FA Cup: A Scrappy Victory Over Everton

Manchester United hosted Everton at Old Trafford today in the 3rd Round of the FA Cup. This was the first match in football’s oldest single elimination tournament for both sides this season, but their respective forms coming in to the match couldn’t be more different. Manager Erik ten Hag has United flying high having won six in a row in all competitions, while Everton manager (and former England international) Frank Lampard knew he was very much on the hot seat after Everton’s rather dismal run of form. Both managers fielded fairly strong teams for this match, which isn’t always the case in the early rounds of these tournaments. Almost all pre-match pundits and online “experts” were picking the Red Devils to win comfortably.

Things did indeed get off to a flying start for United when they found themselves ahead just 4 minutes into the match when winger/forward Antony dos Santos tapped home a cross from forward Marcus Rashford. Rashford brought the ball forward down the left wing and hit his cross along the ground which rolled past two Everton defenders. Antony slid in at the last second and nudged the ball in from close range at the far post with Toffees keeper Jordan Pickford stranded. Good job by the Red Devils to get the ball forward quickly and well done to Rashford for putting the ball in a dangerous area, but it must be said this goal was largely the result of poor defending by Everton. Rashford’s low cross really should have been cleared by either of the Everton defenders it rolled past. A goal emblematic of Everton’s problems this season – a lack of confidence and self-belief.

Those doubts were eased somewhat for the Toffees when they got an unexpected equalizer just ten minutes later. A cross was played in from the right side of the United penalty area low and directly at keeper David De Gea, who mysteriously couldn’t quite get the ball cleared away from in front of the goal. It looked like De Gea was trying to kick the ball away first time, but his control was poor and the deflection fell straight to Everton center back Connor Coady who provided the simplest of tap-ins. An absolute howler from De Gea, it must be said. Left back Tyrell Malacia maybe could have done better to prevent the cross from coming in, but De Gea should be clearing that cross every time. Very poor decision from him to use feet like that. De Gea is a player that is reliant on confidence to play well. In the past, he has let his mistakes get the better of him mentally, and they can compound as a result. He’s made some very fine saves in the past few matches and he is still the undisputed No. 1 keeper at United, but he cannot let this mistake go to his head in the coming matches.

Everton were rejuvenated by their goal, and kept running at United for the rest of the half. When United were on the ball, they seemed to lack ideas in the final third and really struggled to break a down suddenly much-more-awake Everton back line. It was 1-1 at halftime.

United came out in the second half on the front foot again though, and were soon rewarded for their attacking intent when Rashford caused Coady to turn the ball into his own net on 52 minutes. The in-form Rashford did well to take the ball to the end line and get in a cross from the left hand side of the box. Coady probably had time to take a touch and clear it, but he wasn’t aware of the space he was in and took a wild swipe at the ball. All he ended up doing though was lifting it over Pickford, who again had little chance to remedy the situation. Rashford won’t be credited for the goal, but he created it virtually on his own. Sometimes you get lucky when you play with attacking intent!

The next 20 minutes or so were filled with more disjointed attacks and solid defending from both sides. Everton had the ball in the back of the net via substitute striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin around the 75 minute mark, and at first it appeared to be a good counter-attacking goal from Everton. After a VAR check though it was determined they were offside in the build-up, and the goal was disallowed. United escaped with a bit of luck on that one. There was definitely an offside in the build-up on the right wing, but it was the second time United failed to clear the ball after a cross from near the end-line. Credit to the big man Calvert-Lewin for stealing across the face of his marker to turn the ball in. It was still 2-1 to United though.

The final major action of this match came deep in stoppage time when substitute winger Alejandro Garnacho was brought down from behind in the Everton penalty area. Garnacho had beaten his marker and was close to providing a cross when the Everton defender effectively jumped on his back. Stonewall penalty. No doubt about it. Rashford stepped up to the spot and beat his England teammate Pickford with a low shot for 3-1. The final whistle went shortly after that and United were through to the 4th Round!

So yes, a victory. Always nice to keep winning. Rashford was excellent, midfielder Casemiro was excellent, and fellow midfielder Fred put in a very tidy shift off the bench. All praise and plaudits to them. However, this match again underlined United’s need for a big/hulking center forward. We need not only a deadly finisher, but a strong player on the ball who can hold up play with his back to goal. A striker of any sort would improve the team, but a big physical specimen would be ideal. Rashford is playing out of his skin so far this season, but if he is unavailable for any length of time, the attack is going to suffer. Striker Anthony Martial, winger Jadon Sancho, and Antony all need to be scoring/assisting more. It is also clear that there is a significant drop off in the play of our midfield once Casemiro is subbed off. I have been beating the drum for a defensive midfielder for ages, and now that we finally have one we seem intent on riding him into the ground. Casemiro is a truly exceptional player, but we need to be developing his replacement now. He won’t be able to play in every match, and the midfield can’t rely solely on him to function.

United will look to improve in their next match, when they host League One side Charlton Athletic at Old Trafford in the League Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday, January 10th.

Glory Glory Man United! Glazers Out!

