3 minute read
7/1/2023 | 12:05pm
Manchester United started their 2022/23 FA Cup campaign with a win on Friday night, defeating Premier League strugglers Everton in a convincing 3-1 display, with Erik ten Hag still on track to challenge for every major honour available to his team this season.
The win continued the Red Devils’ blistering form since the conclusion of the World Cup in Qatar, winning all five of their games since the tournament and indeed riding a seven-match win streak across all competitions going back to November.
In stark contrast, Everton have now gone eight competitive fixtures without tasting victory, and Frank Lampard is in deep, dark waters as the club now languish within the Premier League relegation zone and find themselves out of both domestic cup competitions.
If Ten Hag had fears of an upset before the match, they were swiftly dispelled following £85m summer signing Antony‘s goal after just four minutes, turning in Marcus Rashford‘s threaded cross-penalty box ball.
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Liverpudlian Conor Coady did manage to restore parity just ten minutes later, bundling in after a calamitous David de Gea mistake, but United’s confidence and conviction was too much in the end, the quality washing over the gallant Everton backline like a tidal wave.
Coady unfortunately turned the ball into his own net shortly after the second half commenced, with Rashford scoring a thumping penalty in stoppage time to score for a fifth consecutive game.
A lot went well for the Red Devils, but a couple of performances left little to be admired; De Gea was indeed at fault once again after his dreadful lapse of focus gave the Toffees a lifeline, but it was Anthony Martial who again failed to grasp his opportunity to shine, amid intense speculation over United’s search for a new striker.
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