So that’s about us – thanks for your company and comments. Ta-ra.
And here’s Jamie Jackson’s match report.
Elsewhere: join Rob Smyth for Arsenal v Manchester City - for whom Fill Phoden starts. And about time too.
United need creativity in midfield so much it’s ridiculous. Pogba is meant to supply that, but who knows if he’ll even play for the club again. If they find the right player - and really they need two midfielders - they could have a pretty decent season, If they stay as they are, or sign another striker, they can expect many more afternoons like this one.
As for United, Solskjaer has to ask himself for how much longer he can leave out Greenwood. He’s United’s best finisher by a mile and has earned a spot in the team not by talent but by performance.
Updated
Duncan Ferguson praises the shift put in by his players, saying that he backs his two strikers to cause teams problems. He responds to a question about the legitimacy of Everton’s goal with all the disgust you’d hope for – “Everything’s a free-kick now isn’t it”. He explains that he subbed Kean because he needed to make a change to waste time and had mainly strikers on the bench. “Nothing personal,” he says. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Updated
Full-time: Manchester United 1-1 Everton
An excellent performance and point from Everton, who were disciplined, dogged and enterprising. United, meanwhile, were United, saved by some ridiculous quality up front but short of verve and ideas in midfield. They are overtaken by Spurs, who scored late to win 2-1 at Wolves, while Everton stay 16th.
90+3 min Bit of keep-ball from Everton, as Gary Neville announces Calvert-Lewin as his man of the match. That’s fair enough, though Holgate has played well too.
90+2 min Again, United get it out to Rashford, who looks up, halucinates Ian Ormondroyd, Peter Crouch and Duncan Ferguson in the box, and tries a high cross. Pickford claims.
90+1 min Fred runs onto a pass from Rashford and twists back for Mata, who sets Rashford for a shot. He opens his body and makes a decent connection, but doesn’t set it out wide enough and Pickford saves easily.
90 min There’ll be four added minutes.
89 min Ey up - Ferguson brings on Niasse ... for Kean, who’s not injured and only just came on. Kean looks befuddled and Ferguson doesn’t even look at him; he walks straight down the tunnel. Eesh. Awkz.
Updated
88 min United have struggled since scoring but a fine reverse-ball from Wan-Bissaka sends McTominay down the line. He has a look, sees no one in the middle, cuts back a cross anyway and Everton clear.
87 min Calvert-Lewin, who’s had a good afternoon, runs at McTominay who upends him. Free-kick Everton, 30 yards out, left of centre. Baines fancies it, but delivers a conversion.
86 min Mata replaces James, who’s had a disappointing afternoon but whose willingness and persistence were key in creating the goal.
85 min Lovely ball from Fred, slid out to Wan-Bissaka, whose low cross is hast and easily cleared.
85 min Strangely, this corner isn’t on top of De Gea and again the ball hits Lindelof, but this time United clear.
84 min Everton have been excellent since conceding, Iwobi running across McTominay and swiping and outswiger that De Gea dives to push behind. Get ready...
83 min Very nice from Richarlison, who slows down Wan-Bissaka and prepares to shoot, right as a go go Gadget let extends to confiscate possession.
82 min Canny from James, who has a phenomenal appetite for accepting violence. He puts his body between Kean and the ball, then wears a lunge. Unitecd could then get one mixahd, but instead go short for more huffing, with a side order of puffing.
81 min There are gaps everywhere now - this is gorgeously frantic.
81 min Everton aren’t feeling sorry for themselves but, Davies driving to the line and clipping a cross that De Gea clutches. Well done him!
79 min I don’t think I’ve ever seen a young player as economical and composed in front of goal as Greenwood. It style he reminds me of Solskjaer and in appearance Van Persie, but the way he plays the game is Paul Scholes: he only ever does what’s on, and always picks the best option.
GOAL! Manchester United 1-1 Everton (Greenwood 77)
Shut up! Greenwood sprays a lush one out to James, who burrows infield then returns possession. Greenwood, now central, takes a touch then, using the defender as a screen, shapes to go far post then drags an expert’s finish through Mina’s legs and inside the near, Solskjaer-style. Mason Greenwood is a superstar. It really is that simple.
