Mercurial Martial Wins Wembley Thriller.

Everton 1 Manchester United 2

The brilliance of Anthony Martial in injury-time booked Manchester United a return trip to Wembley after an enthralling semi-final against Everton.

Playing in the FA Cup final at Wembley is the match that all players strive to achieve at least once in their career. Even the foreign players understand how special it is to appear in the season-ending showpiece.

Representing a last chance of a trophy this season for both sides gave the game that extra bite as United looked to overcome an Everton side who themselves have had a poor campaign.

Both Louis van Gaal and Roberto Martinez have endured a torrid time of it this season with criticism coming in heavy from the media and more importantly the fans for poor tactics and team selection. So it is a pretty safe bet to assume that at least one of them will not be at the helm next season even if they do manage to lift the cup come May.

With almost a fully fit squad to choose from van Gaal decided to pick this as his starting XI: De Gea, Fosu-Mensah, Blind, Smalling, Rojo, Carrick, Fellaini, Rooney, Lingard, Martial and Rashford.

A few eyebrows were raised when the starting team was announced, but there was only one change from the side that beat West Ham in the quarter-final replay and that was Rooney in place of Herrera.

Fellaini was picked to partner Carrick in midfield. Carrick had endured a tough game up against Barkley in the recent league encounter, but this time around he would get the upper-hand.

The trio of Schneiderlin, Herrera and Mata would start on the bench. After scoring his first goal for the club in midweek Darmian would also be on the sidelines and the promising Fosu-Mensah would start in his place at right-back. Rojo returned to the lineup at left-back to make his 50th appearance for the Red Devils.

Rooney made his 20th appearance for United in midfield against his boyhood club and had the youngsters Lingard, Martial and Rashford ahead of him in attack.

United kicked off the match and within the first five minutes, either side could of and should have taken the lead. The first chance fell to Fellaini who headed a Blind corner too weakly straight into the keepers arms then it was Lukaku who raced down the other end and managed to beat De Gea only to see his goal-bound effort brilliantly headed off the line by captain Rooney.

An inswinging free-kick by Rooney was met in the box by Rojo but his header went wide. The match had started with the two sides on the attack and you felt that both defences were going to be kept busy throughout the game.

The speed of United's attack was breathtaking at times and this was proven when Lingard beat the offside trap and connected with a ball over the top from Rooney that unfortunately was aimed straight at the keeper, who gratefully collected.

Lukaku had a second chance to put the Toffees in the lead, but De Gea blocked his shot after he had raced past Smalling and latched onto a ball from United old boy Cleverley. How many chances were the Reds going to give the Belgian forward?

The fast pace of the game would truly test the fitness of Rooney, who had only just returned to the team after a long injury. He was covering every blade of grass of the big Wembley pitch, in his deeper lying role.

There was a great chance for Martial after a neat passing move, however, when the ball arrived at his feet, he blasted well over the bar from the left side of the penalty area. It really could have been at least 2-2 within the first twenty minutes.

A nod down by Fellaini from a Blind cross fell to the feet of Rashford who side-footed a shot straight at the keeper.

After half an hour and a frantic start to the match Everton managed to slow the proceedings down until the 34th minute when United attacked the left side of the penalty area through the lively pair of Rashford and Martial and when the latter pulled the ball back there was Fellaini to sweep the ball into the net to put United into the lead against his former club. It was no less than United had deserved after their penetrating attacking play.

Half-time and United led by the Fellaini goal and enjoyed a half that was full of attacking play and it was a surprise that it was only 1-0. Martial had a superb half down the left and looked dangerous every time United went forward.

Everton looked poor in defence, especially the full-backs and apart from the two chances for Lukaku were not on the same level as United and if they managed to keep the score down to only one goal it would be a surprise.

Everton started the second half with United hoping to build on their dominance of the first half with no changes having been made by either manager.

The blues started the half brightly and mounted a few forays into the opposition's area to no effect as the United defenders were on their toes to any danger.

There was a golden opportunity that fell to Lingard, but the youngster snapped at his shot from a great position and it had to be put down to a wasted chance.

In the 56th minute controversy hit the match after Fosu-Mensah was adjudged to have brought down Barkley inside the area which he clearly hadn't but referee Taylor decided to award a spot kick.

