Manchester United 1 – 0 Everton – Match Report & Player Ratings

Manchester United 1 – 0 Everton – Match Report & Player Ratings

It was an emotional performance for Manchester United who played in front of the person who best embodies the spirit of the Old Trafford side. Sir Bobby Charlton and his wife Norma watched as LVG’s team “stole a victory” [LVG] from an Everton side that could have ruined the day in which the club named the South Stand after their most prolific player. In 758 appearances, one of the most notorious Busby Babes scored 249 goals and became the club’s top scorer, a record that is still standing today. It was also an emotional moment because unlike the past few decades, Manchester United showcased several of their most important products. This season was definitely the season to honor Sir Bobby Charlton as the Devils’ academy delivered some of the most impressive young players seen in years. It`s hard to recall other than the Busby Babes and the Class of ‘92, a generation with so much promise.

Looking at how the game went down, things could have gone bad for United if not for Blind who next to Martial could be deemed man of the match. The Dutchman was strong on his feet and had some excellent interventions even when his direct adversary was Lukaku. Timothy Fosu-Mensah is also worth mentioning as he contributed to the only goal of the game scored by Manchester’s wonder-kid Anthony Martial. The Frenchman just surpassed Rooney who was up until the Everton clash, the club’s top scorer with 7 goals. Hopefully Martial will go down the same path as Manchester’s captain who is just 5 goals away of the 249 goal milestone set by Sir Bobby Charlton.

One other positive thing to take out of this 1 – 0 win is Mata’s performance who was well-involved and created opportunities for his teammates.


Looking at the negatives we could say that Smalling was very out of touch this Sunday. He was very close to offering Lukaku two goals if not for De Gea’s quick reactions. Schneiderlin also underperformed even if he contributed to Martial’s goal.

Here’s what LVG had to say regarding the overall performance: “We didn’t create many chances. Everton are a very good team, much stronger away than at home, and it was a very tight game. We were the lucky team today. We want to give entertainment for the fans, but the fans were entertained today because of the tension. If we lose today, the victory against Manchester City is worthless. According to the BBC the Dutchman is satisfied though ahead of the Tottenham and West Ham games which will probably decide what European competition they will be featured in next season: “Now we are still in the race. We have a very important game against Tottenham.”

Manchester face the Spurs next Sunday and hopefully some of the players who disappointed today will improve.  Here are the ratings for the Everton game, ratings which definitely need to be higher next week:

1429423_Manchester_United