Updated
77 min James and McTominay exchange passes, allowing the former to dribble a shot at Pickford. He copes.
76 min He whips one in, Martial can’t reach it, and United get back on the plod.
75 min After making a fine tackle inside his own box, Wan Bissaka gets forward and darts a ball into Martial, who’s fouled by Holgate. Fred will smash the free-kick into touch...
74 min “Utd still have Juan Mata,” says Matt Emerson. “He used to be quite good as a No 10, didn’t he?”
Almost never for United - he gets buffeted about like a kid playing with his dad’s mates - but yes, he’d be an option here.
73 min Wan-Bissaka attacks Baines and gets around the back, crossing low towards Martial ... but Keane, who’s been excellent gets a foot in.
72 min Fred goes short, makes absolute fred of it, and suddenly Everton have a break, Shaw doing well to chase down Iwobi - who had options.
71 min More pressure from United, Greenwood winning a corner down the right...
71 min Change for Everton, Kean replacing Bernard. He does into the middle and Richarlison will play on the left.
70 min Fred’s corner is a decent one too, hard and flat, but Maguire, running across the face of goal from right to centre, can’t get a touch. Lindelof picks up the loose ball though, controlling, turning, and drilling a curler just over the top.
69 min Nice from Greenwood, turning in the box to lay back for James, who’s come inside; he swivels into a shot, but it’s straight at Pickford. But United come again, and Shaw wins a corner...
68 min The game’s getting stretched now, which should suit United, but Everton will fancy themselves to finish things on the counter.
67 min Martial runs at Baines and Mina, Baines challenges, Martial goes down, and the ref is having no such penalty.
66 min Calvert-Lewin leaps to chest down for Richarlison and Lindelof ploughs through him. He’s booked, and is having an absolute day in.
66 min Greenwood replaces Lingard. He goes wide right, James goes wide left, and Rashford goes in behind.
65 min What United need, and don’t really have, is a number 10. I know Lingard is playing there but it’s not working for him, and I don’t fully grasp why the bench requires two left-backs when it could have Angel Gomes.
63 min On the touchline, Greenwood, stripped, peruses a playbook. On the pitch, Bernard pulls wide and finds Calvert-Lewin who drags a shot wide.
62 min Shaw advances and when no one bothers to challenge he lets a decent low shot go that Pickford shoves back at James ... who lamps it directly into Lingard’s coupon! Happy birthday, old mate!
Updated
61 min On the United bench, a piece of paper passes down the line. “Bring Mason Greenwood on” is probably what is says.
60 min “Is it as one-sided as the ‘goal attempts’ stats suggest, Daniel?” asks Bill Hargreaves.
No. Everton could just as easily score the next goal, and United have only made one decent chance: the one Lingard missed after 20 seconds.
58 min McTominay finds James again - United were too focused on the left flank in the first half - and his cross is deflected behind. Calvert-Lewin heads the corner away, but United keep up the pressure, Martial finding James. Maguire, still up, leaps ... and wins another corner, which United waste. Of course they do.
57 min Everton pump a free-kick into the box and Mina goes down under pressure from Maguire. The away fans want a penalty, but nothing doing.
55 min Davies is down after catching his lower leg underneath him in a tackle with Lingard. Everton only have one midfielder on the bench - 18 year-old Anthony Gordon.
53 min Better from United, McTominay sliding into space for James to screech past Baines and cut back a cross. But Rashford is the only man in the box, and Keane, facing his own goal, does well to shove out an intercepting foot.
52 min And actually this isn’t a bad effort, hard and flat towards the back post, where Keane does just enough to thwart Maguire with Pickford rooted to his line.
52 min Nice from Martial, beating Mina on the right, attacking Baines and falling over. Free-kick apparently, for Fred to wallop past the back post.
51 min United have increased the tempo and Martial comes deep to find Rashford, who wipes his foot across the ball but sends it hectares over the bar.
49 min And there he is, leaping for Wan-Bissaka’s cross. It’s a decent one too, but Mina heads away and then, from a tricky height, Fred slices to Selhurst.
49 min He didn’t receive much in the way of service, but Anthony Martial gave his markers too easy a half - again. I’d not be surprised to see him hooked for Mason Greenwood if he doesn’t step it up sharpish.
