Ratings: Sabitzer & Fernandes were both great against Everton; McTominay & Martial won it for United

United's top four hopes are much better; Casemiro and Eriksen now back in midfield?

Manchester United beat Everton 2-0 at Old Trafford in the Premier League. Scott McTominay opened the scoring in the 36th minute with Jadon Sancho getting the assist. United had 21 shots on goal in the first half of the match. United doubled their lead in the 71st minute through Anthony Martial, assisted by Marcus Rashford. United will be back in action on Thursday evening against Sevilla in the UEFA Europa League quarter final first leg.

Everton started well at Old Trafford with Ellis Simms getting a shot on goal in the first minute of the match – but it was blocked. Scott McTominay won a free-kick in the second minute after a foul by Dwight McNeil. In the third minute, Jadon Sancho played the ball into Marcel Sabitzer, who shot on goal with the best chance of the early stages, but it was blocked. United then won a corner which was conceded by James Tarkowski – McTominay had a shot but missed it.

In the sixth minute, Antony conceded a corner with Everton on the attack. It resulted in a chance for the Toffees with Amadou Onana playing the ball into Idrissa Gueye, whose shot on goal was blocked. Marcus Rashford had a shot at the other end of the pitch in the eighth minute, which was saved by Jordan Pickford, then having another shot, which missed the target. Séamus Coleman then won a free-kick in the tenth minute after being fouled by Sancho.

In the 11th minute, Onana missed the target after being set up by Demarai Gray from the free-kick. United then won a corner which was conceded by Alex Iwobi. Bruno Fernandes took the corner, finding Antony who hit the post. Aaron Wan-Bissaka was in the box and tried to get the rebound, just missing the target from a diagonal effort. McTominay won another free-kick after being fouled by Gray – which came to nothing. United were star ting to dominate.

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Tyrell Malacia had a great chance on goal in the 14th minute, but he missed the target after being found by Fernandes. Simms had another shot on goal, after a positive period for United, but he missed the target. Sabitzer had another chance in the 21st minute, playing well in the advanced role, but Pickford made the save to deny him. A minute later, Antony had another great chance on goal but Pickford once again made the save to dry United from an early goal.

Rashford had a shot blocked in the 25th minute which started another dominant period for United. Fernandes saw a shot blocked a minute later with Rashford seeing his shot saved by Pickford in the 28th minute. There was a slight injury to Malacia in the same minute but after some treatment, he was fine to continue. In the 31st minute, Lisandro Martínez had a shot on goal only for that to be blocked. Fernandes and Sabitzer both missed the target in the 32nd and 35th minutes.

United opened the scoring in the 36th minute through McTominay, who scored his first Premier League goal of the season, his third in all competitions. Sancho found him with a through ball and his finish was classy. In the 41st minute, Dwight McNeil broke forward and launched a shot on goal but it was blocked. Rashford has a shot blocked and Wan-Bissaka missed the target in the 42nd minute. United could have scored enough goals to win the game in the first half.

Two minutes were added on at the end of the half. Antony forced a save from Pickford in the first minute and Martínez missed the target as United were seeking to double their lead over Everton.United had 21 shots on goal in the first half, just six of those on target. Everton had five shots on goal, none of them on target. United will have a big second half coming and they will need to be able to find the target and get this victory done to put pressure on Newcastle and Spurs.

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Everton made a change at the start of the second half with Vitalii Mykolenko replacing Ben Godfrey. In the 53rd minute, Rashford was caught offside after Sancho tried to find him with a through ball. Wan-Bissaka tried the same in the same minute with Sancho caught offside. Simms had another shot on goal in the 54th minute, the attempt was blocked again. Just before the hour, Sabitzer played a through ball into Rashford but he was caught offside.

Everton made a double substitution on the hour with James Garner and Tom Davies replacing Idrissa Gueye and Amadou Onana. Ten Hag made his first substitution with Anthony Martial replacing Antony. Simms missed another attempt on goal in the 65th minute and Iwobi had a shot blocked in the same minute. Fernandes and Wan-Bissaka forced saves from Pickford in the 67th and 68th minutes of the match with United seeking to find that elusive second goal.

Rashford missed the target in the 70th minute after being played the back by McTominay, but it was a little too high to get on the end of it. Neal Maupay replaces Ellis Simms in the same minute – Everton’s third substitution of the match. United then found that second goal with Rashford playing Martial and the Frenchman scoring his seventh goal of the season. Gray missed the target in the 75th minute and both Iwobi and Maupay has shots blocked in the 76th minute.

Ten Hag then made a double substitution for United with Fred and Christian Eriksen replacing Marcel Sabitzer and Jadon Sancho. Coleman had a shot on goal in the 80th minute of the match but David De Gea made the save to deny Everton from a goal. There was a slight injury to Harry Maguire in the same minute and they was a delay. However, he was fine to continue. Rashford pulled up with a groin injury and was replaced by Wout Weghorst in the 81st minute.

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Martial won a free-kick after being fouled by Davis in the 83rd minute. Fred then won a free-kick after too being found by Davis. Eriksen had a shot on goal in the 86th minute, but it was blocked. It is great to see him back at a time when Casemiro’s suspension ends too which give United a much stronger midfield to end the season on a high. Fernandes forced a save from Pickford in the 86th minute too as United were not content with their 2-0 lead thus far.

Malacia won a free-kick after a foul from Iwobi, but United gained nothing from it. Nathan Patterson replaced Séamus Coleman in the 87th minute because of an injury. Eriksen had a second attempt on goal, this time in the 90th minute but it was blocked. He seemed to be seeking to find a third goal for United which shows his injury is now behind him. Four minute were added on at the end of the second half. Malacia had a shot saved by Pickford in the second minute.

