Key events
56 mins: Dyche calls for Calvert-Lewin and Gomes. Everton do need to change things. Beto has put in plenty of effort today but never looks like scoring.
Onana (Everton) looks to send a pass over the top but it goes out for a goal kick. This is not a game of high quality.
Justin Kavanagh says: “Two teams playing without real strikers has the feel of a knife fight using kids’ rubber knives. Everton’s wounds though, have been self-inflicted.”
54 mins: United a knocking the ball around as they aim to take control of the game. United are looking almost relaxed.
Fernandes sends the ball out to the right for Garnacho. The winger takes a touch but it narrows the angle and he flashes a shot over the bar.
52 mins: McNeil sends in a flighted cross to Tarkowski at the back post. He knocks it down to Doucoure to strike but his goalbound shot is blocked by McTominay’s thigh. I have a feeling this will not be Everton’s day.
50 mins: Another promising moment in the final third comes to nothing for Everton. Godfrey rampages down the flank but then sends his cross straight out for a goal kick despite being under no pressure whatsoever.
48 mins: Fernandes sends a beautiful ball through the Everton defence but Garnacho is ruled offside after catching up with the pass.
47 mins: “Everton gets one penalty all season,” says Brad Wilson. “United get two in the first half. You can’t argue with them but as an Evertonian it would be nice to get a break once in a while. Dycheball has its limits, as we see today. Down 1-0 the match was over. “
You make your own luck in this game.
Second half
Here we go again!
“This is a cracking game,” says Dean Kinsella. “Everton fighting for their lives. Some fantastic defensive tackles from sides. I thought Onana’s flying save was good but Pickford pulled off a worldie. Garnacho has been smashing. And though I liked the general tenor of Barney’s article on England’s defensive midfield conundrum – Mainoo has to go. Super little player!”
Rick Harris emails: “Hard to see any joy for Everton today, but United don’t tend to dazzle in Saturday lunchtime kick-offs, so who knows. Rashford needs a big performance today after Shearer’s England forwards comments and Watkins probably playing himself into the squad.”
Impact.
2 – Alejandro Garnacho is the first ever @ManUtd player to win two penalties in the same Premier League game, while it’s also the first time the Red Devils have had two different penalty scorers in the first half of a PL game. Spotty. #MUNEVE pic.twitter.com/KPDzcz64Fh
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 9, 2024
Half time: Manchester United 2-0 Everton
What a strange 45 minutes of football. United have been pretty average but have a two-goal lead thanks to the quick feet of Garnacho and rash nature of Everton defenders.
Everton have performed well but they are lacking a cutting edge in the final third. Dyche will be fuming by what has happened.
45+2 mins: Casemiro takes aim from 25 yards but Onana blocks the shot. Lindelof has a chance of his soon after but his curling effort is caught by Pickford.
45 mins: Garnacho gets into the box once again and tries to cut the ball back but it hits Mykolenko’s hand. It is not a penalty because the left-back is using his hands to support his slide to block the cross. Ten Hag is asking why it is not another penalty but the explanation is a simple one.
Four minutes added.
44 mins: All that talk of how good Everton’s set-pieces was a complete lie. Every corner thus far has been terrible. The latest goes over everyone and out for a goal kick.
42 mins: United are not under any pressure now they have the two-goal lead and Everton’s energy levels have dropped. Dyche needs a big half-time team talk.
Fernandes passes the ball straight to Everton on the edge of his own box. It eventually reaches Godfrey, whose shot is deflected wide.
Dyche is fuming that Everton do not have a free-kick on the edge of the box after a lunge on McNeil from Casemiro.
40 mins: Harrison says in a wayward cross that goes out for a goal-kick. I fear Everton are completely rattled.
“With Stones a shoo-in, I would have Branthwaite over Maguire without question,” says Hugh Molloy. “He’s great in the air and an excellent penalty box defender, whilst not regularly overtaken by tectonic plates.”
I suspect he will be in the next squad.
38 mins: A lot of people have questioned whether Ten Hag’s United have a plan. It finally transpires that they do: give the ball to Garnacho and hope he wins a penalty.
37 mins: In case you were wondering, Everton have had three players booked. Onana, Godfrey and Doucoure.
