Manchester United are the first team to reach the FA Cup fourth round, after they defeated Everton 3-1 on Friday night. The clash at Old Trafford was a lively affair from early on, after Antony scored the opening goal just four minutes into the match. Mere 10 minutes later, the Toffees managed to equalise through Conor Coady.
However, it was Marcus Rashford who did the most work in the second half – first ‘helping’ Coady score the own goal early after the break, before scoring the goal himself in the dying minutes from the spot. Here is what we learned from yet another Man United win.
Rashford Is Unstoppable
When Marcus Rashford is on, he really is on. We mentioned after the last match that he was brilliant and that he continued with his great form following the World Cup. But now against Everton, he went on to be the man of the match, with a goal and an assist to his name, while also being the ‘culprit’ for Everton’s own goal.
Rashford did all the work before Antony scored the early opener, but after Everton’s equaliser, he was key in making United move early on in the second half. He once again did all the work, putting in the ball which made Conor Coady do almost the only thing possible – score an own goal. Marcus capped off a brilliant performance with a late stoppage-time goal from the penalty, further improving his record this season.
Martial Is Struggling Up Front
Man United managed to put three goals past both Bournemouth and Everton, but in neither of those matches did Anthony Martial excite anyone. His performance on Friday night was bleak once again, as he failed to make much impact in the 71 minutes he spent on the pitch. The Frenchman was rarely part of United’s attacking play, he was not finding the spaces he wanted and he only managed one shot on target. He won just one of his six duels, further showing Everton were not troubled by him. Considering United’s lack of options in centre-forward role, they are still somehow scoring plenty of goals.
De Gea Mistake Will Make People Talk
David De Gea was recently part of many conversations in the media, mostly because of his contract situation. At first, there were reports United were ready to lose him on a free transfer this coming summer, before the Spaniard opened the talks for a new deal with the Devils. But now the fans will be rightfully talking about De Gea’s mistake which led to Everton equalising through Coady. United keeper let a ball across the box and through his legs, which reminded everyone of some of his previous seasons, when such mistakes were more common.
Shaw Slots In As Centre-Back
After the Bournemouth win, Erik Ten Hag decided to make some changes to the starting lineup and most of them were in the back four. The one that got the most attention was Luke Shaw’s starting spot at the centre-back position. The left-back played alongside Raphael Varane, showing an experiment Ten Hag was eager to test. What was interesting is that the Dutchman did not have to make this shift due to lack of personnel. Shaw did alright in the new role, but let’s see if this continues to be Ten Hag’s practice in the future.
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