In a less than impressive performance, Manchester United triumphed over Everton 2-0, courtesy of spot kicks delivered by Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford. Everton, who are battling not to face relegation, found themselves at the brunt of their own errors, despite showing promising form early in the match.
United stuttered through their performance on Saturday afternoon under Erik Ten Hag. Nevertheless, they managed to break their series of consecutive losses in the Premier League and keep their dreams of qualifying for the Champions League a reality. Everton gave them a tough time, with 23 shots on target but squandered their advantages with a double self-sabotage in the first half.
Initially, Everton looked set to win the game before James Tarkowiski clumsily fouled Alejandro Garnacho, allowing Fernandes, United’s captain, to convert the resulting penalty. Everton failed to capitalise on their dominance, then again fell prey to United, this time via a Rashford penalty, following a foul on Garnacho by Ben Godfrey.
Despite numerous golden opportunities handed over by United, Everton failed to exploit them, a failure their upcoming FA Cup quarter-final opponents, Liverpool, would likely not replicate.
Everton dominated the chaotic bout at the start; however, their hosts managed to turn things around and took the lead in the 12th minute at Old Trafford. Fernandes scored the opener from the spot after Tarkowski fouled Garnacho, a decision backed by rapid VAR check, sending Jordan Pickford the wrong way.
Before and after Everton’s initial stumble, they pressed on but to no avail. United’s academy product, James Garner, and Dwight McNeil showcased their skills, yet Amadou Onana’s follow-up was unfortunately mishit. While Everton issued continuous threats, United’s Fernandes nearly bagged a brace, only to be thwarted by Pickford’s commendable one-handed save.
Pickford’s exceptional performance, however, was not enough to save Everton from defeat. After Godfrey committed an error in an attempt to stop Garnacho, Rashford, from the penalty spot, all but sealed Everton’s fate, leaving a lot to consider for the Toffee’s ahead of their subsequent matches.
In a rather fortuitous fashion, Everton managed to avoid a third penalty before half-time in their recent game, after an arm intervention by Vitalii Mykolenko on a Garnacho cutback. Equally on edge, United found itself in a precarious position during the end stages of the first half, when Jonny Evans lost possession and saw a shot from McNeil blocked.
Once play resumed after the break, the game maintained its unbridled and disorderly rhythm. Andre Onana expertly thwarted a near-post attempt by Abdoulaye Doucoure, amid an overhook from Garnacho and an unsuccessful clean connection with a cross from Fernandes.
The captain of United also experienced a narrow escape with a shot that was skillfully deflected by Pickford, who then prevented United from scoring during a subsequent corner scuffle. Shortly after, Onana had to handle some chaotic play in his own box while United narrowly dodged an Everton goal in the 76th minute.
A header by Godfrey managed to meet a Lewis Dobbin cross-shot that barely missed substitute Dominic Calvert-Lewin at the far post. Despite their ongoing efforts to score whilst exploiting United’s vulnerabilities, Everton could not break through, and likewise, United could not increase the scoreline due to lack of quality.
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