In November’s reverse fixture, Alejandro Garnacho flew into the air at Goodison Park to beat Jordan Pickford with a sublime scissor kick that kickstarted a 3-0 victory. This afternoon, the winger made patsies of the Everton defenders James Tarkowski and Ben Godfrey to win the penalties that gave Manchester United three points.
The spot-kicks were converted by Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford, though why the takers changed is a puzzle. A conundrum, too, is how Everton managed to miss the near-endless series of chances they created.
An example came on 75 minutes. United again allowed an acreage for Sean Dyche’s team to operate in and Lewis Dobbin flashed the ball across goal to his fellow substitute Dominic Calvert-Lewin but the striker air-kicked.
Ten minutes had been all United needed to open the scoring. Garnacho was fed by Marcus Rashford along the left, took a step into the area, feinted, removed the ball and Tarkowski took the bait and his leg. After the long delay now customary at penalties Fernandes rolled the spot-kick to Jordan Pickford’s left: the goalkeeper went the correct way but could not stop the expertly placed finish.
Dyche disliked this but approved of his side’s response. Up the field Everton roved where United were criminally open. The ball dropped to Dwight McNeil yet his trusty left foot sprayed the ball right of André Onana. United’s No 1 has been more assured recently – and brave, as he was when diving at Godfrey’s feet in the early stages. This chance, too, derived from Erik ten Hag’s men going awol, and though pre-match he again mentioned “the cost of fine margins” to explain Sunday’s 3-1 reverse at Manchester City, defeats to Tottenham and Arsenal, and a draw with Liverpool, this is a red herring. Elite sport is defined by these and the challenge is to come out on the plus side of them.
To aid this, he needs players who can keep the ball and not cede it carelessly, as Raphaël Varane and Rashford were culpable of, or leave holes for opponents to exploit, as they did when allowing James Garner to pad through and unload, Onana flying left to beat the ball away to where his namesake, Amadou, collected. His effort was wild and high and United survived.
The home Onana surely admired Jordan Pickford when he also leaped to save a missile-like Fernandes free-kick that dipped and was going in under the bar before the goalkeeper’s outstretched left palm stopped it.
From this, cut to more lax United defending. McNeil was again the benefactor: with United backing off he ran in and Diogo Dalot got caught square on before Casemiro finally intervened.
The best players shape contests their way and that was what Garnacho did here. The referee, Simon Hooper, had turned down a second penalty shout when Vitaliy Mykolenko clashed with Fernandes and handled on the ground but the referee had zero hesitation when the next appeal came. This time Garnacho drifted across Everton’s area and fooled Godfrey into standing on his toes. Now came the intriguing decision that Rashford should take the kick and his conversion, to Pickford’s right, was perfect, kissing the inside of the side-netting. Soon Garnacho had a third penalty claim as once more the ball hit a Mykolenko hand from the winger’s cross but he was again deemed not guilty.
United may have led by two but Everton were edging possession and made their opponents squirm when Abdoulaye Doucouré blazed into the area and hit Scott McTominay’s frame. The latter’s next contribution was to cause Ten Hag to stamp on the grass when, with Rashford sprinting in behind, he clubbed the pass too long.
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Be calmer was Ten Hag’s message to the player, and it was apt advice, too, for the rest of his charges. Yet what occurred was more amateur defending that allowed the ball to ricochet near Onana and ended with Doucouré’s attempt saved at the near post.
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United were also profligate. Despite illuminating the contest, Garnacho missed two chances when roving in beyond Pickford’s left. And when Fernandes did find the target with an effort the keeper tipped out the corner was more childlike play: the ball dropped in a mini-melee that featured Victor Lindelöf and Jonny Evans and when Pickford fumbled then grabbed the ball, Northern Irishman fell on him.
In added time, after a Fernandes corner, United administered the type of controlled possession they lacked for too long. But victory was theirs.
