Manchester United reclaimed third place in the Premier League with a 2-0 victory over Everton at Old Trafford. Erik ten Hag’s side moved 6 points ahead of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur and three in front of Newcastle United before the rest of the weekend fixtures, thanks to goals from Scott McTominay and Anthony Martial.
Christian Eriksen, who happened to come off the bench to make his first looks for the Reds since being injured against Reading in January, received a standing ovation from the crowd. However, there was cause for concern when Marcus Rashford, who assisted on Martial’s goal, left the game with an injury late in the game.
United had 21 shots on goal against the Toffees in the first half alone, but Jordan Pickford saved them all. Seamus Coleman’s slip gave the Reds a two-goal lead, and it was a reasonably simple afternoon’s work.
Both teams began the game with back-and-forth attacks, but United gained a foothold with Jadon Sancho notable on the left wing. The England international linked up well with Marcel Sabitzer first before the Austrian’s shot was deflected off former Manchester United defensive midfielder Michael Keane to force a corner.
Marcus Rashford had an incredible chance to give Erik ten Hag’s men the advantage in front of the Stretford End minutes later. After mistiming his header, Keane darted through on goal to go one on one with Pickford, but fired a shot past the keeper. Bruno Fernandes retrieved the ball and attempted to cross it over Rashford’s head, but his attempt was blocked.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka had the best possible chance of an early opening after 12 minutes. Antony took one touch after receiving a pass from a Fernandes corner and attempted to curl the ball past Pickford. The shot hit the post, and Wan-Bissaka raced in to get the rebound, but the full-back slanted his attempt and missed an open net.
The Toffees then had a great chance to take the lead when Dwight McNeil and Ellis Simms combined well before Simms found himself unused against David De Gea. The former Blackpool and Sunderland striker chose to sidefoot the ball, but his effort rolled wide of the far post.
United created a flurry of chances in an attempt to take the lead. Antony outplayed Ben Godfrey twice: the first time he fired a shot straight at Pickford, and the second time the Everton full-back did enough to get back in to the position to stop the Brazil winger. Moments later, Rashford did manage to hook on to a McTominay pass, but Pickford saved his shot once more.
McTominay scored the game-winning goal for United. The midfielder, who had an amazing international break for Scotland, scoring four goals in two games, began to attack with Rashford, linking up with quick and quick passes before Rashford glided the ball to Sancho on the right side of the field. Erik ten Hag’s side took the lead in front of the Stretford End after Sancho saw McTominay’s darting run into the box and generated a first-time shot to blow the ball past Pickford.
Pickford, on the other hand, remained inspired, keeping Antony out once more as the half-time score remained 1-0.
When compared to the first 45 minutes, both teams appeared to have a lower intensity at the start of the second half. United had the first meaningful attack when Fernandes found Rashford on the outside of the box, but instead of going for a first-time strike, the forward opted to lay the ball off, which resulted in the attack being called off.
Just after the hour mark, Everton threatened De Gea’s goal. Lisandro Martinez saved Simms’ long-range effort, but the ball fell on the border ” for Alex Iwobi, whose subsequent strike was blocked by the diving Tyrell Malacia.
That attack jolted United into action, and we went on the attack, with Sabitzer’s pass finding Fernandes in the penalty area, but the Portugal midfielder’s header was off target. Rashford would attempt again from outside of the area, hoping to catch Pickford off guard, but his shot would sail over the bar.
❤️❤️❤️ https://t.co/6Pb2m3lizy
— Marcus Rashford (@MarcusRashford) April 8, 2023
Martinez succeeded in throwing a long pass towards Rashford, but Coleman intercepted it first. However, the Irishman’s touch let him down, allowing Rashford to pick up the ball and get into the box, where he provided a well-timed pass into replacement Martial, who tucked home his second goal to secure the Reds’ victory.
With 15 minutes remaining in the game, Old Trafford and the Red Army soared to their feet to welcome Eriksen back as a replacement for Sancho. But Rashford’s joy was short-lived, as he was compelled to limp off after trying to stretch to achieve one of his passes.
McTominay was able to blow in an initial pass towards Fernandes at the near post, but the eventual results header took a look straight into Pickford’s gloves. Nonetheless, Erik’s Reds did well, and everyone at United can focus on the rest of the Easter holiday.
