Different competition, same result. Manchester United took their impressive league form into the FA Cup as they advanced past Everton in this third-round tie. Once again Marcus Rashford was the man making the difference as United’s No10 continued his renaissance with an impactful display dusted with quality.
Rashford’s run and pass to the back post allowed Antony to open the scoring as early as the fourth minute and the forward also prised an own goal out of Conor Coady after another darting sprint and dangerous cross. The Everton defender had earlier scored Everton’s equaliser after a bizarre lapse from David De Gea in the United goal.
Rashford’s late penalty wrapped up another eye-catching personal performance and a seventh consecutive victory in all competitions for Erik ten Hag’s team. The home side were the better team over the piece, constantly causing trouble for the Everton defence in this open and thrilling cup tie.
Ten Hag is building a resolute and talented outfit, and they were given a run for their money by a battling Everton. Frank Lampard can take solace from how his team stretched their in-form opponents but ultimately their ninth defeat in 12 games means their wait for a trophy will now stretch into its 29th year.
However, that is rather small fry currently given their precarious Premier League position and their fight for survival in the top-flight. Whether Lampard remains for the scrap remains to be seen.
Story of the game
Despite their fine form in the Premier League and surge into the top four, Ten Hag acknowledges that the cup competitions remain United’s best chance of silverware this term. The strong team selection spoke of how determined the Dutchman is in ending United’s six-year trophy drought.
Lampard may have bigger fish to fry than mustering a cup run but the Everton manager couldn’t afford a pummelling even if this was an evening away from league action. They reverted to the five-man defence that performed heroically across Manchester at the Etihad Stadium last weekend. With Nathan Patterson sidelined and Dominic Calvert-Lewin fatigued, there were four changes in total.
These two clubs played out memorable FA Cup finals in 1985 and 1995, and the last cup meeting between the pair at Old Trafford in 1983 wasn’t too bad either. If Everton aimed to quell the Friday night atmosphere and sit tight for the opening exchanges then they hit a set-back within four minutes.
United started on the front foot and when Antony Martial outmuscled James Tarkowski on halfway, the home side went for it. Rashford was shown down the left wing by Ben Godfrey and obliged before getting a cross away to the back post where Antony slid in to poke his right boot out to score.
The early setback might have unsettled Lampard’s fragile team, who shipped three goals in seven second-half minutes to Brighton & Hove Albion in midweek, and a shot narrowly wide from Martial hardly boded well, but the visitors did respond admirably.
Demarai Gray whipped an effort against the post from a similar position to where he scored the equaliser against Manchester City last Saturday. David De Gea probably had the shot covered but the United ‘keeper did not cover himself in glory moments later.
Everton’s corner was half-cleared when Amadou Onana shrugged aside Casemiro and passed to Neal Maupay. His cross-shot from the byline appeared easy pickings for De Gea but the Spaniard suddenly drunkenly slumped against his post, allowing the ball to dribble through his legs where Coady met it and touched into the unguarded net. It was a comical goal, and Everton could hardly have believed their luck.
The game was open now, giving off a frantic and feverish hue, but United’s response was instant. Jordan Pickford thwarted Martial with a strong hand and then palmed away another effort from distance by Rashford. Antony also bent a shot just over the crossbar as the first half closed.
Everton’s evening took a turn for the worse in the opening seven minutes of the new half. No sooner had the game restarted when Tyrell Malacia dashed over to tackle Alex Iwobi but inadvertently injured the winger, who appeared to turn his ankle and was stretched off.
It went from bad to worse in the 52nd minute when the ball was pinged to Rashford on the left. He drove into the area, checked back to send Seamus Coleman off the scent and then fired the ball across goal. Coady extended his right leg in an attempt to clear but only managed to poke the ball past his own goalkeeper.
United were back on top, Bruno Fernandes’ swerving shot needed pushing over by Pickford, and the Old Trafford crowd taunted Lampard about his precarious employment prospects. But Everton were not going without a fight. Vitaliy Mykolenko should have done better with an effort from close range but the visitors did have the ball in the United net soon after.
Calvert-Lewin had been sent on for Maupay and the substitute bundled the ball over the goalline after being picked out by Gray but he had been offside earlier in the move.
Punishment was served late on, in the sixth minute of stoppage time no less, when Godfrey got the wrong side of substitute Alejandro Garnacho and brought the young attacker down in the area. Rashford rolled the penalty into the corner of Pickford’s goal to wrap up United’s progression.
Player of the match: Marcus Rashford
Rashford’s renaissance continued with another goal. He capped this triumph with a late penalty but United’s No10 was instrumental to the home team’s earlier goals too. His runs opened up the Everton backline, firstly to tee up Antony at the back post and then to prise an own goal out of Coady. The quick burst of pace combined with the ability to duck and dive around oncoming defenders.