Up stepped Lukaku who blasted a shot towards the bottom left-hand corner. However, there was that man De Gea to save at full stretch and deny the Toffees an unworthy equaliser. Justice was definitely served and United was once again grateful to the Spanish keeper.

Soon after the penalty miss van Gaal replaced Fosu-Mensah with Valencia.

The penalty miss seemed to provide Everton with more confidence as they piled the pressure on United and had a real go. For all their effort couldn't find a way past United's defence.

There was yet another penalty shout in the 66th minute this time against Jagielka who clearly handled the ball while falling to the ground by the near post under pressure from Fellaini. In all honesty Jagielka should have seen red as well but the referee turned a blind eye to the incident.

Everton at least tried to make more of a game of it and United was caught out in the 75th minute as Smalling unwittingly diverted a wicked low cross into his own net to make the score level.

The Blues were by now on the front foot as United tried to regroup and start all over again. Would they rue the missed chances in the first half?

De Gea was on hand again to palm away an effort from the substitute Deulofeu. Then Lukaku missed yet another chance to put his side ahead when he should really have scored. That was at least his fourth attempt on goal not including the penalty.

As the match entered the final five minutes Martial delivered a smart low cross from the left that Lingard was only inches away from tucking away. This was certainly a game of missed chances as both sides pounded each others area.

Van Gaal made a change in the last four minutes when he brought on Herrera for scorer Fellaini and his first taste of action was to be booked for a rugby tackle on Barkley, who was also cautioned for complaining.

An outstanding game still had one twist in the tale as late as the 92nd minute. Martial started a move from the left-hand touchline and played two one-twos first with Rashford then with Herrera. He collected Herrera's fortunate flick on and strode confidently into the box and as cool as you like slid the ball past the keeper into the bottom corner to send United deliriously into the final.

A goal made and finished by the sensational French striker whose all-round display was brilliant, to say the least. The only downside was the yellow card he received for his celebrations with the United faithful. A ridiculous rule that has to be changed.

An astonishing end to a match that had all the ingredients you would expect from a cup tie. Drama and excitement with no end of chances for both sides and a penalty save to boot.

On another day, Lukaku would have netted at least one of his many chances and the same goes for Lingard, who must be grateful to Martial for eventually grabbing the winner.

Fosu-Mensah and Smalling will also be thanking their teammates De Gea and Martial for saving their blushes.

As a team it has to be said that to a man the whole United side played superbly well and deserve so much credit for keeping their heads when Everton turned the screw during the second-half. At both ends United had two main heroes in De Gea and Martial, but it is the Frenchman that takes my vote for the man of the match award for topping off a mesmerising display with his cool late, late finish.

In the end, it will be United who return to Wembley at the end of the domestic season looking to end the long wait to lift the old trophy for the first time since 2004.

That's all for now as I'm off to catch my breath.

Thanks for reading.

Miles Dunton.

FA Cup Semi-Final Preview: Man Utd vs Everton.

Manchester United v Everton. FA Cup semi-final.

Hopefully, come Saturday evening it will be third time lucky for Manchester United after they face Everton in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.

The previous two meetings between the clubs at this stage came in 1966 and 2009 and on both occasions the Merseysiders came out on top to reach the final.

In a season that has once again fallen below the expectations of United and their fans the oldest club cup competition is the last chance of silverware for the Red Devils. Standing in their way of reaching the final for the 19th time is an Everton side who has also had a turbulent season.

Both Louis van Gaal and Roberto Martinez have come in for severe criticism from the fans for their management styles in a campaign that has left the sides unable to mount a challenge for the title and is left to concentrate on the cup to salvage some pride.

United will go into the match as favourites after the latest round of matches which saw the Reds defeat Crystal Palace without too much effort, but saw Everton succumb to a demoralising 4-0 defeat to Liverpool.

Having said that league form goes out of the window when it comes to the cup so we can expect a match that will probably be a tight affair but with the pace up front in United's young attack the majority of chances should fall the way of United.

In Martial and Rashford United have two forwards who have the skill, pace and capability to change the course of a game in an instant add to that their all round commitment and desire to win then the Everton defence will not relish coming up against them.

The midfield will be the area where the game will be of great interest and who van Gaal will deploy to try and control the middle will be intriguing, to say the least.

Schneiderlin should be a shoe in after his recent displays, but who will partner him? Carrick has been performing below par of late and in the recent clash against Everton he came off second best against Barkley. Former blue Fellaini could get the nod against his former club, but again, he has not exactly set the world alight this season. So it looks possible that Mata and a deeper lying Rooney will be called upon as they were against Palace.

