In November’s reverse match, Alejandro Garnacho took to the Goodison Park skyline to beat Jordan Pickford with a sharp scissors kick to start a 3-0 win. On Saturday afternoon the winger lunged at defenders James Tarkowski and Ben Godfrey to claim the penalties that earned Manchester United a precious three points.
Erik ten Hag has revealed that Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford exchange spot-kicks “as they agreed between themselves on the pitch”.
The manager said of his star man Garnacho: “His contribution today was huge, his running and dribbling. It’s also interesting for the audience, of course we want to show something [our quality].”
Relating to: Manchester United v Everton: Premier League – live
Everton have suffered from the inability to convert many of the opportunities they created, as the 29 goals they scored in the tournament showed that they were too few. Surprisingly, Ten Hag is not concerned with his side allowing quick chances.
“We have been doing this for a long time in many matches,” the coach said. “You see the chances they have – low quality.”
From this perspective, the openings made by Everton were reasonable. Example: In the 75th minute, United allowed Sean Dyche’s team into the area and Lewis Dobbin chipped the ball across the goal to Dominic Calvert-Lewin, but the striker drilled an overhead kick when he found the net more easily.
Ten minutes was all it took for United to score. Garnacho was fed by Rashford on the left, took a step into the area, feinted and Tarkowski took the feed and leg. Fernandes took the penalty to Pickford’s left: the goalkeeper went the right way but couldn’t stop it.
Everton responded by wandering higher up the pitch, where United were of course open to offense. The ball fell to Dwight McNeil but his left shot deflected wide to André Onana’s right.
The opener was on the run for Ten Hag’s men, and although he had talked ahead of the match about the “cost of thin margins” to explain Sunday’s 3-1 defeat at Manchester City, defeats at Tottenham and Arsenal and the draw with Liverpool, it was a red herring. Elite sport is defined by these and the challenge is to come out on the plus side.
From there it was on to a more relaxed United defence. McNeil profited again: he ran as United fell back and Diogo Dalot was caught full-on before Casemiro finally intervened.
The best players shape competitions in their own way, and Garnacho did just that. Simon Hooper had rejected a second penalty call when Vitaliy Mykolenko tackled the ground, but when the next appeal came the referee had no hesitation. This time Garnacho drifted into Everton’s half and tricked Godfrey into getting back on his toes. It was now decided that Rashford should take the kick and Pickford’s conversion to his right was superb, kissing the inside of the side netting. Dyche said: “Both are penalties but soft from our perspective.”
Shortly afterwards, Garnacho appealed for the third time and the ball once again hit Mykolenko’s hand from the middle of the wing, but Garnacho was again deemed not guilty.
Ten Hag’s message to his players was calmer. But what he saw was more amateur defending, with the ball bouncing close to Onana and resulting in Abdoulaye Doucouré’s effort at the near post, which was repelled by the keeper.
United were also wasteful. Despite igniting the contest, Garnacho missed two chances as he passed to Pickford’s left. And when Fernandes found the target with an effort from the goalkeeper, the ensuing corner created further chaos: in a mini melee involving Victor Lindelöf and Jonny Evans, the ball fell and Evans fell when Pickford clumsily caught the ball. he.
Additionally, following Fernandes’ corner, United implemented a controlled style of possession they had not had for a long time. But victory was theirs against a packed Old Trafford.
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has previously admitted public money will be needed if United’s stadium is renovated or a new stadium is built on the existing site. The mayor, alongside new minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, sits on a new task force with a mandate to explore what model should be adopted and how it could best revitalize the surrounding area.
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Burnham was asked if public money was needed. “Even regenerating Old Trafford will need a public-private partnership,” he said.
Burnham was asked why Ratcliffe, one of Britain’s richest people, and the Glazers’ majority shareholders, who are billionaires, need public financing.
He offered an example. “There is a train station on this ground that is currently unused because it was not designed correctly. “What this means is that if you’re going to refurbish the stand as part of this approach, you’re going to have to do something to move that station and that’s going to require public money.”