Manchester United beat Everton to heap pressure on Frank Lampard
Manchester United’s Diogo Dalot and Antony celebrate after Conor Coady’s cross is diverted into his own net for United’s second goal in the FA Cup win over Everton at Old Trafford. Pic: Lindsey Parnaby/AFP via Getty Images
Manchester United continue their progress on four fronts, after a narrow FA Cup third round victory over struggling Everton, although it took goals at both ends from Conor Coady and a moment David de Gea would sooner forget before the win was assured.
There was also a fortunate VAR moment for United, after substitute Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s second “equaliser” was ruled out for offside after 73 minutes.
But the fact that United continue their impressive development under ten Hag was not lost on a raucous Old Trafford crowd who were treated to an old-school classic cup clash.
Ultimately, after Alejandro Garnacho had been upended by Ben Godfrey, Marcus Rashford wrapped up the scoring with a 95th minute penalty.
But the tie had really swung in the opening minutes of the second half when Coady put his name on the scoresheet for the second time on the evening, although in far less enjoyable circumstances than his first half equaliser.
After 52 minutes, Rashford twisted and tortured Seamus Coleman as he attacked from the left and made it to the Everton by-line from where his low, dangerous centre was turned into his own net by Coady.
Just two minutes earlier, Alex Iwobi had been stretchered off following what looked a serious injury, sustained in an innocuous tackle from Tyrell Malacia.
And those two events undid what had, eventually, been a decent first half from the visitors who had survived a torrid start to the tie. If manager Frank Lampard’s instructions were to keep the game tight and try and frustrate their in-form opponents, it was a message that went completely unheeded.
Everton had already survived a self-inflicted scare by the time United shot into a fourth minute lead that left Lampard facing a potentially excruciating evening.
Anthony Martial found Rashford in space and the England forward beat Godfrey with considerable ease before drilling over a perfect far-post cross which was converted by Antony, as the Brazilian slid in unopposed.
When Martial narrowly missed the target, from 18 yards, just two minutes later, it appeared that Everton’s worst case scenario, as they looked to recover from the 4-1 midweek home thrashing by Brighton, was about to materialise.
But, as they had in coming from behind to draw at United’s neighbours City last weekend, Everton players responded to Lampard’s pre-match exhortation to show “big balls” on the big Old Trafford stage.
And, surprisingly, it was two of United’s most impressive recent performers - Casemiro and de Gea - who allowed them back into the contest just 10 minutes after the opener.
An Everton attack saw Amadou Onana shrug off Casemiro on the edge of the United area, as the United man misjudged his defensive assignment, before he found Neal Maupay sprinting towards the right-hand by-line.
The striker pulled over a cross which de Gea, positioned at the near-post, could have dealt with in any number of ways, only to allow the ball to trickle through his legs and along the goalline where Coady tapped home.
It was a rare error by the United keeper, almost unheard of in recent months, and offered the visitors a foothold they could scarcely have expected.
It was terrific entertainment, especially for the visiting fans who are currently challenging United in the unofficial competition to boast of the most unpopular owners in the Premier League.
Everton’s, for certain, have contributed greatly to the club’s current predicament although the players Lampard entrusted last night were also doing a sterling job of trying to add to their manager’s headaches.
Every United attack saw defenders parting and backing away and Rashford and Martial cut through their opponents at lightning speed after 16 minutes only for the latter to be denied by a strong Jordan Pickford save.
And, as had been the case at City last weekend, Everton were also prepared to battle; as Godfrey demonstrated when he and Rashford had to be spoken to for some good, old-fashioned shirt pulling.
Bruno Fernandes added to the increasingly feisty mood with a nasty, raking foul from behind on Onana, which made him the game’s first booking and enhanced further what was an already absorbing tie.
Still, United looked devastating on the counter attack; Rashford next to surge through and produce a near-30-yard attempt which Pickford got behind well to punch away and, before the break, Christian Eriksen sent a decent, curling effort just over from the edge of the area.
But Everton, at least, showed the right attitude once they found themselves behind once again.
Iwobi’s replacement Abdoulaye Doucoure led one promising charge which ended with a Coleman shot kept out by de Gea’s boot and a follow-up shot from Vitaly Mykolenjko which was blocked by Diogo Dalot.
Still, as United searched for a tenth win in their last 11 league and cup games, they were happy to demonstrate how far, and how quickly, they have developed under ten Hag.
A well-worked free-kick routine on 66 minutes, for example, ended with Bruno Fernandes unleashing a superb 30-yard shot which forced Pickford into a spectacular fingertip save as he touched the ball over.
De Gea 4; Dalot 7, Varane 6, Shaw 7, Malacia 5 (Martinez 76, 6); Casemiro 6 (Fred 70, 6), Eriksen 7 (Maguire 83); Antony 6 (McTominay 83), Fernandes 7, Rashford 8; Martial 6 (Garnacho 71, 6).
Lindelof, Heaton, Wan-Bissaka, Elanga.
Pickford 6; Coleman 5 (Gordon 80), Godfrey 6, Coady 7, Tarkowksi 6, Mykolenko 5 (McNeil 80); Iwobi 6 (Doucoure 50, 6), Gueye 7, Onana 7; Maupay 6 (Calvert-Lewin 68, 5), Gray 8.
Holgate, Mina, Begovic, Davies, Simms.
D England 7.
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