SUB: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (69′ for Maupay) – 6/10
SUB: Anthony Gordon (81′ for Coleman) – 6/10
SUB: Dwight McNeil (81′ for Mykolenko) – 6/10
Manager
Frank Lampard – 6/10 – Will have been disappointed to go behind so early and the nature of it through avoidably poor defending. Fighting for his job so had no choice but to really go for it with attacking substitutions in the second half.
Add Comment