Key events
34 minutes: PENALTY TO UNITED! Faster feet from Garnacho lead to a poor challenge from Godfrey.
In the end, Everton were 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 to foul people in the box.
32 minutes: Casemiro lifts a pass over the Everton defense. Mykolenko misses the header and falls on the ball, which hits both of his hands. The United fans want a penalty but they do nothing.
30 mins: Without Hojlund, United relies on midfielders rushing into the box to support whoever has the ball. McTominay pulls one back to Mainoo but Branthwaite is there to clear, although the flag still goes up.
At the other end… McNeil enters the box and fires a low shot across goal, but it goes just wide.
28 minutes: There is an over the ball meeting. Fernandes seems favorite to take it. The United skipper strikes the ball with pace and precision, but Pickford makes a magnificent save with his upper arm.
26 minutes: Garner takes aim from 25 yards, forcing Onana into a fine save, but the goalkeeper hits it straight to his namesake who hits wildly over the bar from the edge of the area.
Garnacho is brought down by Onana 20 meters from the goal. Free kick for United…
24 minutes: Mykolenko takes a shot which is deflected wide by Casemiro. This gives Garner another chance to get the ball in. The cross hits the back post but Tarkowski heads to the side.
22 minutes: Evans receives a hand to the face from Beto. VAR checks in case the striker has committed a red card, but there is nothing in it.
Casemiro gives the ball away again. I think he needs to calm down.
McNeil sends the ball to the back post for Harrison to attack, but his fellow winger just can’t get there.
20 minutes : Harrison, another former United youngster, collects the ball just outside the box. He takes it out of his feet but his shot from 20 yards is still up.
18 minutes: Garnacho brings the ball back to Fernandes in the box but hits his shot high over the bar.
16 minutes: The sun is out at Old Trafford, making it feel like a match in May. The temperature does not confirm this.
Beto tries to latch onto a pass sent through the United defense but is rightly taken offside.
United appear to have a similar setup to last week’s game against City; Fernandes is furthest forward in the central position, while Rashford is on the left. McTominay continues to try and get past Fernandes to get to the box for any potential crosses.
14 minutes: McNeil, another former United youngster, hits a volley from 20 yards and it goes 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? Plus, the other James Garner could have starred in a detective series trying to figure out how the current Evertons goalkeeper is England’s No.1 – The Pickford Files.
13 minutes: United endured a difficult 10 minutes and got a clear goal. Dyche will be furious after Everton’s promising start.
AIM! Manchester United 1-0 Everton (Fernandes, pen, 12)
The United captain finds the corner.
10 minutes: PENALTY TO UNITED! Garnacho enters the box and trips Tarkowski after a few quick feet from the winger. VAR will not reverse.
8 minutes: Garner sends another corner for United to defend and it is clearly hit by Fernandes at the near post.
United break with a direct pass to Rashford who dribbles into the box and makes space to shoot but Harrison puts a foot down to block. The resulting corner is turned towards goal by Casemiro but Pickford gathers easily.
6 minutes: United enter the Everton box after Garnacho lays it to Dalot but his cross is blocked. Casemiro passes the ball directly to Beto who leads Everton up the pitch before spotting Doucouré on the right but his cross is straight towards Onana.
More poor passing from United earns Everton another corner…
4 minutes: I’m not sure United have managed to get out of their own half yet. They look very pedestrian.
3 minutes: The ball is pumped into the box by McNeil. The ball reaches Onana but he is taken by surprise and it bounces off his thigh, Godfrey tries to pounce but Onana smothers the ball.
United look really nervous with the ball.
2 minutes : United spend the first few seconds passing the ball out back. Everton do their best to put them under pressure and win the ball back halfway into United’s half, earning a corner…
Former United kid Garner whips into the corner but Evans clears.
