Enough from me. Keep your eyes peeled for the semi-final draw, it should be quite soon. And thanks for your company – merry Christmas!
Here is Andy Hunter’s piping hot match report from Goodison!
Carlo is back: “Until the last 20 minutes we defended well. They had more control, they had better quality. The game we planned was for us to defend well.”
In that bit of niggle with Mina, who went down very dramatically, I think Cavani grabbed him by the collar. Punishment-worthy or not?
Harry Maguire speaks: “An excellent performance, we should have been out of sight within about 20 minutes. But we managed to see out the win and go through to the next round. [Cavani’s goal] was on his weak foot, we see him do it all the time in training, he’s been a top striker throughout his career.”
United had 65% of the ball and 19 attempts to Everton’s seven. The win was fair.
Your runners and riders for the semis, the draw for which is supposed to be very soon, are: Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham, Brentford.
Full-time: Everton 0-2 Manchester United
I meant that, it really was the last kick. United make the last four! And they deserved that, even though much of that second half was utterly dire.
Goal! Everton 0-2 Manchester United (Martial 90+6 min)
Rashford releases Martial and it’s a smooth, low finish with the last kick of the game!
Updated
90+5 min: Cavani, of course, had that scuffle with Mina earlier that VAR may or may not have looked kindly upon.
Meantime, Fernandes clips the angle of post and bar with a curler ... and then Olsen denies Rashford as United push for a second.
90+3 min: Everton win a late corner and work it quickly, but Henderson clutches Sigurdsson’s delivery.
90+2 min: That was Cavani’s fourth goal for United, who win a corner when a Rashford shot is blocked. They will be in no rush.
90+1 min: We will have five added minutes.
90 min: Are Everton going to give this a whirl now? Tuanzebe concedes a dangerous free-kick on the left and is booked. Sigurdsson’s free-kick is headed over by Godfrey.
Goal! Everton 0-1 Manchester United (Cavani, 88)
Well, well! Do you feel cheated out of pens? Tough! What a strike this is from Cavani, who receives the ball from Martial to the right and sashays inside before *thrashing* one into the far corner with his left foot from 20 yards. Olsen had no chance at all! United have surely won it from nothing.
Updated
87 min: Oh, an attack from Everton! But Sigurdsson can’t get enough purchase on a cute Iwobi cross after flinging himself onto it.
87 min: Fernandes rolls Martial in and could this be the moment ... ? Nope, he goes to strike it with his left and it rolls out off his standing foot. That’s the second half in a nutshell.
86 min: “United have to play Leicester at Saturday lunchtime which is a far bigger game than this one and might explain why the United players are willing Everton to score a scrappy goal and let Manchester City get their annual piece of silverware,” says Rick Harris.
84 min: United break but Cavani’s slide-rule ball intended for Rashford is well underhit. It’s something to talk about. As is the replacement of Telles, whose early deadballs were good, with Luke Shaw.
81 min: It isn’t. Telles hits the free-kick two yards over.
80 min: Bernard clips Pogba just outside the area, and near the right corner, now though so perhaps this is somebody’s moment.
Updated
79 min: It’s half an hour since we had a remotely sorta kinda decent-ish chance, when Cavani hit the side netting.
78 min: Fernandes is having one of his sloppier evenings. Getting the impression a few people are going through the motions here. Not on this blog though – look lively!
75 min: Rashford, who has been a Good Thing in 2020, spoons a cross horribly behind. This game had so much promise early on but let’s fast-forward to the pens.
74 min: Still, nearly Christmas!
72 min: This game is just like 2020, in that I would like it to end. The second half has been a non-event so far.
70 min: It is becoming increasingly hard to disagree with John Ryan when he writes: “Dreadful game. You’d be better off having the semi-final with the three teams already through, and last team drawn out goes straight to the final. Everton aren’t good enough to win, and United seem convinced they have already won; a complete waste of an evening for everyone concerned.”
68 min: And that is the end of Van de Beek, who hasn’t really seized his chance. Greenwood is off too; he had that early header but we can say the same for him. Martial and Rashford join us.
66 min: Van de Beek, quiet after a bright start, tries to reach a Pogba lofted ball but ... well ... can’t.
65 min: United are preparing the artillery ... we should soon see Rashford and Martial. The game sorely needs them at this point, I can’t lie.
62 min: Good move from United there though, and Pogba rolls it across for Fernandes to crack one first time from 22 yards. He’s scored these before ... but it’s wild this time.
61 min: Olsen, who has far fewer questions to answer at the moment but seems to have settled, claims a Cavani cross. It’s all a bit cagey out there as we chug towards the business end.
58 min: Another Everton change. The very quiet Gomes is replaced by Tom Davies.