Van Gaal seems to prefer Lingard to Herrera in the advanced role and the youngster has not let his side down. Herrera would also be a good choice as he has more experience and his partnership with Mata could suit this type of game in which fast passing moves to keep up the attacking momentum will be crucial.

At the back, Smalling and Blind will have their hands full with Lukaku but should prevail as they have built up a decent partnership over a season which has seen the defence keep seventeen clean sheets in the League.

The full backs chosen from Fosu-Mensah, Darmian, Valencia and Rojo have to beware of the threat of the forward runs of Baines and the skills of Spanish winger Deulofeu.

If Everton does get through the Red defence then they will still have to get past the best keeper in the world, David De Gea. He has saved his side on numerous occasions this campaign with stops that have been truly world class and which he makes consistently week in week out. It wasn't a surprise that he was the only United player to be named in the PFA team of the year this week.

In the end, United should have the firepower to outscore Everton and reach their first final since losing to Chelsea in 2007 and in doing so go some way to repay the faithful that have gotten behind the team even through the difficult times.

As a footnote the sooner the FA revert back to using neutral grounds for the semi-finals the better. It used to be the icing on the cake at the end of a long season for both fans and players alike to make their way to Wembley for the end of season Final. However, that special feeling has been taken away, and for two teams from the north-west to have to travel to the capital does not make geographical or financial sense.

Thanks for reading.

Miles Dunton.

Martial Unwraps The Toffees.

Manchester United 1 Everton 0

Anthony Martial ensured that United kept up the dream of a Champions League place with the 1,000th strike at Old Trafford in the Premier League.

It was a welcome return to Premier League action for United following the latest round of internationals with the visit of Everton to Old Trafford.

As is usual the international matches brought more injury woes for United with the news that Bastian Schweinsteiger could be out for the rest of the season with a knee injury while on duty with Germany. However, there was more positive news on Herrera and Young, who used the break to get in some important fitness work.

Van Gaal enjoyed possibly his best away performance of the season at Goodison Park in the 3-0 win back in October. But since then the Toffees have vastly improved as a team and have only lost one away game all season so United would have to be on their toes against their possible FA Cup semi-final opponents.

United's starting XI was unchanged from the side that defeated Man City away: De Gea, Darmian, Smalling, Blind, Rojo, Carrick, Schneiderlin, Mata, Lingard, Rashford and Martial. Ashley Young and Ander Herrera were named on the bench alongside Memphis Depay whose disappointing debut season continued on the sidelines.

After the unveiling of the renamed South Stand in honour of Sir Bobby Charlton, the match got underway with United attacking the Stretford End looking for the vital three points that would put pressure on Man City.

It was a lively start to the half by both sides as they went in search of an early opener with Martial coming the closest with a rasping drive that narrowly flew past the far post after a slight deflection. A shot that Charlton himself would have been proud of.

The visitors had clearly come to Old Trafford with aspirations of getting a result and looked well organised throughout the side, but a little suspect when Rashford stretched his legs down the right as his pace was too much for Baines.

After half an hour the match was an open affair with the play reverting from end to end. Martial and Rashford were causing all sorts of problems with their pace for the away defence. Blind and Smalling stood firm at the back with the strong threat from the Belgian striker Lukaku.

As the half neared its end Schneiderlin proved once again how valuable he is to the side with another commanding display in midfield as he fed the forward players with the ammunition to attack.

With Darmian providing the width on the right United had a good balanced look about them. The only downside was that Carrick was having a torrid time up against Barkley with the youngster showing up his elder for pace and challenges on more than one occasion.

Half-time and all square at 0-0 for the tenth time at Old Trafford this season with both sets of defenders standing their ground and coming out on top against their attackers with United edging the best of the very few chances and it has to be said slightly on top but with nothing to show for their efforts. A less than entertaining forty-five minutes and at times a cagey affair.

The second half started with a change for the home side as van Gaal replaced Rojo with Fosu-Mensah which meant that Darmian had to switch flanks.

Lukaku had the first chance of the half, but as he turned to shoot from close range Blind was behind him to make a vital challenge before the striker could do some serious damage.

