Manchester United kicked off their FA campaign against Everton, with Erik ten Hag eager to build on a brilliant winning run to clinch a victory over Frank Lampard’s side.
Ten Hag fielded a strong starting XI against the struggling Toffees. Raphael Varane and Tyrell Malacia came on for Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof. Luke Shaw was restored to the centre-back position with Malacia pushed to the left flank.
Antony started ahead of Alejandro Garnacho with the Brazilian back due to injury.
Here are three things we learned from Manchester United’s 3-1 win against Everton.
decent first part
United got off to a perfect start, with Antony finding the back of the net four minutes into proceedings.
Anthony Martial picked up the ball in midfield and passed it to Marcus Rashford, who sent a brilliant ball into the Everton goal.
A sliding Antony was almost happy to open his FA account on his competition debut.
Ten minutes later, a horrendous howl from David de Gea allowed Everton back into the game. The Spaniard’s mishap ensured Conor Coady had easy contact to even things out.
United went into the break with 56% possession compared to Everton’s 44%. The Reds also had 10 shots on goal, but only three were on target. Everton, on the other hand, only had two shots with their goal the only one on target.
Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes were barely in the game and had little to no impact, leaving Casemiro with a lot to do.
United allowed too many transitions to Everton, especially through Demarai Grey. On another day, a more formidable team would have made United pay for their mistakes.
United also found it difficult to break down Everton’s stubbornly stiff low-block and, at one point in the first half, the team resorted to long-range shots.
What will no doubt have angered Ten Hag is that what was a dream start that could have provided the platform to bury the game early on and blast the opposition into oblivion, a careless mistake made the game more than 50/50 and even gave Everton a glimmer of hope heading into the second half.
De Gea’s mistake, a reminder that more is needed
If any United fans had reserved their doubts about De Gea and took comfort in the knowledge that he should be a guaranteed starter next season onwards, his mistake was a reminder that it should not be a foregone conclusion.
In no way De Gea’s mistake tonight dismisses how brilliant he has been over the last few weeks and even before that. The goalie has shown definite improvement under Ten Hag.
However, as seen against Everton, De Gea is still prone to serious mistakes that are costly to the team.
It’s indisputable that the Red Devils need another more modern, higher-caliber goalie to arrive over the summer and compete with the 32-year-old.
It could well be that an out-of-the-box sweeping goalie who is great on his feet will help the team move up a few extra levels. Ten Hag has a decision to make, with De Gea currently in the final year of his contract.
Whether he leaves or stays, another goalkeeper must be found who can sufficiently compete for the number one jersey.
Eriksen below average
One of United’s non-influential players against Everton was Eriksen.
The Dane failed in his main responsibility in midfield: controlling the pace of the game and keeping things rolling for United.
United lost control at certain points in the match, with the game on a knife edge at times.
Eriksen lost many of his duels and seemed to have trouble keeping up with the pace and physical dynamism of Abdoulaye Doucouré and Amadou Onana.
The United man looked lethargic and deprived of the luscious stride that has endeared him to the Old Trafford faithful.
It came as no surprise that since the game was a much more spirited affair, he was substituted for Ten Hag and brought in Scott McTominay to watch the final 10 minutes.
