Everton’s hopes were dashed at Old Trafford after conceding two first-half penalties, paving the way for Manchester United to reclaim their winning streak and reignite their Champions League aspirations in a decisive 2-0 triumph over the weekend.
Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford capitalized from the penalty spot, prolonging Everton’s dismal streak without a win in the Premier League to a daunting 11 matches.
With this win, United inches closer, now within eight points of fourth-placed Aston Villa and just three points shy of fifth-placed Tottenham, igniting their pursuit for a coveted Champions League spot.
On the other hand, Everton’s setback leaves them teetering dangerously, holding onto a slim five-point margin above the relegation zone, having played two more matches than 18th-placed Luton.
After suffering consecutive losses against Fulham and Manchester City, Erik ten Hag’s squad had seen their push for a top-four spot take a hit.
However, as Aston Villa and Tottenham clashed on Sunday, the Red Devils capitalized on Everton’s errors, seizing the opportunity to narrow the gap on their competitors in the race for a Champions League comeback.
The memory of Alejandro Garnacho’s spectacular overhead kick from their previous meeting in November still lingered as he once again stole the spotlight. With his lightning-quick feet, the Argentine maestro orchestrated two penalty situations, proving to be the decisive factor in the match.
James Tarkowski was the first Everton defender lured into a mistimed challenge on 10 minutes and Fernandes rolled home his eighth goal of the season. Scoring goals has been Everton’s shortfall all season and it was a familiar tale for the Toffees.
A combination of Amadou Onana and Ben Godfrey should have opened the scoring just three minutes in. Three times Dwight McNeil then tried his luck with his closest effort flashing inches wide.
Even when the visitors managed to get a shot on target, Andre Onana demonstrated his exceptional skills with a spectacular flying save to thwart James Garner’s effort. Nevertheless, their hopes were short-lived as they soon found themselves conceding two goals, once more falling victim to their own errors.
Garnacho mesmerized spectators as he skillfully navigated through a maze of challenges on the edge of the box, only to be brought down by Godfrey’s tackle. Mirroring his actions earlier in the season at Goodison Park, Fernandes once again opted to delegate penalty-taking duties to Rashford.
In a battle between England teammates, Jordan Pickford was unable to prevent Marcus Rashford from scoring his fifth goal in nine Premier League games. Despite this, Pickford demonstrated his goalkeeping prowess by denying Bruno Fernandes a second goal, making crucial saves from a potent free-kick and a driven shot destined for the bottom corner.
Despite his contributions in earning two penalties, Garnacho failed to convert several scoring opportunities. Nonetheless, United escaped unscathed thanks to Everton’s inability to pose a significant threat in attack.
In their 28th league fixture of the season, United allowed their opponents to unleash 16 or more shots on goal for the 16th time. Despite Everton’s 20 attempts, they failed to convert any into goals.
Furthermore, United came close to earning a third penalty in stoppage time when Rashford was fouled by Jarrad Branthwaite, but Everton narrowly escaped due to the offside flag.