Manchester United beat Everton 3-1 in the FA Cup third round on Friday night to continue their excellent recent run of form.
It was a game low on quality but goals from Antony and Marcus Rashford, either side of a Conor Coady own-goal, ensured United progressed to the next stage of the competition.
It took just three minutes for the hosts to find the opener at Old Trafford, as Marcus Rashford flew down the left wing and, from inside the box, centred the ball for the waiting Antony to slide in and net at the back post.
Soon after, Anthony Martial shot wide and Casemiro then drove over from distance, before Everton rallied. Demarai Gray hit the post from the edge of the area on 12 minutes, and a few moments later the visitors drew level via Coady. The on-loan defender tapped in from just a few yards out after Neal Maupay fired a shot towards goal from a narrow angle, which squirmed embarrassingly through the legs of David de Gea and rolled across the six-yard box.
After the frantic start, the pace of the game slowed following Everton’s leveller, although United remained on top. Martial should have put the hosts ahead again when Jordan Pickford kept out his effort, with the Frenchman bearing down on goal, while the Everton goalkeeper denied Rashford’s powerful strike, and Christan Eriksen then curled over from just outside the area in the final minutes of the first half.
The Red Devils began the opening 45 with Rashford setting up a goal, and that’s exactly how they started the second. United’s no.10 turned Seamus Coleman inside out before firing the ball across, which Coady inadvertently poked into his own goal from a few yards out.
United were certainly on top at this stage, with Antony testing Pickford while Bruno Fernandes went close with a strike from about 25 yards. But like the first half, Everton improved as the second period continued.
On 64 minutes, Coleman’s shot from a narrow angle was kept out by the feet of De Gea, while Vitalii Mykolenko couldn’t connect properly with the follow-up. Everton did have the ball in the back of net when Gray skipped past Tyrell Malacia and crossed for Dominic Calvert-Lewin to convert with his chest, although it was ruled out for offside in the build-up.
Rashford, the game’s outstanding player, forced Pickford to tip over from a free-kick in the 89th minute, before Fernandes curled wide in the latter stages. In the fifth minute of injury-time, Alejandro Garnacho was tripped in the box by Ben Godfrey, with Simon Hooper awarding United a spot-kick - Rashford stood up and capped off his night with a cool finish beyond Pickford.
Here’s how we rated the players...
1. David de Gea-5
Dropped an absolute clanger for the opening goal on a night when he entered United’s all-time top 10 appearance list.
2. Diogo Dalot- 6
Was solid defensively but offered little going forward in his first start since the World Cup.
3. Raphael Varane- 7
Dealt well with the Everton counter attacks he faced. The former real Madrid man tackled Abdoulaye Doucoure to stop a dangerous second-half breakaway.
4. Luke Shaw-6
Played at centre-back once again, but moved to the left after Lisandro Martinez was introduced. Shaw was ok, but gave away a few fouls and didn’t cover himself in glory for the disallowed Everton goal.