Everton 1-0 Man Utd: Player ratings as Toffees beat woeful Red Devils
By Sean Walsh
Everton eased their relegation fears with a hard-fought 1-0 win at home to Manchester United on Saturday.
Ralf Rangnick's Red Devils were dreadful and deservedly lost to Frank Lampard's men, who move four points clear of the drop zone but have now played a game more than rivals Burnley.
Marcus Rashford forced Jordan Pickford into a ninth-minute save after the ball fell to the forward from a free-kick, while Cristiano Ronaldo fired narrowly wide just after the resulting corner, though the offside flag was later raised.
Pickford was again on hand to deny Rashford moments later when the England international got between Michael Keane and Ben Godfrey to meet Bruno Fernandes' cross, with the Everton goalkeeper getting down low to push his header away.
But Everton took the lead against the run of play after 27 minutes. Nemanja Matic was robbed cheaply of possession and the Toffees flooded forward in their numbers, with Anthony Gordon just overhitting a pass into the channels for Richarlison to chase, but the Brazilian managed to recover the ball nonetheless. He then picked out Alex Iwobi on the edge of the Man Utd area, flicking it back for Gordon to fire in off the shoulder of Harry Maguire.
While that deflection wrong-footed David de Gea, he got a strong hand to deny Richarlison's strike which looped off of Victor Lindelof ten minutes later.
Fernandes' searching ball forward just evaded the outstretched boot of Rashford as Man Utd gingerly attempted to mount a second-half comeback, while Lindelof denied a close-range shot from Gordon at the other end.
Referee Jon Moss dismissed Everton appeals for a penalty when Gordon went down under a challenge from Alex Telles, with VAR similarly dismissive of their protests.
Ronaldo, who contributed nothing to the second half, had a late strike deflected onto the arm of Pickford in stoppage time, and United fell to a disappointing loss that leaves them stranded in seventh place.
Everton player ratings
1. Goalkeeper & defenders
Jordan Pickford (GK) - 8/10 - Made a string of important saves to keep Everton afloat.
Seamus Coleman (RB) - 7/10 - Didn't need to do too much to keep Rashford quiet for most of the afternoon.
Michael Keane (CB) - 6/10 - An unusually competent performance just when Everton needed one.
Ben Godfrey (CB) - 8/10 - Remained disciplined throughout and made amends for his mistake at Burnley in midweek.
Vitaliy Mykolenko (LB) - 6/10 - Lacks technical quality but works tirelessly and was never fazed by the task at hand.
2. Midfielders
Allan (DM) - 8/10 - Swept up so well and made life difficult for Man Utd.
Alex Iwobi (CM) - 7/10 - Made a few errant passes but the Everton crowd were more forgiving today because of his successful dribbling and work ethic.
Fabian Delph (CM) - 9/10 - Unbelievable that this was his first Premier League game in 2022. Looked like he had never been away, playing with real force and ensuring Everton were the dominant team at both ends.
3. Forwards
Anthony Gordon (RW) - 8/10 - Worked diligently for the cause and was good value for his goal.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (CF) - 4/10 - Held the ball up at times and put in a shift but this was largely another disappointing performance.
Richarlison (LW) - 7/10 - Carried the ball superbly and worked ever so hard but will be disappointed not to have grabbed a goal contribution considering how awful Wan-Bissaka was.
4. Substitutes
Demarai Gray (71', LW for Calvert-Lewin) - 6/10
Abdoulaye Doucoure (84', CM for Delph) - N/A
Manchester United player ratings
5. Goalkeeper & defenders
David de Gea (GK) - 5/10 - Wrong-footed by Gordon's strike and didn't have too much else to do otherwise.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka (RB) - 2/10 - Completely useless at both ends of the pitch. Let the ball run out of play when he had touched it last on a couple of occasions.
Victor Lindelof (CB) - 5/10 - Reacted quicker to danger than his centre-back partner, but the bar to clear was seriously low.
Harry Maguire (CB) - 4/10 - Largely fine while defending and was unlucky for the opening goal, but was such a liability when in possession.
Alex Telles (LB) - 3/10 - Provided little on the ball but wasn't a car crash off it.
6. Midfielders
Nemanja Matic (CM) - 3/10 - Rangnick admitted he brought Matic in to take care of possession. He's the one who lost it for Gordon's opener and lumbered around the pitch failing to make up for it.
Fred (CM) - 5/10 - Picked up a knock and lasted little more than half an hour.
Bruno Fernandes (AM) - 5/10 - Hardly a vintage performance but at least he was the creator of the half-chances United did carve out.
7. Forwards
Jadon Sancho (RW) - 2/10 - Slow, ponderous and uninspiring. An afternoon to forget for Sancho, a forgettable performance for the neutral to watch.
Cristiano Ronaldo (CF) - 2/10 - Was often aimlessly goal-hanging but when he did venture outside the Everton box he was of no use to his team.
Marcus Rashford (LW) - 4/10 - Had a couple of decent openings early on but was scarcely involved thereafter. Hooked for Elanga.
8. Substitutes
Paul Pogba (36', CM for Fred) - 4/10 - Failed to bring the creativity that United desperately needed.
Juan Mata (64', AM for Matic) - 4/10 - First Premier League appearance of the season and his rustiness was evident.
Anthony Elanga 64', LW for Rashford) - 5/10 - Hey, he tried to get on the ball, which is more than can be said for Sancho and Rashford.