48 min Everton work it clear well and Calvert-Lewin runs Lindelof, who stays with him - just about - but can’t do any more until McTominay arrives and United move forward.
47 min Lingard, who missed United’s best chance of the half, forages down the left but runs into Holgate.
46 min This is a huge half for both clubs. United need to show their recent improvement wasn’t simply because opponents obliged them, while Everton can solidify Ferguson’s claim on the top job.
46 min We go again, as I’m sure supporters of both sides will agree.
Updated
"That's back to de Gea's early days at United - getting bullied."
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 15, 2019
Lindelof can do nothing about it but his own-goal opens the scoring at Old Trafford!
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Elsewhere: Spurs lead at Wolves thanks to Lucas Moura’s goal.
“I’m right behind local big personalities helping their club along,” says Bill Hargreaves, but in that Ferguson-Freund photo, let’s remember it’s ‘joga bonito’ not ‘jugular finito’.”
Surely one comes under banner of t’other.
Breaking news: Vivianne Miedema is a player.
Half-time reading:
Half-time: Everton 1-0 Manchester United
United started reasonable enough, but as we predicted, once they failed to get a lead, their ideas quickly expired and Everton asserted themselves very well. Solskjaer has work to do, while Ferguson’s side look in good shape.
46+2 min Again United move down the left, Rashford twisting and turning before screwing a cross for Martial that Mina clears.
45 min There’ll be two additional minutes.
Updated
44 min United try to regain momentum, Fred and Rashford combining to find McTominay, who drags a shot that’s deflected wide. Naturally, the corner comes to nothing.
43 min Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin have been excellent these last 15 minutes, running the channels to get their team up the pitch.
42 min Lindelof, the goalscorer, ventures forward and clips a pass into touch.
41 min And as for David de Gea, he’s never quite matured into a dominant keeper. Often, he stays at home when he needs to get out, but for the goal he came without conviction. It’s hard to understand why he hasn’t improved in that regard, but easy to assume he’s not going to at this point of his career.
39 min Basically, we’ve seen this before.
38 min That goal wasn’t exactly inevitable - well it was because it happened - but besides that, Everton had started to assert themselves, winning territory and set-pieces as United became discouraged.
GOAL! Manchester United 0-1 Everton (Lindelof og, 36)
I’m not sure about this. Baines curls in a brilliant corner, Calvert-Lewin rushes De Gea who goes weakly with one arm and gets a tiny touch, the ball then hitting Lindelof and trickling in. That looks a foul on the keeper to me ... but VAR says no. I’m not sure why, but I am sure that the game can do without chalking off goals for infractions of that ilk.
Updated
35 min Lindelof looks to pass out of defence but Davies intercepts well and then Shaw gives it away, the ball eventually going out to Iwobi on the right. His cross is a peach, but no one attacks the near post and Lindelof heads behind.
34 min Baines’ free-kick misses everyone, but Shaw’s defensive header is as you’d expect, lazy and aimless. Holgate picks up the loose ball, then slices a useless shot that just about makes it over the goallines.
32 min Bernard’s corner is hit towards Keane but Maguire gets in the way, then Martial sends the ball back to the taker. Eventually, Fred sees the danger away, but Everton come again and Lindelof knocks Richarlison over for no sensible reason. Free-kick Everton out on the left...
31 min Everton have passed it a bit better these last five minutes, Calvert-Lewin starting to put himself about, and here’s Richarlison winning a corner off McTominay.
30 min “1999 saw me in a small Czech town teaching the local youth to speak better English,” says Brad Elliott. “Went to the local pub - the Red 7 in Breclav - for the night of the Champions League final, with about 10 of my students. When Bayern scored early, one of said students started to goad me, knowing my fervent allegiances. After about 70 minutes or so I’d had enough, so I threw a punch and a minor scuffle ensued - I had to be peeled off him by other members of his class.
When Sheringham then Sunny-Boy (what it means in Norwegian apparently) won it for us I ended up kissing my erstwhile student-opponent and about four hours later was carried out of the bar singing the Solskjær song.”
The teacher we all needed.