Then in the 53rd minute, United took the lead through their French sensation Anthony Martial to raise the roof off Old Trafford. The move began with Mata on the right wing who played the ball into the feet of Rashford who turned on the style with a backheel into the path of the onrushing Fosu-Mensah.

The substitute collected the pass in the area and played the ball across the goal mouth where Martial was waiting to pounce with a left-footed finish, albeit with the aid of the keeper, to give his side the lead. That strike was United's 1,000th Premier League goal at Old Trafford.

It was a lead that was almost cancelled out by Everton a few minutes later when Jagielka sent a bullet header crashing off De Gea's crossbar.

Carrick's miserable day came to an end when he was replaced by the returning Herrera for the final thirty minutes. Carrick had endured a frustrating afternoon and looked decidedly off the pace.

Since the goal, United looked livelier as Everton were knocked out of their stride and struggled to get a hold of the ball as the Reds went in search of the important second goal to kill the match off.

The link up play between the home sides' forwards was at times exciting to watch, especially between Mata and Martial who between them almost conjured up a chance as the game entered its final fifteen minutes. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough of those moments of inspiration throughout the game.

Daley Blind was replaced by Valencia after he received a knock while clearing his lines. Blind performed well at the back and was outstanding against the power of Lukaku. The change meant that Fosu-Mensah switched to centre-back to partner Smalling.

De Gea produced a moment of deja vu after his heroics last season in the same match with a save on the line from a goal bound effort from that man Jagielka again. During this period, Everton enjoyed their best spell of the game and United had to be alert to the danger.

Alert they were as they saw out the match and collected all the three points to move up into one point of neighbours Man City in the fight for a Champions League place.

A special mention has to go to Daley Blind who was brilliant at the back alongside the ever reliable Smalling. Martial proved his scoring ability and his partners in attack never stopped running all day. Fosu-Mensah showed he has the talent to succeed with an assured performance after coming on with an assist for the goal and an all important block when Everton threatened towards the end.

It was vital that United won this match as next week they will be away to Spurs who themselves are chasing the title. So, a victory along with a clean sheet stands the Red Devils in good stead for the trip to London.

After an incredible 60 year association with Manchester United, Sir Bobby Charlton was honoured before the game with the renaming of the South Stand after the legend. A fitting tribute to a man who is after all Mr. Manchester United.

How about renaming the last available stand, the old Scoreboard End, after the man who literally rebuilt the club after the devastation of the second world war and went on to make the club into the giant it is regarded as now, Sir Matt Busby.

To end on another high it was great news to hear that Luke Shaw will start training with a Physio on the training ground this coming Monday. After the horrific double leg break, he suffered back in September let's hope that next season he will come back stronger and full of confidence.

Thanks for reading.

Miles Dunton.

United back on track at Goodison.

Everton 0 Manchester United 3

After what seemed like an eternity United returned to Premier League action with what could have been a sticky trip to Goodison Park to tackle the Toffees but turned out to be so sweet.

Following the embarrassing defeat to the Gunners, United would have preferred to have had the chance to put the record straight within days of the loss but, unfortunately, they had to bide their time until the latest round of international matches had been completed.

It was a mixed bag for our international players involved in the Euro 2016 qualifiers with England, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Germany and Northern Ireland all making it through along with the hosts France, however, the biggest shock had to be the failure of Holland, which means that the finals will be without the talents of Memphis and Blind.

Time is a great healer, but the international break couldn't have provided van Gaal with the opportunity to address some important issues as the majority of his squad were on duty all over Europe. His main headache would have been the form, or lack of, of his captain Rooney, who hadn't managed to score against his boyhood club since 2007 and in fact Rooney's last league away goal for United was almost twelve months ago against Arsenal.

Louis van Gaal would have been sweating on the fitness of key players, including Rooney, along with Carrick and Schweinsteiger ahead of this crucial clash against a tricky Everton side, who have had the better of the Red Devils in the last three games at Goodison, but all were declared fit with the only player absent Ashley Young.

This meant that van Gaal was able to pick from a strong squad to try and turn things around after the poor showing against Arsenal a fortnight ago.

United's starting XI: De Gea, Darmian, Smalling, Jones, Rojo, Schweinsteiger, Schneiderlin, Mata, Herrera, Rooney and Martial.

After indifferent displays in his debut season, Memphis was relegated to the bench alongside compatriot Blind but there were recalls for both Herrera and Rojo with Jones and Schneiderlin also back in the starting line-up.

