Manchester United beat Everton 3-1 at Old Trafford to advance to the fourth round of the FA Cup, their seventh consecutive win in all competitions.
Antony put Erik ten Higgs United ahead, before Conor Cody leveled for the visitors after a David de Gea header and then inadvertently reopened the deficit with an own goal. Marcus Rashford wrapped things up from the penalty spot in stoppage time.
Everton came into it as Frank Lampard clung to his job on the back of a terrible hiding at the hands of Brighton and made the worst possible start. It was too easy for United as Antony scored in the third minute. James Tarkowski was weak in the tackle and Ben Godfrey did a poor job of trying to push Rashford wide when he shot towards Antony at the far post.
Moments later, Anthony Martial had a chance to double the lead when he was off target. But just when it looked like Everton were ready to pounce, it was 1-1 with 15 minutes on the clock and a second goal from even more devastating defending.
De Gea was the guilty party, only escaping a scare when Demirai Gray fired a shot off the post and into his back but out for a corner. For the equaliser, he somehow let the ball slip between his legs as Niall Maupe tried to put it across the goal after a corner in the second leg and Cody was on his luck from outside the yard. I didn’t believe it.
The tempo was high and Martial soon had more chances, one well saved by Jordan Pickford while played at pace by Rashford, another lacked conviction and was blocked. On the half-hour, Pickford had to be alert to parry away a nasty shot from Rashford that bounced in front of him.
After Everton failed to muster any further efforts since the goal before the half-time whistle, United once again went close to restoring their lead when Christian Eriksen headed over.
The visitors suffered an early second-half blow when Alex Iwobi twisted his ankle painfully in a tackle and left the pitch on a stretcher, which was compounded when United went back through an own goal soon after. . Against Rashford, he made it, cut Seamus Coleman inside and cut the ball low into the box. Cody’s clearing attempt just put it into the net.
De Gea denied Everton a second equalizer after an hour, showing why he’s usually so good at saving with his legs by throwing a foot out to block Coleman’s shot. Not to be outdone, Pickford brilliantly parried Bruno Fernandes’ effort at the other end.
Without extending the lead, United were still living somewhat dangerously, highlighted when De Gea risked a collision with Diego Delot from outside the penalty area, as well as moments After VAR intervened and disallowed Dominique Calvert Lyon’s goal. Offside in construction.
Pickford’s fingers pushed Rashford’s free-kick over the bar in the closing stages. But after scoring the first two goals for his side, the United star finally got one of his own in the 97th minute, sending Pickford the wrong way from 12 yards after substitute Alejandro Garnacho was brought down by Godfrey in the box. was
A poor night for David de Gea/Naomi Baker/Getty Images
GK: David de Gea – 3/10 – Only he will know what he was thinking when he let the ball go through his legs at the near post. A really weird lapse of judgment. Risked another hauler later in the second half when he came flying out of his own goal and almost collided with Dalot.
RB: Diogo Dalot – 7/10 – Saw enough ball and moved well.
CB: Raphael Varane – 6/10 – Move through the open game more than once to engage in attacks.
CB: Luke Shaw – 6/10 – Back in the center of defense and did a decent enough job again.
LB: Tyrell Malacia – 6/10 – It was played with the kind of toughness that the fans have come to expect.
CM: Casemiro – 6/10 – Unsurprisingly beaten by Ona when Everton equalised. It was a rare mistake since he joined the club, but is otherwise still dominant in midfield.
CM: Christian Eriksen – 7/10 – Almost made a spectacular curling attempt. Kept him clean in midfield and seemed to often line up on the edge of the Everton box looking for a key pass.
RW: Antony – 7/10 – Scored his first goal against Everton in October. It seemed that his confidence was good and the tricks were gone.
AM: Bruno Fernandes (c) – 6/10 – Forced Pickford into a good save but perhaps not as quick as he or his manager would have hoped.
LW: Marcus Rashford – 9/10 – Started brightly and looked really dangerous exploiting the space between Everton’s wing-backs and centre-backs on the right. Effectively set up the first for Antony and then came up with two assists by forcing his own goal. Got a late goal of their own.
ST: Anthony Marshall – 6/10 – Positioned well in dangerous areas but missed a few chances.
Alternative
SUB: Fred (71′ for Casemiro) – 6/10
SUB: Alejandro Garnacho (71′ for Martial) – 7/10
SUB: Lisandro Martinez (77′ for Shaw) – 7/10
SUB: Harry Maguire (83′ for Eriksen) – N/A
SUB: Scott McTominay (84′ for Antony) – N/A
The manager
Eric Ten Hague – 8/10 – Everything he did with Rashford worked wonders. Went with a strong lineup to start with but also made full use of his bench later on.
Conor Cody scored for both teams / Naomi Baker/Getty Images
GK: Jordan Pickford – 7/10 – Several key saves kept Everton with a chance.
CB: Ben Godfrey – 4/10 – He struggled against Rashford’s direct pace from the opening minutes and had his work cut out to keep his head above water. Sentenced to death.
CB: Connor Cody – 5/10 – A goal and an own goal, both in the same net in the half.
CB: James Tarkowski – 4/10 – Contributed to the opening goal with a poor effort on a tackle in the middle of the pitch. All around Lombard seemed off the pace.
RWB: Seamus Coleman – 5/10 – Rashford made a run for the second goal but got forward on a few occasions and forced De Gea to make a save.
CM: Alex Iwobi – 5/10 – He looked in great pain as he left the pitch on a stretcher.
CM: Idrissa Goye – 5/10 – His night was summed up when he roasted everyone through Raphael Varane. Didn’t give the ball away too often but didn’t win it back enough.
CM: Amadou Onana – 7/10 – Body-rolling Casemiro played a huge part in Everton’s equaliser. Hold his own and was later booked for a late tackle on Martinez after only serving a suspension.
LWB: Vitalii Mykolenko – 5/10 – Anthony had a clear view of United’s opener but did not track the run of the player he was about to mark.
ST: Neal Maupay – 6/10 – Putting the ball across the box made the equalizer possible, even if it was a stroke of luck. Other than that, no big offers.
ST: Demarai Gray – 7/10 – Hit the post with a putt shot in the first half. Looks like he could be a real threat if he was a bit more consistent with the ball. Slightly offside for a potential second equalizer by Calvert-Lewin.
Alternative
SUB: Abdoulaye Doucoure (51′ for Iwobi) – 6/10
SUB: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (69′ for Maupay) – 6/10
SUB: Anthony Gordon (81′ for Coleman) – 6/10
SUB: Dwight McNeil (81′ for Mykolenko) – 6/10
The manager
Frank Lampard – 6/10 – It must have been disappointing to go behind so quickly and the nature of it through poor defending. Fighting for his job so there was no choice but to really go for it with attacking substitutes in the second half.
Player of the Match – Marcus Rashford (Man United)