England Victorious over Switzerland – International Friendly

The national teams are all in action for the next week or so, with many countries still attempting to book their place for World Cup 2022. England has already qualified, so the next few matches will be centered on manager Gareth Southgate deciding who he wants to take on the plane with him. Switzerland have already qualified as well, so they were in a similar mindset. When your team qualifies from their group outright and you don’t have to worry about a tricky playoff fixture, you have the luxury of focusing on different tactical formations and player lineups. Today’s match at Wembley was an example of both sides trying to figure out what works best for them.

England had some injury issues at the back coming into the match, which forced Southgate to play a back three of Connor Coady, Ben White, and Marc Guéhi (on his England debut). After this match, I don’t think Southgate will be eager to go back to that formation with those specific players. The Swiss aren’t known as a dominant attacking side, but they were very strong in the first half and found a lot of space on the wings behind the wingbacks. Indeed, it was Swiss legend Xerdan Shaqiri who found a bit of room on the right-hand edge of the box for a cross that led to the opening goal for the Swiss. Shaqiri wasn’t closed down properly, and he was able to get in a left-footed aerial cross that found the head of striker Breel Embolo. Embolo redirected the ball back across goal, and England keeper Jordan Pickford had no chance to get to it. Shaqiri should have been closed down on the edge of the box, and White was too far away from Embolo to get to the cross first. 1-0 to the Swiss and England couldn’t really complain about it.

England were lucky to not be down 2-0 shortly after that, after a shot from Shaqiri struck the hand of Pickford and rebounded off the underside of the cross bar. The Three Lions woke up a bit after that though, and finally started making some runs forward consistently and causing problems for the Swiss at the back. England and Crystal Palace right back Kyle Walker-Peters (not to be confused with Kyle Walker, it’s two different guys!) was causing problems down the right hand side. He was combining well with Chelsea loaned-Crystal Palace winger Connor Gallagher, and the Swiss weren’t sure how to mark them properly. Their pressing led to a giveaway from Swiss defender Fabian Frei, as Walker-Peters was able to block his poor clearance straight into the path of Gallagher. Gallagher played the ball along the ground, with midfielder Mason Mount letting the ball roll across his path. England and Manchester United left back Luke Shaw was on hand to strike the ball directly at the goal, and it was a sumptuous strike into the left side of the goal that gave deputy Swiss keeper Jonas Omlin no chance. Shaw doesn’t score many, but he did well to be in the right place at the right time. The Swiss hadn’t made many mistakes up to that point, but England punished them nonetheless.

The second half was nowhere near as fluid as the first, likely due to the litany of changes brought by both managers right around the hour mark. Both sides were defending well, but neither side was creating many dangerous chances. England had shifted to a back-4 with White moving out to right back, a change which seemed to suit him well. The Swiss could maintain possession, but they couldn’t find that final dangerous pass.

England got their second goal and eventual winner from talisman striker Harry Kane on 78 minutes from the penalty spot. A cross came in from the right wing that England headed towards goal, only to see it blocked by the raised arm by Swiss midfielder Steven Zuber. The ref did not award a penalty at first, but after a lengthy VAR check it was decided that a penalty was to be given. By the letter of the law it probably was a handball, although in the past under different iterations of the rule, it may not have been. Zuber had his back to the ball and knew nothing about where it was, but he had his right arm extended out from his body when the ball made contact. Any time an arm is in an “unnatural position” that helps the defender cover more space, there is always a chance a penalty will be awarded.

Kane stepped up to the spot and buried the ball in the left side of the net. Omlin actually guessed correctly and went to his right to save it, but the power and placement of the shot made the ball very difficult to save. Kane now has an astonishing 49 goals for England on just 48 caps, and he is now level second with the legendary Sir Bobby Charlton on England’s all-time scoring list. Kane is simply world-class. Ok yes this was a friendly and yes he would be expected to score from the penalty spot, but to be only 28 and a scant 4 goals behind Wayne Rooney’s all-time record is absolutely staggering. No doubts about his place in the squad when it is time to travel to the World Cup. If he carries on like he is doing and wins a trophy with England, it is very likely he goes down as the best English player of all time.

The rest of the match was mostly drama-free, with England’s talented subs creating a few half chances before the final whistle went. England won the match 2-1, and it’s always good to win in any situation. Southgate will have plenty of food for thought going into Tuesday’s match against Ivory Coast. Rotational players like Gallagher, Walker-Peters, Guéhi, and late sub Tyrick Mitchell all did well; but as alluded to it would be surprising if England played a back-3 again any time soon. If they do, it will be with different players in the line-up. The Swiss took advantage of the space on the wings far too often today, so the experiment there today probably won’t be attempted again. This wasn’t a classic or clinical performance by any standard, bur England got over the line in the end. Room for improvement for sure, but you’re never going to see the best football in a friendly.

Ivory Coast presents a different set of challenges, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Southgate switched things up again for that match. At tournament time, you need to be able to win as many different ways as possible, and you have to be ready to defend against many different styles of play. I would like to see Gallagher and Walker-Peters given more opportunities to shine.

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Quick note: spare a moment to laugh at Italy. The reigning European champions were eliminated from World Cup 2022 qualification by minnows North Macedonia earlier in the week. A huge upset, and it means a second consecutive World Cup without Italy in it. Couldn’t have happened to a better set of fans and players 😉