Subs: Johnstone, Blind, Carrick, Lingard, Pereira, Fellaini and Memphis.

Both sets of supporters and players warmly applauded former Everton player and manager Howard Kendall, who passed away prior to the game. Kendall was the manager in the 80's at a time when Everton enjoyed their highest level of success.

United's formation meant that Rooney started as the main attacker with Martial and Mata wide of the forward with Herrera tucked in behind. At the back, Jones was to partner Smalling with Rojo slotting in at left back.

In the early minutes of the game Rooney, Mata and Herrera interchanged positions and passes well to try and gain an early advantage which hasn't happened on many occasions this season and it was Rooney, who had the visitors' first effort after ten minutes, but his effort from the edge of the box was pulled wide.

Lukaku proved to be a handful in the opening exchanges, especially for Jones, who looked so uncomfortable when up against the big Belgian. Smalling has enjoyed a great start to the campaign, but when he plays alongside Jones he seems to have his confidence affected.

Herrera called on ex-red Howard to pull off a smart save by tipping over a rasping drive. From the resulting corner, United took the lead in the 18th minute as the ball came out to Rojo who hooked it back into the danger area where Smalling was loitering and he chested the ball into the path of Schneiderlin who calmly placed the ball into the bottom corner of the net. A brilliantly cool finish by the French star for his first goal of the season.

Then the recalled Herrera made it an even greater start for the visitors four minutes later by heading in the second goal from a sublime cross by Rojo. This was by far the best start by United this season away from home.

There was a nice duel developing in midfield as experienced Schweinsteiger came up against the youngster Barkley a case of master and the apprentice with the German using all of his experience to come out on top.

A great chance fell to United just before the break as Rooney beat the offside trap and raced towards goal and instead of shooting he unselfishly squared the ball to Martial, whose shot was blocked luckily by the home defence then Everton went up the other end and De Gea punched away an attempt by Barkley.

Half time and United had played probably their best football away from home in the league this season with Rojo and Herrera both contributing so much on their return. However, Rooney continued to frustrate with another below par performance and more would be expected from him in the second half.

United made a change at the start of the second half as Jesse Lingard replaced Juan Mata. This was a great chance for Lingard to show the manager what a talent he is on a rare appearance for the first team and he was immediately called into action back in defence as he cleared the ball before Lukaku could do any damage.

Barkley and Schweinsteiger continued their tussle in the middle with the elder receiving a booking in the opening exchanges. Everton pressed and won a few free-kicks in dangerous positions with Rojo becoming the second United player to enter the referee's book.

In one attack, De Gea produced a stop with his legs to prevent a certain goal by Lukaku then the Spaniard followed up with further heroics by diving to save from Barkley after yet another Everton free-kick.

Just after the hour mark Rooney made up for his below par first half with a goal that reminded everybody what he is best at by latching on to a through-ball by the impressive Herrera and confidently stroked it past a despairing Tim Howard to give the visitors a comfortable three goal lead.

Let us hope that the goal pulls Rooney out of his slump and gives him the kick-start his season needs. Rooney has now equalled former red Andy Cole by scoring 187 Premier League goals, but is still behind Alan Shearer.

In another one on one with Howard, Rooney showed he still had the pace but was thwarted by the keeper before he could pull the trigger. That is exactly where the captain should play week in week out as the main striker and not be allowed to be pulled back into midfield where his goal scoring talent is wasted.

For the final fifteen minutes, there was the ritual change of Carrick for Schweinsteiger to freshen up the midfield against the background of the fantastic away support that was in fine voice as always.,

Magic Martial almost dribbled the ball through a wall of defenders and into the net only to be thwarted by Howard in goal. The French star is full of confidence when the ball is at his feet and is a breath of fresh air even out of position on the left. A couple of minutes later Fellaini replaced man of the match Herrera in the final change of the match.

The final ten minutes saw United go through the motions with one eye on the upcoming Champions League tie over in Moscow, but Martial was at it again in injury time when he danced through the defence on the byline and pulled an inviting ball back into the danger area which begged for somebody to get on the end but it wasn't to be.

With important matches upcoming including dates with Man City and Crystal Palace in the league and a League Cup tie at home to Middlesbrough sandwiched between the double header against CSKA Moscow in the Champions League it was imperative that United restarted their league campaign in a more positive fashion than they had left it at the Emirates.

