Two first half penalties help Man United to victory over struggling Everton

Marcus Rashford scores from the spot.

Manchester United 2 Everton 0

First half penalties from Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford maintained Manchester United’s distant hopes of a top-four finish although they required a massive helping hand from their struggling visitors.

United could have found themselves trailing early against Sean Dyche’s relegation-haunted side. Instead, two moments of terrible defending by Everton gifted them a pair of first half spot kicks.

In both instances, it was Alejandro Garnacho’s direct running and neat footwork that forced terrible decisions out of different Everton defenders.

First, it was veteran James Tarkwoski who opted to lunge in and trip the winger, presenting Fernandes with the chance to score into the bottom right-hand corner, despite Jordan Pickford guessing the correct way to dive on 12 minutes.

It was the 29th penalty scored by the Portuguese international in 33 attempts, making him United’s all-time leading penalty scorer.

But when Ben Godfrey repeated Tarkoswki’s mistake, tripping Garnacho at the end of another tricky run, it was Rashford who stepped up to take the 36th minute spot kick.

Perhaps, Pickford had come a little too close for comfort to saving Fernandes’s first effort or, perhaps, United were keen to offer Rashford the chance to score a morale-boosting goal.

Or, perhaps, the more relevant fact lay in the information that Rashford has only taken two United penalties in the last 14 months, both against Pickford and both successfully converted.

In either case, Rashord made no mistake, scoring into the bottom left, with Pickford going the wrong way.

But the scoreline was hugely flattering for United who could have been behind in two minutes, after Amadou Onana and Godfrey both failed to make the most of a set-piece that found them unmarked in the six-yard area.

James Garner, a former United youngster, forced Andre Onana into a spectacular punched save while Dwight McNeil sent a low shot skidding wide from just inside the area.

Those misses summed up why Everton remain in a relegation battle and were on course for an 11th consecutive Premier League game without a win, one off the worst run in the club’s history in the competition.

The second period opened with two half-chances for Abdoulaye Doucoure, one of which was well saved by Andre Onana at his near-post, before United spurned chances that would have put the game beyond all reasonable doubt.

Fernandes’s low shot was turned around his post by Pickford and United failed to force in at a scrambled corner, which ended with the keeper holding a Victor Lindelof effort on his goalline.

Everton’s last hopes of an unlikely recovery ended on 75 minutes when substitute Lewis Dobbin flashed a shot wide of an open goal from Godfrey’s header.

Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Andre Onana 7; Dalot 6, Varane 6, Evans 7 (Kambwala 88), Lindelof 6; Mainoo 7 (Amrabat 78, 5), Casemiro 6; Fernandes 7, McTominay 6, Garnacho 8 (Antony 82); Rashford 7. 

Substitutes (not used): Bayindir, Eriksen, Diallo, Mee, Kambwala, Collyer, Ogunneye.

Everton (4-4-1-1): Pickford 8; Godfrey 5, Tarkowski 5, Branthwaite 6, Mykolenko 7 (Chermiti 87); Harrison 6 (Dobbin 61, 5), Garner 7 (Young 74, 5), Amadou Onana 6, McNeil 7; Doucoure 6 (Gomes 61, 5); Beto 5 (Calvert-Lewin 61, 6). 

Substitutes (not used): Patterson, Keane, Virginia, Coleman.

Referee: S Hooper 6