There was some respite for manager Louis van Gaal after Manchester United made it into the final of the FA Cup by defeating Everton 2-1 at Wembley on Saturday.
Manchester United would have been made to pay for their profligacy in front of goal in the first half were it not for a ‘Fergie-time’ winner from French youngster Anthony Martial that decided the semi-final tie in favour of the Red Devils.
In that particular aspect, this win would have felt very pleasing to Manchester United fans, as it was a bit of a throwback to the good old days when their team would leave it late to win matches under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Player Ratings
Everton FC
Joel Robles (7.5/10): It was a rather busy day for Robles under the bar, and the Everton custodian did well to make fives in the match, claiming the ball twice from crosses. Unfortunately for the Toffees, his heroics were not enough to take the match into extra time.
Leighton Baines (7/10): Having to deal with the likes of Wayne Rooney, Marouane Fellaini and Jesse Lingard is not an easy task, but Baines held his own during the match, making three successful tackles. His presence on the pitch is always helpful for Everton in set-piece situations.
Phil Jagielka (6.5/10): Since they were defending deep most of the time, the centre-backs almost always had cover from midfield. Jagielka was the man who failed to get to the two Manchester United scorers Fellaini and Martial when they took their shots on goal.
John Stones (7/10): The young English defender has been inconsistent this season, but showed good composure during the match to keep the Manchester United attackers at bay. His willingness to pass the ball instead of clearing it helped Everton launch many counter attacks.
Muhamed Besic (6.5/10): Besic did well to contribute to the Everton attack, making 31 successful passes out of 33 attempts. However, both of Manchester United’s goals originated from his flank and he was also dispossessed twice in the game.
Darron Gibson (6.5/10): Being the destroyer in the middle of the park is not an easy job, but Gibson did well to keep the Manchester United attack in check. However, in spite of the fact that he made five successful tackles, he failed to take control of midfield.
James McCarthy (7/10): McCarthy was one of the few players who was constantly involved in the Everton counter attacks, while also helping out in defence when required. The Republic of Ireland international had a 100% shot accuracy rate in the match.
Tom Cleverley (6.5/10): The former Manchester United man was ineffective out wide and thus was shifted into the midfield after Mirallas was brought on in place of Gibson. However, it was too little too late by then, as this was after the injury-time goal.
Ross Barkley (7/10): The England international was a constant threat from his attacking midfield position, playing two key passes during the game. His driving runs from his own half gave the Everton defenders a lot of respite, as he almost always converted them into counter attacks. Barkley even earned a penalty in the second half, but the Toffees failed to capitalise on it.
Aaron Lennon (6/10): Another player who was ineffective on the wing during the match. The former Tottenham Hotspur man made only 13 successful passes in the entire game and was later taken off for Deulofeu in the second half.
Romelu Lukaku (5.5/10): The Everton frontman had a difficult time on the ptich, missing some good opportunities as the Manchester United defence managed to keep him in check for the majority of the game. He also missed the crucial penalty that Barkley earned.
Gerard Deulofeu (7/10) [Sub]: Bringing Deulofeu on in the second half was a masterstroke by Everton manager Roberto Martinez. The Spaniard was a constant menace from the right wing, and helped in launching the counter attacks on Manchester United. It was his cross that resulted in the Smalling own goal in the second half.
Manchester United
David De Gea (8.5/10): The Spanish goalkeeper had a field day at Wembley on Saturday. Not only did he make seven saves, but he also thwarted a Romelu Lukaku penalty that kept Manchester United in front during the match.
Marcus Rojo (6/10): The Argentine did manage to keep Lennon in check for most of the match, but did not have any answers for Deulofeu when the latter came on. Rojo gave Deulofeu too much space on the flank and that ultimately resulted in Everton’s equaliser.
Daley Blind (7/10): The Dutchman had a good game at the centre of Manchester United’s defence in the FA Cup semi-final. He, along with the help of defensive partner Chris Smalling, managed to keep Lukaku in check, which neutralised most of Everton’s attacks.
Chris Smalling (7/10): Although he scored the own goal that gave Everton a way back into the match, Smalling had a good game, combining well with Blind and Carrick to keep the Everton attackers in check.
Timothy Fosu-Mensah (6.5/10): The Dutch right-back had a decent game, but one moment of madness by him could have thrown it all away, when he brought Ross Barkley down with a poorly timed tackle in the box. Fortunately for the young defender though, Lukaku’s penalty was saved.
Michael Carrick (7/10): Carrick has been one man who has performed regularly for Manchester United this season, and that is exactly what he did in the FA Cup semifinal as well. Sitting in front of the defence, he provided a good shield for his two centre-backs.
Marouane Fellaini (8/10): In spite of all the heavy criticism he has received recently, Manchester United look more threatening when Fellaini is on the pitch. Fellaini was always an aerial threat, and managed to get into the box at just the right time to score the opening goal.
Anthony Martial (9.5/10): The Frenchman had a near-perfect day on the pitch, setting up the first goal and scoring the second one in Manchester United’s win over Everton. His darting runs from the left flank left the defenders confused and flat-footed in both the goals.
Wayne Rooney (7.5/10): Forced to play in a deeper role in recent matches, Wayne Rooney is evolving as a football player. This was evident on Saturday, as he sat back and played a more creative role. Rooney’s class was quite evident even in this withdrawn position as he completed 52 of 56 attempted passes.
Jesse Lingard (6.5/10): Lingard was one of the Manchester United’s quieter players on Saturday. However, he linked up well with the likes of Rooney, Martial, Fellaini and Rashford to create chances for Manchester United.
Marcus Rashford (6.5/10): Like Lingard, Rashford also had a rather quiet day as the Everton defence handled him quite well. Rashford had just one shot on goal in the entire match.
Antonio Valencia (6/10) [Sub]: The Ecuador international was brought on in place of Fosu-Mensahin in the second half and did well to keep the Toffees in check for the last 30 minutes. Valencia also contributed in attack, with an 89% pass success rate.
Ander Herrera (6.5/10) [Sub]: Herrera had just three minutes of regulation time to affect the game. He played just one pass during his few minutes on the pitch and that turned out to the the magic touch that put Manchester United in the FA Cup final, as he set Martial up for the injury time winning goal.
Manchester United’s season still alive
This win means that Manchester United have a lot to look forward to as we move into the last month of the season. While they are still trying to make it into the top four spots on the Premier League table, they have a good chance of winning silverware in an otherwise disappointing campaign.
However, the result effectively ends the season of Roberto Martinez’s Everton, who were expected to challenge for European spots this season. They have been inconsistent in the league and the FA Cup was their only hope of making it to the Europa League next season. The loss to United, then, will come as a bitter blow and will undoubtedly increase the pressure on Roberto Martinez.