This they did and in some style with a determined attacking display combined with some robust defending that puts the team in the right frame of mind for the tough month ahead. Ander Herrera put in a man of the match performance with his all-round enthusiasm and his goal plus assist put the icing on the cake of his display.

Thanks for reading.

Miles Dunton.

Manchester United Fixtures Preview 2015/16

It seems that last season has only just finished but this week saw the release of next season's fixture list.

All the fans have their own preference of which match to look for first whether it be by team or date. The most important matches have to be the Liverpool fixtures followed by the derby dates.

There is, of course, no such thing as an easy season, however, Louis van Gaal must have been quietly confident when he saw the fixtures as it has thrown up a fairly easy start and end to the season with the hardest of the matches coming mid-season which gives the team time to get into a winning rhythm.

The Red Devils will kick off their season with by far the biggest match of the opening weekend at Old Trafford against Spurs followed by an away trip to Aston Villa then it's Newcastle at home.
August ends with a tricky journey to Wales to take on Swansea who started our season off with a defeat last year. In the middle of those games, United will have the not so small task of the UEFA Champions League qualifying matches.

A collective spirit is needed.

There will be the dreaded international break before our first big clash in mid-September at home to Liverpool, memories of last season's double over them still fresh in the mind. Two more games in September see us play the much improved Southampton away and Sunderland, who were so lucky to escape the drop last time round, at Old Trafford.

Rooney scores against Arsenal.

October will prove a difficult month as it starts with two matches away first a visit to the Emirates to play Arsenal followed by Everton. Then it's the first local derby at home to Man City. Last season was sweet against the Gunners and City but sticky versus the toffees. Crystal Palace will provide the opposition at Selhurst Park at the end of the month.

The three matches in November seem to be relatively straightforward, if that's possible for United, they are WBA at home, newly promoted Watford away and Leicester away.

Ashley Young in his Watford days.

The month will see a return to Vicarage Road for Ashley Young, who started his career at Watford. It's been eight years since The Hornets were last in the top flight.

The busy festive month of December will see United play in a total of five matches three home and two away. It starts with a home game against West Ham with their new manager Bilic then a trip to the south coast to play Premier League debutantes AFC Bournemouth who we last played in the FA Cup back in 1989.

Another newly promoted side Norwich will visit Old Trafford then Boxing Day will see all the fans dressed as Santa at The Britannia Stadium to take on Stoke. Come the end of the year will hopefully be a match that is going to have a strong bearing on the Premiership title, Chelsea at home.

AFC Bournemouth celebrating promotion

The first match in 2016 will see the visit of Swansea to Manchester followed by a break in the league for the FA Cup 3rd round. After which United will be on their travels to Newcastle and Anfield the scene of Juan Mata's heroics last time we played there. The month will end with Southampton at home.

February starts with former red Mark Hughes bringing his Stoke side to Old Trafford which will be followed by United playing Chelsea at Stamford bridge on the 58th anniversary to the day of the Munich air disaster. Sunderland away comes before yet another big clash of the month Arsenal at home.

Mata the Anfield hero.

Hopefully, by the time March comes around United will be well placed for the league run in and will host Watford then visit WBA. Crystal Palace at home will be followed by our last match against one of our possible major opponents for the league, Man City at the Etihad. It would also be nice to think that United will be still involved in the knockout stages of the Champions League and the FA Cup.

The last seven matches in April and May appear to offer United a chance to end the season strongly and it starts with Everton at home then Spurs away. By the time we play Villa at Old Trafford and West Ham away, we could be potentially gearing up for silverware in the league or one of the cups or dare I say both.

Our last three games of the league season are Leicester at home followed by Norwich away, then Old Trafford will witness the last match of the campaign as Bournemouth will hopefully be trying to spoil the Champions' celebrations.

I foresee United getting off to a flying start compared to the stuttering beginning last season. Louis van Gaal has now had a year in the Old Trafford hot seat and will have learnt from his and the teams' mistakes of the previous season. Add to that the new arrivals that have been signed to strengthen the squad and there is every reason to be optimistic about the chances of being able to challenge on all four fronts next season.

Thanks for reading.

Miles Dunton.

Away day blues for United.

Everton 3 Manchester United 0

Here was a chance for United to bounce back after the disappointing result against Chelsea and solidify their Champions League qualifying spot.