GOAL! Manchester United 2-0 Everton (Rashford, pen, 36)
It is Rashford this time from the spot. He makes no mistake.
34 mins: PENALTY TO UNITED! More quick feet from Garnacho leads to a poor challenge from Godfrey.
Ultimately, Everton have been the better team but they can’t make the most of it by taking their chances. United look a little disjointed and confused but Everton love fouling people in the box.
32 mins: Casemiro lifts a pass over the Everton defence. Mykolenko misses the headed and falls onto the ball, which hits both of his hands. United fans want a penalty but there is nothing doing.
30 mins: Without Hojlund, United are relying on midfielders racing into the box to support whoever has the ball. McTominay pulls one back to Mainoo but Branthwaite is there to clear, although the flag goes up anyway.
Down the other end … McNeil drives into the box and flashes a low shot across goal but it flashes just wide.
28 mins: There is a meeting of over the ball. Fernandes looks favourite to take it. The United skipper hits the ball with pace and accuracy but Pickford makes a wonderful save with his top arm.
26 mins: Garner takes aim from 25 yards, forcing Onana into a fine save but the goalkeeper punches it straight out to his namesake who wildly thwacks over the bar from the edge of the box.
Garnacho is taken down by Onana 20 yards from goal. Free-kick to United …
24 mins: Mykolenko thrashes a shot that is deflected wide by Casemiro. It gives Garner another chance to whip the ball in. The cross reaches the back post but Tarkowski heads wide.
22 mins: Evans gets a hand in the face from Beto. VAR has a look in case the striker has committed a red card offence but there is nothing it in.
Casemiro gives the ball away again. I think he needs to calm down.
McNeil chips the ball to the back post for Harrison to attack but his fellow winger just can’t get there.
20 mins: Harrison, another former United youngster, collects the ball just outside the box. He gets it out of his feet but his shot from 20 yards is always rising.
18 mins: Garnacho pulls the ball back to Fernandes in the box but whacks his shot very high over the bar.
16 mins: The sun is out at Old Trafford, making it look like this is a game in May. The temperature does not back this up.
Beto tries to latch onto a pass sent through the United defence but he is rightly given offside.
United seem to have a similar setup to last week against City; Fernandes is the furthest forward in a central position, while Rashford is out on the left. McTominay keeps trying to get beyond Fernandes to reach the box for any potential crosses.
14 mins: McNeil, another former United youngster, hits a volley from 20 yards and it flies just past the post, leaving Onana unmoved.
Patrick Crumlish emails: “Seeing James Garner in the lineup makes me wonder, what other footballers share their name with other celebrities? Also, the other James Garner could have starred in a detective series trying to figure out how Evertons current keeper is the England No. 1 – The Pickford Files.”
13 mins: United have endured a tough 10 minutes and have been given a free goal. Dyche will be fuming after Everton’s promising start.
GOAL! Manchester United 1-0 Everton (Fernandes, pen, 12)
The United captain finds the corner.
10 mins: PENALTY TO UNITED! Garnacho gets into the box and is tripped Tarkowski after some quick feet from the winger. VAR will not overturn.
8 mins: Garner sends in another corner for United to defend and it is whacked clear by Fernandes at the front post.
United break thanks to a direct pass to Rashford who dribbles into the box and makes space to shoot but Harrison puts in a foot to block. The resulting corner is flicked towards goal by Casemiro but Pickford gathers easily.
6 mins: United make it into the Everton box after Garnacho lays it to Dalot but his cross is blocked. Casemiro passes the ball straight to Beto who leads Everton up the pitch before picked out Doucoure on the right but his cross is straight to Onana.
More poor passing from United gifts Everton another corner …
4 mins: I am not sure United have made it out of their own half yet. They are looking very pedestrian.
3 mins: The ball is pumped into the box by McNeil. The ball reaches Onana but he is taken unaware and it bounces off his thigh, Godfrey tries to pounce but Onana smothers the ball.
United looking really nervous on the ball.
2 mins: United spend the early seconds passing the ball around at the back. Everton do their best to put them under pressure and win the ball back midway inside the United half, earning a corner …
Former United kid Garner whips in the corner but Evans clears.
