Hello, and welcome to today’s liveblog.
It should be an intriguing clash at Goodison Park.
It won’t be easy for United, who are currently two points off the top four.
Everton are currently 10th, but are just three points off 7th. The Toffees are on course for a third successive home win and will be hoping to recover from last week’s disappointing defeat to Fulham.
United, meanwhile, have been showing indifferent form of late. They have lost five from seven in all competitions, while the Barca defeat midweek meant they lost four consecutive away matches for the first time since 1999, when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was a player for the club.
Solskjaer has suggested some stars are playing for their futures, and it is vital that the club can finish the season on a high by qualifying for the Champions League.
Confirmation of today’s teams…
Three changes from Tuesday night – in come...
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) April 21, 2019
🇵🇹 @DalotDiogo
🇷🇸 @NemanjaMatic
🇧🇪 @RomeluLukaku9#MUFC #EVEMUN
🔵 | Team news is in at Goodison Park!
— Everton (@Everton) April 21, 2019
2️⃣ changes.
🔄 @michaelkeane04 returns.
🇫🇷 @SchneiderlinMo4 starts.
COYB! 💪 #EFCMatchday pic.twitter.com/z0cNsDEBfr
Strong words from Gary Neville on Sky.
“My blood’s boiling,” he says, claiming certain players weren’t trying hard enough against Barcelona.
He adds that he’ll hold off on singling out individuals for now.
36 - Everton have lost more Premier League matches against Manchester United than any side has against another in the history of the competition (36). Presage. #EVEMUN pic.twitter.com/I5qSqnUHnC
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 21, 2019
We’re under way…
Everton have started brightly.
Bernard finds space down the left, but his cross into the box eludes everyone.
Everton have played most of the football so far and have controlled the opening stages.
As I type, Sigurdsson’s cross is deflected into the arms of De Gea.
The hosts have probed continually early on without creating a clear-cut chance.
Gueye crosses after a corner is only half cleared.
It falls to Richarlison, whose shot forces a good save from De Gea, before the Brazilian slices the rebound wide.
That’s a let-off for the visitors, who have been second best so far.
EVERTON 1-0 MAN UNITED (RICHARLISON 13)
Everton get the lead their early pressure has warranted.
A long throw is flicked on by Calvert-Lewin for Richarlison, who produces a brilliant acrobatic volley that leaves De Gea with no chance.
It’s a brilliantly worked goal from the home side, who have been really sharp from the outset.
Digne’s long throws are a serious weapon.
Everton have just had another chance stemming from that route, with Zouma heading a half chance wide.
Man United finally show some signs of life.
Pogba produces a superb long ball to pick out Rashford, whose first-time shot goes just over the bar.
Gueye has been booked for a late challenge on Fred.
Rashford fires the ensuing free kick over from about 40 yards out.
United have been slightly better in recent minutes.
United need an overhaul but the squad is still at least better than 14 other clubs who at this point they regularly underperform against.
— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) April 21, 2019
EVERTON 2-0 MAN UNITED (SIGURDSSON 28)
A United corner is cleared and Everton break with pace.
Gueye plays it to Sigurdsson, who fires in a brilliant shot from about 25 yards out.
De Gea looks disappointed and a goalkeeper of his calibre could arguably have done better there.
2-0 after 28 mins. This is abject from MUFC. Those 3,000 fans in the picture turned up. Their team haven’t yet. pic.twitter.com/iaKv0Cjvf9
— Andy Mitten (@AndyMitten) April 21, 2019
8 - Gylfi Sigurdsson has been directly involved in eight Premier League goals against Manchester United (five goals and three assists), more than he has versus any other club in the competition. Dagger. #EVEMUN pic.twitter.com/WL0hi3wm0B
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 21, 2019
Less than 10 minutes until half time and it’s been dreadful from a United perspective.
That one Rashford half chance aside, they haven’t created anything and simply haven’t functioned as an attacking unit.
Jones makes a good last-ditch challenge to stop Bernard bursting through on goal amid another threatening Everton counter-attack,
The defender appears to have hurt himself in making the challenge and is currently receiving treatment.
More signs of United unease. Dalot turns his back just before De Gea throws the ball out to him.