United started the day in fourth place after Man City had narrowly beaten Aston Villa the day before.

However, a win would have taken United up into to second place as Arsenal were not to play until later in the day.


With five matches left to play United shot themselves in the foot with some terrible defensive mistakes against an Everton side who had clearly watched videos of the Chelsea loss and taught United a clinical lesson in counter attacking.

Before the match, there was good news on the team injury front when it was announced that Daley Blind had recovered from his injury to give Louis van Gaal a fresh option in midfield.

The starting XI chosen by van Gaal was: De Gea, Valencia, Smalling, McNair, Shaw, Blind, Herrera, Mata, Fellaini, Young and Rooney.

Subs: Valdes, Blackett, Januzaj, Pereira, Di Maria, van Persie and Falcao.

So, there was only one change with Blind fit to play in midfield which allowed Rooney to take up his favoured position in attack against his boyhood team. This change relegated under-performing Falcao to the bench alongside Robin van Persie and Angel Di Maria.

'Wayne Rooney is better in a striker's position for the team,' Van Gaal told Sky Sports before the game. 'Herrera is better one line up and Blind is the holding midfielder.' These words would normally turn out to be true but today they would come back to haunt the manager.

Another player returning to his old stomping ground for the first time was Marouane Fellaini.

Everton started the match in the bright sunshine which would quickly turn to grey for the Red Devils.

It started well enough for United who went on the attack looking for that early goal, but as early as the fourth minute United succumbed to a sucker punch of a goal from Everton.

Valencia won United's first corner which was cleared rather fortuitously by the home side who then broke forward on a counter attack at pace. Finally it was McCarthy who slipped between the last two defenders Daley Blind and Paddy McNair unchallenged and placed the ball past David de Gea. Atrocious defending!

As they had done recently against Man City United had fallen behind early but there was enough time in the game to do something about it.

6th minute Fellaini was quick to capitalise on a defensive error only to blast his shot just over the bar from outside the area. I don't think he realised exactly how much time he had.

Both sets of fans enjoyed a lively start to the match.

Fellaini was in the thick of it in the opening few minutes as he gave away two free-kicks the latter received a yellow card. He would have to tread carefully for the rest of the match against his old team.

In the opening quarter of an hour, United had pressed forward well and won three corners but were unable to make good use of them.

The away fans were in great voice as usual easily out-singing the home fans.

On the quarter hour mark there was good build up play down the left by the reds and eventually the ball was laid off to Blind who was lurking on the edge of the area but his shot was tame and was easily blocked by the Everton defence.

18 minutes in and there was panic in the home defence which almost gifted a goal to Fellaini.

A minute later United were awarded a free-kick to on the right of Everton's penalty area which was whipped in at pace by Mata. Smalling managed to get his head on the ball and produced a powerful header but former Red Devil keeper Tim Howard collected comfortably.

It was a tremendous opening to the game helped much in part to two defences who look far from comfortable. Great viewing for the neutral crowd but frustrating for United fans.

Another United attack in the 21st minute this time it was Ander Herrera who had a mazy run in the box but just couldn't get a clear shot on goal.

It really was United who were enjoying the majority of the possession but needed more of a cutting edge up front.

24th minute and Mata cleverly switched the play to the left where Young was waiting to send over a cross which was met by Rooney. His resulting header was blocked for a corner.

Everton forward Lukaku tried his luck from distance but the Premier League keeper of the year, David de Gea, read it well.

Two minutes later and it was Young who had a chance after the ball had been chested down to him by Rooney. However, his placed lob was just off the mark.

After half an hour, it was all United as they went in search of a deserved equaliser. They were attacking Everton on all fronts, down the left and right wings even through the middle but to no avail.

Then in the 32nd-minute disaster struck. Everton broke and luckily for United Smalling was alert enough to block out a lethal looking cross. This was followed by three successive corners for the blues. The last of which was superbly headed in by Stones to make it 2-0 to Everton.

The marking by United was quite honestly atrocious even with Young on the goal-line they couldn't stop the header going in.

A goal totally against the run of play. United had lost their concentration at a crucial time and that cost them dearly. They would have their work cut out to come back from this. But we all know with United anything is possible.

The last ten minutes saw no further chances as United looked shell shocked to be trailing by two goals.

Half-time: 2-0 Everton.

