wicked.football

Everton pair Anthony Gordon and Fabian Delph impressed as the Toffees picked up a vital 1-0 win against Manchester United – while two United players received ratings of just four.

United controlled proceedings in the first half but went behind in the 27th minute. Gordon picked out Richarlison on the left wing, and the Brazilian attempted to find Alex Iwobi in the box. It then fell to the well-placed Gordon, and his right-footed effort went in off Harry Maguire.

Everton could have had a second in the 36th minute when Richarlison fired from range – once again there was a deflection. But David de Gea kept the score at 1-0 with a great stop.

United continued to dominate possession in the second half but Everton held strong and defended as a group. Gordon and Richarlison worked hard to keep the United defenders busy, and ultimately Frank Lampard’s side got the three points.

The result puts Everton four points above the relegation zone. They still sit in 17th place but now have some breathing room on the bottom three.

United, meanwhile, have wasted their chance to leapfrog West Ham and Arsenal into fifth. They remain in seventh and now face a huge task to qualify for the Champions League.

Everton (4-3-3)

Jordan Pickford: Called into action in the early stages, reacting well to push a Rashford shot wide. Had little to do for large spells but kept his concentration right until the end and ultimately got a clean sheet. 8

Seamus Coleman (C): Rarely got forward but battled hard to help his centre-backs in keeping the United attackers quiet. 7

Ben Godfrey: Dominated Ronaldo in the air, giving the veteran striker no room to breathe. Solid display from the former Norwich man. 8

Michael Keane: Struggled early in the match, giving away a free-kick in a dangerous area and then surrendering possession. Improved though and won several important headers later on. 7

Vitaliy Mykolenko: An energetic performance – got up with Richarlison well. Just didn’t have the quality to pick out Calvert-Lewin with his crosses. 6

Allan: Wasn’t as busy as usual and didn’t really have a major impact on the match. Midfield partner Delph did the best work. 6

Fabian Delph: Given the role of protecting the centre-backs and performed it brilliantly. Kept busy by Fernandes but got the better of him for the most part. Did well to break up opposition attacks and drag his team forward when on the ball. 9

Anthony Gordon with a vital goal for Everton

A big deflection, but the Goodison Park crowd won’t care one bit, listen to that roar! pic.twitter.com/AkPtyTBF5Q

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 9, 2022

Alex Iwobi: Formed an important link between the midfield and attack. Not a top-class display from the 25-year-old but he did look comfortable in a midfield three. 7

Anthony Gordon: Integral to Everton’s victory. Sent Richarlison off down the left to start the attack for his goal, then got into a good shooting position. Lucky to see his effort deflect off Maguire, but a huge goal nevertheless. Continued to threaten United with deadly accuracy from set pieces, as well as getting in behind the defence. 9 – Man of the Match

Dominic Calvert-Lewin: Appeared an isolated figure up front as the Toffees failed to pick him out in the first half. Battled more after the break but looked unfit. 5

Richarlison: Worked hard on the left flank and kept Wan-Bissaka busy. Almost joined Gordon on the scoresheet, too. 7

Substitutes:

Demarai Gray (on for Calvert-Lewin, 71): Brought on to run at the tiring United defence, although it was a vital block late on which was his best moment. 6

Abdoulaye Doucoure (on for Delph, 84): N/A

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Manchester United

David de Gea: Couldn’t do anything about Gordon’s goal as the deflection took it completely in the other direction. Reacted smartly to keep Richarlison out in the 36th minute when the forward had an audacious effort at goal. Quiet day from then on. 6

Aaron Wan-Bissaka: Enjoyed an entertaining battle with Richarlison and largely stopped his opponent from impacting the game. Made a couple of important clearances too. 6

Victor Lindelof: Alongside Maguire, managed to keep Calvert-Lewin at bay. Put in an important block in the 56th minute to prevent a second Gordon goal. 6

Harry Maguire (C): His luck just keeps getting worse. Ball deflected off his torso to give Everton the winning goal. Looked perilously low on confidence and surrendered possession several times. Needs Varane as his partner, otherwise he looks lost. 4

Alex Telles: Looked bright early on, causing Gordon and Coleman problems down the left flank. Good accuracy with his crosses but Gordon grew into the clash and ultimately got the better of him. 5

Fred: An important part of United dominating possession in the first half but had to be taken off due to injury before the interval. 6

Nemanja Matic: Typically sturdy performance from the Serbian, who was heavily involved in United’s early link up play. Replaced in the 64th minute as Rangnick went for more attacking threat. 7

Marcus Rashford: Looked confident early on and forced Pickford into two decent saves. Failed to continue that momentum though and offered little as the game went on. 5

Bruno Fernandes: Troubled Everton with his quality of delivery and regularly picked up space between their midfield and defence. Helped to give Rashford two opportunities inside 12 minutes but the Englishman couldn’t capitalise. One of United’s better players on a disappointing day. 7

Jadon Sancho: Didn’t get at the Everton defence or help his defenders out at the other end. Surprisingly managed to remain on the pitch when Rangnick brought Elanga on. Poor showing from the England international. 5

Cristiano Ronaldo: His first sight at goal came in stoppage time – demonstrating just how much Godfrey and Keane bossed him around. Won little in the air and often found himself out wide, where he is less effective. 4

Substitutes:

Paul Pogba (on for Fred, 36): Booked in the 51st minute for a late challenge on Gordon. Demonstrated some nice footwork on occasion but didn’t really have the desired impact off the bench. 6

Juan Mata (on for Matic, 64): Saw a lot of the ball initially but failed to dictate the tempo after that, like he would have been hoping. 5

Anthony Elanga (on for Rashford, 64): Seemed overwhelmed by the boisterous home crowd, resulting in a performance to forget. 5

The post Two Everton stars shine, but Man Utd duo falter in vital Toffees win at Goodison Park appeared first on TEAMtalk.