Everton then win the ball before Sigurdsson tests the goalkeeper with a shot from distance.
Richarlison picks up a knock following a collision with Dalot and is currently receiving treatment.
That’s a worry for the Toffees, as the Brazilian has been excellent so far.
It looks like he’ll be able to continue, however.
HALF-TIME: EVERTON 2-0 MAN UNITED
United make a double change: Scott McTominay for Fred and Ashley Young for Phil Jones.
Jones picked up a knock in the first half, while the Fred change is presumably tactical.
The second half has begun…
The changes mean that Young will be at right-back, while Lindelof has reverted to the centre.
Will those changes have any effect?
United were so poor in the first half that they didn’t even manage a shot on target.
Analysing the game for Sky, former Red Devils striker Louis Saha describes the performance as “disturbing”.
Richarlison has gone down again, having seemingly failed to get over the first-half injury, and he’s unable to continue.
Theo Walcott is replacing him.
EVERTON 3-0 MAN UNITED (DIGNE 56)
That’s surely game over.
De Gea can only parry a corner away to the edge of the area, and Digne blasts home a first-time shot into the corner of the net.
This United performance is on a par with the worst days of the Mourinho era.
EVERTON 4-0 MAN UNITED (WALCOTT 64)
Dalot miskicks it in the build-up before Sigurdsson plays through Walcott.
The forward shows good pace to sprint through on goal before coolly slotting it past De Gea to make it four for Everton. It’s the first goal the ex-Arsenal man has scored this year, having struggled to get into the Toffees starting XI of late.
Here’s a telling stat from Sky: United have had just three attempts, all in the first half, compared with 13 for Everton.
As I type, Martial goes down under a challenge from Coleman, but the ref decides not to give a penalty.
McTominay subsequently gets booked for dissent.
Finally, an attempt from United, as Martial fires a shot just wide.
20 minutes remain, and the best the Red Devils can hope for now is to restore some pride.
Bring back Mourinho.
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) April 21, 2019
Pogba squares it to Matic on the edge of the area, but the Serbian midfielder drags his shot wide.
Encouraging news for Ireland fans, meanwhile, as James McCarthy makes his first senior appearance of the season after a broken leg. He replaces Gueye.
United also make a change, with Pereira on in place of Rashford.
The ball falls to Coleman after Smalling can only half clear, and De Gea gets down well to save the Irish international’s shot.
According to Sky, it could be the first time since 2015 at home to Southampton that United fail to register a single shot on target.
Meanwhile, Digne has to go off injured after an awkward coming together with Pogba. Phil Jagielka replaces him.
United will end this game with a shot on target, as Pickford gets down well to save Martial’s low, drilled effort from the edge of the area.
It’s been all over for a while, however, with Everton looking relaxed.
Sigurdsson is deservedly named the official man of the match.
Mourinho was right about one thing. There’s a culture problem in this Man Utd squad, and the early Solskjaer bounce concealed rather than cured it. There’s a quality gap too of course.
— Paul Hayward (@_PaulHayward) April 21, 2019
Everton have the ball in the corner and are playing out time.
Less than a minute remaining.
FULL-TIME: EVERTON 4-0 MAN UNITED
So that’s that.
It was a poor performance from United, with the result a fair reflection of Everton’s dominance.
The visitors simply never got going, with the Toffees the sharper, more cohesive team for the vast majority of the contest.
The result leaves the Red Devils’ top-four hopes in serious doubt, and the midweek clash with Man City is now an even bigger game than before and one they desperately need to win in order to revive their flagging Champions League hopes.
48 - Manchester United have conceded 48 Premier League goals in 2018-19, their highest ever tally in a single season in the competition and their most in a top-flight league campaign since 1978-79 (63). Spiralling. #EVEMUN pic.twitter.com/23ftz4f8e6
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 21, 2019
Gary Neville says some of United’s players’ “heads are well and truly on the line”.
“I don’t need to name names. Everyone knows who they are. They’re on social media every day.”
“Get rid of them,” he adds of the underperformers.
Right, that’s it from me. Thanks for reading and commenting.
You can read the match report here and we’ll have more reaction to follow.
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