57 min: Pogba is booked for clipping Godfrey as Everton look to break down the left. All a bit scrappy for now.
56 min: Richarlison goes off, to his discontent but he did seem to be winded severely, and his compatriot Bernard is here.
55 min: Richarlison comes off by far the worst and, though he walks off and seems to anticipate a return to the fray, Bernard is being readied.
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53 min: Now Richarlison and Bailly both go down in a heap after colliding.
Updated
52 min: Mina is briefly down, following an off-ball tussle with Cavani, who seemed to grab onto him near the upper-chest or throat region. VAR might not have looked kindly on that. Is Cavani lucky not to get some sort of card there?
49 min: Bustling run into the box by Cavani, with a hint of arm or perhaps shoulder, and he fires one into the side netting from an angle via a deflection. The corner comes to nought.
Updated
48 min: A quiet start to the half, although Iwobi wins applause for dispossessing Telles near his own corner flag and coming away with the ball. Then Richarlison loses control after cutting inside at the other end.
Peeeeep!
Who goes through? We ... may know in about 49 minutes.
Back for the second half in three or four minutes. A reminder that we go straight to penalties if it remains tied after 90.
Half-time reading from Jamie Jackson at Stoke 1-3 Spurs:
Decent half though, United absolutely on fire for half an hour without scoring or, perhaps, creating enough clear chances. Everton came back into it after that and caused a flutter or two. Honours are even but you feel there is a goal in this.
Half-time: Everton 0-0 Manchester United
Rob’s being sent to Coventry by his nearest and dearest.
45+1 min: They nearly had a decent opening just now actually, but Mina made an acrobatic clearance from close to goal. Now Fernandes tries an ambitious free-kick from range and Olsen, albeit after spilling slightly, gathers.
Updated
45 min: “I’ll go against those going against the grain and say United will score first with Greenwood before half time. (Let’s not mention this if it doesn’t happen - it’ll bring much shame on my family),” writes Rob Edwards.
43 min: Just been a little rocky for United in the last 10 minutes and the speed has gone out of their passing, too. Everton’s improvement is clearly a big factor in that.
41 min: Not quite yet though, as Sigurdsson pea-rolls one to Henderson after a patient move through the thirds.
40 min: Several of you emailing to say United are bound to concede after that blanket but fruitless dominance, and I wouldn’t quite rule it out on recent evidence.
39 min: And another Everton corner. This is all far better from them. It nearly falls for Godfrey before a United boot lashes away.
38 min: Sigurdsson lines up a 25-yard free-kick ... floats it over the wall ... and Henderson has to bat it behind! That was a fine effort from all involved. The corner is overhit.
Updated
Everton need a Phil Neville tackle to set the tone @NickAmes82. Defensive shape and discipline can only do so much, but sometimes you have to make a tackle, take a yellow card if necessary, but disrupt the rat-a-tat-tat passing.
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) December 23, 2020
Too easy for Manchester United at Goodison.
36 min: Godfrey tumbles in the box; no penalty. But this is Everton’s best (/first) spell of serious pressure.
35 min: Calvert-Lewin wins the header from Sigurdsson’s set-piece, but it’s down the throat of Henderson.
34 min: Everton string together a lengthy spell of possession for the first time. It ends with Bailly clearing an Iwobi cross. But they are getting a little better and less frantic. And now they win a corner!
31 min: Everton do get to counter promisingly, led by Calvert-Lewin, after uncertainty in United’s midfield but the move slows down and then Iwobi gives possession away cheaply.
Updated
30 min: A lull. There have not been too many. United have been relentless. It’s been quite refreshing. But no goals yet for anyone.
28 min: Fernandes whips his own cross in now and Mina just flicks it behind with Cavani ready to convert. United remain absolutely dominant; there was just that one little slalom from Sigurdsson but this is one-way traffic. Telles’ corner flies all the way through and Pogba, perhaps seeing it late, heads straight at a fortunate Olsen.
25 min: Greenwood finds Telles and then gets on the end of a whipped cross ... glancing it a fraction wide with a fine, darting header. That was really close.
23 min: Pogba tries to play Tuanzebe in and again Olsen doesn’t really take command of the situation, needing two defenders to come in and usher the ball away.
22 min: Now that’s better from Everton. Sigurdsson takes it upon himself to weave into the box but an attempt to slide-rule one in is blocked. It was something.
Updated
21 min: Oh, he has now. United play it around at the back under some moderate pressing.
20 min: Has Dean Henderson touched the ball yet? I’m genuinely not sure he has.
18 min: You know what they say, though – better score while you’re on top! We have not seen *a thing* from Everton yet though, it’s quite amazing. I’d love to see the possession and territory stats.