To start up
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
“Ten Hag showed us a long time ago that he was not up to the task.” said Jeff Sax. “It will be amazing if he stays for another season”
The teams went out…
It’s a bit cool in Manchester and the sky is gray. Will the rain follow? I bet Dyche would love a downpour.
“The man happiest not to be in the dugouts today will obviously be top manager David Moyes, currently one of West Ham United’s top performers,” said Jeremy Boyce. “I hope he has a wry smile today, after managing these two car accident clubs, and that he is in a better position these days: a trophy in the cabinet, playing competitions Europeans, no threat of relegation, well placed just behind Man. If the latter should make a mistake at any time, perish with the thought. Serially he overperformed on slim selections during his time at Goodison. He accepted the impossible task of succeeding Lord Ferg at Old Trafford and, given the mayhem that has occurred there since he was asked to do one, has done a more than decent job. I’m sure that they’d both give up their Ancelotti/Mourinho dreams for a healthy dose of courage and radar graft now. I’m down for a comical 2-1 win at Everton as Tarkowski scores the winning goal in a six-man scrum corner meters in stoppage time, I would take down the bookies (stop when the fun stops) but it’s raining here…”
We will see …
Wayne Rooney just called Kobbie Mainoo “young Bastian Schweinsteiger”. That’s not a bad compliment.
Ten Hag seems in a good mood.
I went to see Ten Hag yesterday.
Richard Hirst sends emails: “Don’t Ten Hag realize that making excuses is never a good idea for a manager: he’s getting closer to David Jones territory. But it’s even worse when you manage the self-proclaimed ‘biggest club in the world’ and your squad for today’s game costs several hundred million pounds. The door marked “make one” gets closer and closer.
The pressure is certainly on for Ten Hag. He has 11 games left to prove himself to Ratcliffe.
Sean Dyché: “We have always believed in performance. We need to make sure the details in both boxes are correct.
“At the end of the day, we continue to create chances but we have to take them. United’s home form has been as good as previous seasons, but that doesn’t give us a divine right to win. We need to focus on our performance and get off to a good start.
Obviously, injuries have made life more difficult for Ten Hag and United, but having to play Lindelof at left-back today could do them some favors. Everton are really good at set pieces – they have the second most goals from corners, free kicks, etc. this season – so they will be keen to cause United some problems in the box.
Erik ten Hag speaks: “You need movement behind, how do you get that, it had to come from our attacker, he has to make the movement behind. But we also need a movement behind the others. It has to work. How can we put this movement behind us? How can we get the occupancy of the boxes. We have to control their counterattacks, and we have to keep the ball so as not to give them set pieces. They are very good at this. We must win. We have to win every game. It’s like our way of life. This does not 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.
Substitutes: Bayindir, Amrabat, Eriksen, Diallo, Antony, Kambwala, Collyer, Ogunneye, Mee.
Everton (4-4-1-1): Pickford; Godfrey, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Harrison, Onana, Garner, McNeil; Doucouré; Be at.
Subs: Patterson, Keane, Calvert-Lewin, Virginia, Young, Andre Gomes, Coleman, Chermiti, Dobbin.
Referee: Simon Hooper (Wiltshire).
Preamble
After two consecutive defeats in the Premier League, Manchester United are once again plunged into a new mini-crisis. If there is one team in the league that is experiencing crises, it is their current opponents, Everton.
Erik ten Hag insists playing for Manchester United isn’t for everyone and it’s days like this that will show the world who can cope with pressure. Everton, who are in terrible form, will at least fight for everything, even if they lack the necessary quality.
Rasmus Hojlund is once again absent through injury and United’s spell of positivity in January and February was based on their only recognized striker scoring goals. Without him, they seemed incredibly blunt. Does Ten Hag have a cunning plan up his sleeve today?
Everton are winless in their last 10 league games and need to start picking up some points amid their second PSR charge. Dyche enjoys trips to Old Trafford and will sniff out a chance of an upset today, but it is up to his players to perform.
So much for a cracker!
Kick-off: 12:30 GMT.
