Everton 3-0 Manchester United: 5 things we learned

English Premier League Match Review

Well, who saw this coming? Looking at the recent history of this fixture, a mere defeat might have been predicted against Manchester United but a 3-0 thrashing is far from what any sane person would have comprehended before the match. While it is a headline earning victory for Everton who had so little to enjoy this season, this is a harsh reminder to the Red devils that despite all the rave reviews that they have earned in recent weeks, they are far from a finished article.

Here are the 5 things we learned from the demolition of Manchester United at the Goodison Park: –

Michael Carrick was a huge miss today

If you look at the Manchester United team that beaten Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester City on a trot and compare it with today’s, Michael Carrick stands out as a figure missing for the Red devils. Last week even though Manchester United lost in his absence, there were little finger-pointing at their shortcomings because their opponents were Chelsea. However, losing against a team that had a poor season throughout, fingers would be pointed on the deficiencies in this squad.

Everton are back from dead

1 and a half month from now when Everton saw a 2-0 defeat at Stoke City that left them 14th in the table just 6 points of the relegation, there were news of the relegation battle being ensued around Goodison Park. However, since the morale derailing defeat at the Britannia Stadium, the blues have 5 out of the next 6 and are now itching for a finish in the top-half of the League. Thus, credit should be given to their Spaniard manager who has turned their season around.

Chris Smalling was good – – – his partners were Invisible

Taking a look at the scoreline and for anyone who hasn’t seen the match, the defense would be called into question automatically. However, looking at the game for the whole 90 minutes, Chris Smalling was left cold time and again by his defending partner Mcnair. While the first goal was a result of some horrible bad-luck for Manchester United, Antonio Valencia was the culprit for the 2nd one. With his inability to mark John Stones, Everton, despite all the pressure that Manchester United was pounding on them, got a life-line. So, while Carrick was a big miss, the defense of Manchester United should also be called into question.

Everton came with a plan – and it worked!

Seeing the buildup of this match for Manchester United and looking at their season defining wins over Liverpool and Manchester City, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to comprehend about the pivotal figures for Manchester United. While Juan Mata earned brilliant reviews from his critics, Marouanne Fellaini was his partner in crime for the better part.

Thus, with their targets checked and marked, Everton came with a plan: make the ground as little as possible for the duo. Although Everton got their 3rd goal in the 74th minute, any pundit of the game would have predicted the win for Everton as soon as Mata was subbed off in 63rd minute. So while Louis Van Gaal has been praised off late for his tactical master-classes, the Spaniard in Robert Martinez developed a brilliant antithesis for his counter-part’s work.

Barring a CATASTROPHE, top 4 is still guaranteed for Manchester United

Although they have earned no points in the last 2 weeks, top 4 still looks a dream well-accomplished for the Red devils. With Liverpool losing points and both Tottenham as well as Southampton doing the same, the pocket of the Red devils cannot be picked this season, to say the least. And looking at the fixture list of all the 4 contenders for the last remaining spot in top 4, Manchester United are still the favorites to land the 4th spot.

Full time: Everton 3-0 Manchester United

Everton 3-0 Manchester United: 5 things we learned