The biggest problem for the visitors was defending the counter attacks by Everton. At times, the positioning of the defenders and midfielders was terribly inadequate and the Toffees capitalised on that weakness.

In midfield, Blind was having an off day and even though Mata and Herrera were positive going forward they were left stranded each time Everton countered.

United missed Carrick in the heart of the midfield as they had enjoyed 61% of the possession with nothing to show for it. Which goes to show that possession is one of the most meaningless stats in football it's goals that matter and United needed them in the second half.

United had it all to do in the second half and Louis van Gaal showed his intent by replacing Fellaini with Falcao at the start of the half. Yet another chance for the Colombian to prove his worth to the team.

The Reds immediately went on the attack and won a corner. Swung in by Young eventually the ball fell to Rooney at the far post he turned and shot, but Howard threw his body in the way to make a save.

After two minutes, Everton went on the counter attack yet again and Shaw had to race into the middle to cover and put in a challenge on Barkley. Both players felt the full force of the tackle as Shaw was clouted on the head but thankfully there was no injury to either player.

In the 50th minute, Mata had a great chance to play a through ball to the forwards but over-hit his pass, which summed the afternoon, industrious enough but poor final balls.

Ashley Young found Shaw on the overlap down the left and the young defender got to the by-line and managed to cross the ball which was sadly behind the waiting strikers. Good combination work from the two England players.

Somehow Lukaku was allowed to collect the ball from a throw-in and whipped the ball across United's goalmouth. Thankfully no blue shirt was close enough to connect. That was a big let off for United but once again showed a lack of concentration at a set piece.

One hour had elapsed and there was still no sign as to how United would claw themselves back into the match. A lot of huffing and puffing but unable to break down the Everton door.

Everton had obviously taken a leaf out of Chelsea's tactics from last week or borrowed their bus.
Another change for United came in the 63rd minute as Mata was replaced by Di Maria. Could the Argentine provide the inspiration the team needed?

Shortly after Shaw was booked for pulling the shirt of an opposing player who was about to counter again. One minute later Smalling was there to save the blushes again as he blocked a near post cross out for a corner.

The two substitutions had done very little to improve Manchester United's attack with Falcao very anonymous up front.

Angel Di Maria did try a speculative shot from distance in the 69th minute, but that's all it was, speculative.

Falcao at last had a chance on goal when he got on the end of an up and under from the back, but his looping header was easily collected by Howard under his crossbar.

Twenty minutes left on the clock and United had to do something soon or this result could seriously jeopardise their automatic Champions League qualifying spot.

Then in the 73rd minute 3-0 Everton. United defenders stopped for an off-side against Lukaku that didn't materialise and didn't check the run of Mirallas who raced through and shot passed a helpless De Gea.

Awful defending as all the defenders hesitated waiting for a flag which wasn't raised as Lukaku hadn't touched the ball. What ever happened to playing to the whistle?

Game over as United were only playing for pride in the hope of getting something from the game.

80th minute and another half chance fell to Herrera whose shot at least earned a corner.

Falcoa did manage to put the ball in the net after rounding the keeper only to see the flag had been raised for offside.

There was still time for David de Gea to pull off one of his usual world class saves as he tipped over an effort from Mirallas with his finger-tips.

It was a very similar save to the one he pulled off in this fixture at Old Trafford earlier in the season.

In the last ten minutes, Rooney seemed to have a knock which he couldn't run off so he was replaced by Robin van Persie in the 88th minute.

As the game came to an agonising close all credit to the United fans who had not stopped singing and chanting throughout the 90 minutes. We really are blessed with the best fans in the world especially away from home.

Full-time 3-0 to Everton.

Unfortunately, some United players didn't turn up for the challenge. Mata, Herrera, Rooney, Blind and Fellaini all struggled to stamp their normal authority on the game. After some solid performances of late it was surprising to see so many players off their game at the same time. The same could be said of Falcao and Di Maria after their introduction.

The only players who could walk away with their heads held high were Shaw and Young both of whom never stopped running down the left trying to create chances.

This was the first and hopefully the last time that United had lost two matches in a row under Louis van Gaal's reign as manager.

There are only four games left to get one of the coveted places starting with the visit of West Bromwich Albion to Old Trafford next weekend.

Although there is a little breathing space behind United in the table it is imperative we beat WBA and not give Liverpool a sniff of a top four place.

Thanks for reading.

Miles Dunton.