16 min: Fernandes and Greenwod link up sublimely but are crowded out. Then United come back and Olsen blocks from Cavani at an angle. This is an incredible level of dominance from United, they are bang on it and playing some really nice stuff.
14 min: Tuanzebe robs Godfrey, Fernandes has a shot desperately blocked by a sliding Mina, and Olsen just about gathers at the feet of Cavani. Everton need to calm down here.
Updated
12 min: Wow, Olsen looks jittery. He completely loses his bearings with the ball at his feet and Cavani gets something on it ... before the keeper just about recovers. Shades of Alex Runarsson at Arsenal last night in these shot stopper’s nerves.
11 min: United’s fifth corner! They are piling the pressure on in the old style. Richarlison gets it away but Everton are camped in their own half.
10 min: Olsen hesitates to come off his line and Coleman has to concede another corner. Everton are not at the races yet. They do clear this one with a bit more ease though.
9 min: Cavani tries one from ... errrm ... halfway, and the less said the better. Good to be confident though!
8 min: Mina is up and the next corner comes in at last. It’s not properly cleared and eventually Pogba finds Van de Beek in the box. His effort is blocked behind! Cavani tries to convert a Pogba flick from corner #3 but, perhaps thankfully given he fluffs his lines, is offside again. United causing a lot of bother from those set-pieces.
5 min: Corner to a perky-looking United, won by Tuanzebe on the right. Telles delivers it well, causing a combination of Mina and the home debutant keeper Olsen to turn it behind. Mina takes a blow to the nose and is hurt – the physio is on.
3 min: Fernandes has a golden chance to play Cavani in to his left but uncharacteristically fluffs it. Fast start from the men in red.
2 min: Early running from United but Cavani is called offside. He isn’t sure about that. We have now VAR so you’ll have to do without graphics and super slo-mos tonight!
Peeeeep! We begin!
United kick off and kick left to right, on yer telly. Fascinatingly, if I was #atthegame the press box is on the other side.
Updated
I can hear Z Cars! The teams are coming out at Goodison. There are fans in the ground, 2,000 of them – which sadly is not something we will be saying very often from Boxing Day.
Heeeeere’s Carlo:
“An important game, important competition, we are going to play against a really tough opponent so we have to try to do our best to reach the semi-final. They are a dangerous team, fast, really good on the counterattack and in possession. We have to concentrate and focus and use our quality when we have the ball.”
“Great team selection from OGS, high hopes for a good game of football tonight, plenty of goals and no injuries for either team,” writes Neil Carter. Amen to all that!
Matt Burtz writes in on a strong Everton selection: “This Everton fan reckons that their lineup tonight is as strong as it could be considering the injuries. They recently kept a clean sheet against two of the top five in the league in xG (Chelsea and Leicester) and the back four has been stout ever since the change in the middle of the Burnley game. Hopefully Coleman’s inclusion will not upset that too much, though it should provide a bit more going forward than Holgate.”
Solskjaer says: “It’s a hectic schedule, we’ve got a game – thank you very much! – on Saturday at 12.30. Some of these players needed a game and I think it’s a strong team that can match them physically.”
Donny van de Beek gets a welcome start, as do Mason Greenwood, Edinson Cavani, Dean Henderson and Axel Tuanzebe.
Spurs have won 3-1 at Stoke. Get the aftermath with Paul Doyle!
Team news
Everton: Olsen; Coleman, Godfrey, Keane, Mina; Douroure, Gomes, Sigurdsson; Iwobi, Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin. Subs: Pickford, Kenny, Holgate, Tosun, Bernard, Gordon, Davies.
Manchester United: Henderson; Tuanzebe, Bailly, Maguire, Telles; Matic, Pogba, van de Beek, Fernandes; Greenwood, Cavani. Subs: Grant, Fosu-Mensah, Shaw, Fred, Lingard, Martial, Rashford.
Hello
Your next instalment of festive Carabao Cup fare is here! Who’ll join Man City, Spurs (it seems) and ... yes ... Brentford in the last four?
It’s a good question because we really don’t know. Everton are flying high in the league but do have a defeat in them, including the 3-1 reverse against tonight’s opponents at this very venue several lifetimes ago last month. They looked very secure against Chelsea and Arsenal recently, and have done well despite a long injury list, but they have a formidable hurdle to jump tonight.
We might not have described United as one of those very often recently, and they are never too far away from an existential Ole crisis, but domestically they really are flying and wouldn’t it be a shot in the arm to break Man City’s hold on this competition?
Yes it would. Let’s see if they can – or whether it’s a merry Christmas for Carlo Ancelotti’s team! Kick-off is 45 minutes away.