United ended the victors in they match, beating Everton 2-0. United had 29 shots on goal throughout the match – 21 of those coming in the first half. 11 of those were on target with United getting two goals. Everton had 15 shots on goal – one on target which shows why they are in the predicament they are in. United have risen back to third place in the Premier League, three points clear of Newcastle United and six clear of fifth placed Tottenham Hotspur.

Of course, that could chance with Newcastle facing Brentford this afternoon and should they win, they will rise to third with United slipping to fourth because of their superior goal difference. That is the furthest United could fall this weekend with Spurs being too many points behind United now. Ten Hag’s side will be back in action on Thursday evening at Old Trafford as they welcome Sevilla for the UEFA Europa League quarter final first leg.

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Player Ratings

David De Gea: The Spanish goalkeeper had next to nothing to do throughout the match, making just one save against Everton. Unlucky not to have had an assist with Antony coming close to scoring. Achieved his 185th clean sheet for United in this match and now has 13 clean sheets in the Premier League this season. ★★★★★★★

Aaron Wan-Bissaka: he right-back had a good game against Everton. He had the chance to score but his finish was not good enough and he hit wide of the target. He provided a lot in the final third, which was good to see. He worked well with Antony and at this stage of the season, I think he’s just ahead of Diogo Dalot. ★★★★★★★

Harry Maguire: Made a rare start for United against Everton. Got in an early block to deny Ellis Simms, who did not have much luck against United. There were moments that you could see he was not all that confident in himself but he stood firm and helped guide United to all three points in an afternoon where the defence was not really tested. ★★★★★★★

Lisandro Martinez: He commanded the defence against Everton. He played a log ball which nearly led to a goal. He did what was required of the defence but Everton did not really threaten, getting one shot on target from 15 shots on goal. He’s been a great signing for United and will become a stalwart in this defence. ★★★★★★★

Tyrell Malacia: The Dutchman started out pretty rash and void of much confidence and very sloppy in attack – which is not needed from a left-back. However, that soon changed in the second half as he added more to his game. United did dominate for much of the first half all almost all of the second. Luke Shaw is number one. ★★★★★★

Scott McTominay: Got his first Premier League goal of the season, breaking the deadlock for United towards the end of the first half. He was afforded a lot of space by former United academy player Michael Keane. Did what was needed in the midfield with him the more defensive of the central midfield duo. Good to see him shine. ★★★★★★★

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Bruno Fernandes: played in the midfield two throughout the match with Marcel Sabitzer playing the advanced role. Did well in this position against Everton. He commanded a lot of the midfield and did a lot to get United moving. United’s dominance for the majority of the match was because of him. A MOTM candidate by far. ★★★★★★★★

Antony: The Brazilian winger put in another creative performance, this time against Everton. He hit the post early on with Wan-Bissaka trying to score from the rebound – but missing the target. He forced two saved from Jordan Pickford but also wasted two chances. Replaced by Anthony Martial, perhaps harshly – but he will need the rest. ★★★★★★

Marcel Sabitzer: The Austrian thrived in the advanced role against Everton. United now have options in this position. His pressing gave much benefit to United and he was a major goal threat from his position. He found Fernandes, who had a great chance to score. What a player he could be for United. Replaced by Fred. ★★★★★★★★

Jadon Sancho: Got his second assist of the season, finding McTominay, doing well to make that happen. It seems the winger is cooking again, which would be great to see and at the right time for United. He could have done a lot more in his favoured left-wing role against the ageing Seamus Coleman, who came off injured. Replaced by Eriksen. ★★★★★★

Marcus Rashford: Should have sparked something for United, especially given the fact he had a good one-on-one with Pickford in the early stages of the match. He had other chances against Everton but failed to score. He did get the assist for Martial’s goal though but came off injured as he seemed to feel his groin after a run. Replaced by Weghorst. ★★★★★★★

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Substitutes

Anthony Martial: Replaced Antony 60′. Came off the bench at a time where a strong striker with the ability to score goals was needed. He doubled United’s lead within 11 minutes of coming on. He was all smiles again and this could just get him ready to end the season after injury after injury. That is what needs to happen – but will it? ★★★★★★★

Fred: Replaced Sabitzer 76′. Came on for the run out at the end of the match. The energy that he brought was beneficial for United, who still had to retain their 2-0 lead at the time. I thought he might have started this match but Ten Hag changed the midfield slightly with Fernandes playing deeper. Did well for United. ★★★★★★

Christian Eriksen: Replaced Sancho 77′. Made his return from injury which was great to see. Had two opportunities on goal as he looked like he was getting back into the swing of things. It will be great to see him and Casemiro in the midfield for much of the remainder of the season. United need a big run to reach their goals now. ★★★★★★

Wout Weghorst: Replaced Rashford 81′. Came on for the injured Rashford. In terms of offering something, his work rate was still good. However, the job was done for United and two minutes or so on the pitch would not have been enough for him to break a sweat against this Everton team who were well beaten from the start. ★★★★★

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Match Information

Goals: Scott McTominay 36′, Anthony Martial 71′

Assists: Jadon Sancho 36′, Marcus Rashford 71′

Manchester United: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Martinez, Malacia; McTominay, Fernandes; Antony (Martial 60′), Sabitzer (Fred 76′), Sancho (Eriksen 77′); Rashford (Weghorst 81′)

Substitutes Not Used: Butland; Lindelof, Varane, Dalot; Pellistri

Bookings: N/A

Written by John Walker

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I support Manchester United, the greatest English football team to have ever existed. Bruno Fernandes is the latest in a long line of players with great ability to play for the club. I idolised Bryan Robson, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, and Eric Cantona growing up.