Kick off
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
“Ten Hag showed us ages ago he is not up to the job,” says Jeff Sax. “Will be unbelievable if he stays on another season”
The teams are out …
It’s a bit nippy in Manchester and the sky is grey. Will rain follow? I bet Dyche would love a downpour.
“The happiest man not to be in the dug-outs today will obviously be top manager David Moyes, currently of serial over-achievers West Ham United,” says Jeremy Boyce. “Hopefully he is managing a wry smile today, having managed both of these car-crash clubs, and finding himself in a better place these days : a trophy in the cabinet, playing European competitions, no threat of relegation, nicely poised just behind Man U if the latter should slip up at any time, perish the thought. Serially over-achieved on thin pickings in his time at Goodison. Accepted the impossible job of succeeding Lord Ferg at Old Trafford, and given the shambles that has gone on there since he was asked to do one, did a more than decent job. I’m sure they’d both give up their Ancelotti/Mourinho dreams for a good dose of radar-eye grit’n’graft now. I’m on for a comedy 2-1 Everton win as Tarkowski arses the winning goal in a six-yard box stoppage time corner melee, I’d get down the bookies (stop when the fun stops) but it’s tipping down with rain here…”
We shall see …
Wayne Rooney has just described Kobbie Mainoo as a “young Bastian Schweinsteiger”. Not a bad compliment.
Ten Hag seems in a positive mood.
I went to see Ten Hag yesterday.
Richard Hirst emails: “Doesn’t Ten Hag realise that making excuses is never a good look for a manager: he’s getting close to David Jones territory. But it’s even worse when you’re managing the self-proclaimed ‘biggest club in the world’, and your squad for today’s game cost north of several hundred million pounds. The door marked ‘do one’ is getting ever closer.”
The pressure is certainly on for Ten Hag. He has 11 games to prove himself to Ratcliffe.
Sean Dyche: “We have always got the believe in the performances. We have got to make sure the details in both boxes are correct.
“At the end of the day we keep creating chances but we need to take them. United’s home form has been as good as previous seasons but that does not give us a divine right to win. We need to concentrate on our performances and have a good start.”
Obviously injuries have made life more difficult for Ten Hag and United but needing to play Lindelof at left-back today might do them a few favours. Everton are really good at set-pieces – they have the second highest number of goals from corners, free-kicks etc this season – so will fancy causing United a few problems in the box.
Erik ten Hag speaks: “You need movement behind, how do we get that, it was to come from our striker, he has to make the movement behind. But we also need movement in behind from others. It has to work out. How do we get that movement in behind? How do we get box occupation. We have to control their counters, and we must keep the ball to not give them set-plays. They are very good at it. We have to win. We have to win every game. It’s like our way of life. It doesn’t change anything in our approach.”
Old Trafford needs a bit of work.
Team news
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Onana; Dalot, Varane, Evans, Lindelöf; Mainoo, Casemiro; McTominay, Bruno Fernandes, Garnacho; Rashford.
Subs: Bayindir, Amrabat, Eriksen, Diallo, Antony, Kambwala, Collyer, Ogunneye, Mee.
Everton (4-4-1-1): Pickford; Godfrey, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Harrison, Onana, Garner, McNeil; Doucouré; Beto.
Subs: Patterson, Keane, Calvert-Lewin, Virginia, Young, Andre Gomes, Coleman, Chermiti, Dobbin.
Referee: Simon Hooper (Wiltshire).
Preamble
After two straight defeats in the Premier League Manchester United have lurched back into another mini crisis. If there is one team in the league that know about crises, it’s today’s opponents Everton.
Erik ten Hag insists that playing for Manchester United isn’t for everyone and it is days like this that will show the world who is capable of coping with the pressure. Everton, who are in appalling form, will at the very least battle for everything, even if they lack the quality needed.
Rasmus Hojlund is once again absent through injury and United’s period of positivity in January and February was based around their only recognised striker scoring goals. Without him they have looked impressively blunt. Does Ten Hag have a cunning plan up his sleeve today?
Everton have not won in their past 10 games in the league and need to start picking up some points amid their second PSR charge. Dyche relishes trips to Old Trafford and he will sniff a chance of an upset today but it is up to his players to perform.
Here’s to a cracker!
Kick-off: 12.30pm GMT.
