After the defeat at Stamford Bridge last weekend, Manchester United were eager to return to their winning form as they headed to Goodison Park after a lacklustre spell.
Michael Carrick was yet to return from injury, but Daley Blind made a sharp recovery from his knock against Manchester City and was back in van Gaal’s 11. Robin Van Persie remained on the bench, along with Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao.
The game kicked off with Manchester United trying to get hold of the ball and dominating possession, but four minutes in; the Blues broke and scored. The ball was taken from a Juan Mata cross and Everton broke down the field, where McCarthy then slotted the ball past David De Gea. A very bad start for Louis van Gaal and Manchester United, as the next 86 minutes became much bigger task.
There was an exciting chance for Marouane Fellaini shortly after, creating a chance to equalise but smashing the ball over the cross bar. Ultimately, the score should have read 1-1. This was a big game for Fellaini as he returned to Goodison Park in a red shirt, and the pressure seemed to be getting to him – as he was cautioned with a yellow card for a slight trip which came shortly after a wild challenge.
The pressure also seemed to building at the back as there appeared to be miscommunication between Chris Smalling and De Gea. Smalling wanted the Spanish goalkeeper to come out and collect the ball but staying put, he left Smalling to panic and kick the ball out of play. The game was crying out for the calm and collected midfielder Carrick, required to slow the tempo down and keep everything under control.
Despite conceding the first goal, Manchester United put on a show to fight back. They dominated play and created chance after chance. Players were linking up well with each other, the likes of Mata, Ander Herrera and Blind were caressing the ball but there was no end product. There were positive signs of United player’s passion and commitment, such as Paddy McNair’s burst of pace to try and attack and create a chance.
There just didn’t seem to be anyone likely to put the ball in the net, chances were wasted and players continued to miss. There was a chance for Blind who stroked the ball straight into Tim Howard’s hands, while Wayne Rooney was another who couldn’t hit the target, his shots denied time and time again.
United needed a goal scorer, someone who would put away those chances every time. After constant passing and passing and failing to produce a goal, United were caught out once again before half time. Everton had won a corner but unlike Manchester United, John Stones snatched at his chance and scored to make the game 2-0.
United could only come out of the tunnel in the second half with their heads held high, their team performance had only proven to show what they can do and how they can play. They now needed to prove they could finish and score goals from the chances they create. They continued to play with the same spirit and passion during the second half but Fellaini’s game was over, he was replaced Falcao for the second half. This was another chance for the Colombian to prove his worth in a pivotal game, but 60 minutes in and it was still 2-0.
United fought hard but it was looking like a repeat of the Chelsea game. Di Maria also came onto the pitch replacing Mata, but the injection of pace was denied as Everton went on the secure the win with a third goal. Kevin Mirallas was the scorer of a controversial goal as Antonio Valencia had stopped to appeal for offside, although there was no offside given and the goal stood.
Manchester United were crushed. The defeat left them fourth in the Premier League table and hopes for Champions League football were shaken up. However, as seen previously throughout the season, United always fight back. So the fight is on and the reds face West Brom next at home, a very crucial game for Louis van Gaal and a very crucial game for Manchester United.
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