28 min “I’ve got that single on vinyl in the attic,” tweets @foolhandy. “It’s the reason why my little brother (age three at the time) has supported Everton all his life. He loved that song!”
The United equivalent was the first record/tape/CD I owned.
27 min Rashford hammers a shot over the wall as Pickford lean right, then flings himself left to punch clear as the ball moves in the air. It was straight at him in a sense, but he had every reason to expect it to bend away.
25 min United looking to increase the
peace
pace and McTominay takes the ball out of the air, sways right then Cruyffs left, away from Davies, who brings him down. The ref goes to his pocket, presumably realises Davies has already booked, and thinks better of it. Free-kick United, in, er, “Marcus Rashford Territory”.
25 min It takes a while, but Baines is now with us.
23 min Digne appears to be in some trouble - he’s clutching his groin, and Leighton Baines, also of the late-90s and frequently known as the six member of Menswear, is going to replace him.
22 min Fred swings the corner out and directly onto Calvert-Lewin’s bonce. He clears.
22 min United’s attack is focusing mainly down their left, and after some slow passing Rashford injects a bit of pace, winning a corner off Iwobi.
20 min There’s a nice tempo to the game, though not excesses of quality. Richarlison is still limping.
19 min James moseys over to the left in a bid to make something happen, finding Rashford, who’s shot from distance clatters a defender. Meanwhile, Richarlison limps after hurting his leg in a challenge with Fr “Bites yer leg” Ed.
Updated
17 min Martial, who’s started livelily, runs at Keane and goes over. He wants a free-kick, but Keane got just enough on the ball.
15 min The Everton fans were singing this belter a few minutes ago.
14 min Nice from United, Fred popping it through to Martial, to plays a wall-pass off Rashford before Coleman steps in to get in his road. Good defending.
13 min “While it’s possible it’s a tactical choice from big Dunc to go for ball-carriers in midfield,’ emails Kevin Pready, “I can’t help but think it might be more influenced by Tom Davies being the only fit central midfielder in the first team squad. Gomes, Gbamin, Delph, Sigurdsson and Schneiderlin all out injured or ill as far as I can see.”
Yes, I didn’t realise Sigurdsson was ill.
11 min And there it is! McTominay puts James in a race with Digne; he burns him up, and because Pickford doesn’t come, he meepmeeps into the box only to drive wide. He might’ve checked there, because the angle was against him and no defender was anywhere near him. Meanwhile, Digne and Coleman chastise Pickford for not coming out to clear.
Updated
10 min Lindelof drives a ball from right to left, seeking Rashford. But he’s running away from goal and can’t wrap his foot around the ball, wellying a shot into the near side-netting. But Everton are playing with a higher line than I expected, and it’s going to get them into trouble if they’re not careful.
Updated
9 min “90s idiocy,” begins Dave Johnson. “My folks had a pub in Camden for many years. I went out on the wallop with a pocketful of cash, in the thousands (I hadn’t had a day off in two years), and had a moment of clarity a few days later. In Kiev. I still have the boarding passes and train ticket stubs from, among other places, Amsterdam, Berlin and Warsaw. Somewhere called Wroclaw? Keep meaning to go back to see how I spent a shedload of zlotys on a stew. Panicked when I saw the Rs were the wrong way round and I wasn’t just slumped outside the Monarch on Chalk Farm Road. Cab to station, flight home and a furious bollocking from me ma. I still have no idea how I got the visas to get in to Poland or Ukraine. But they’re there in my last passport. Ale is ace.”
Effort.
7 min Richarlison – who looks to me like he has all the raw materials to grow into a serious player – forages out on the right and knocks back to Holgate, who sweeps a shot directly into De Gea’s midriff.
6 min McTominay drives through midfield, pokes the ball away from Davies who’s already committed to the challenge, and down he goes. Davies – who i’m sure would’ve loved the 90s – is booked.
Updated
5 min “So many great things about that photo of Duncan Ferguson,” says Tommy Marlow, “not least the captain’s armband on the offending arm and the unsighted referee not two feet away. Who needs VAR. I also like the descriptions of the team formations as to their purpose, more of this.”
Imagine the horror of burglarising a house, only to discover that it belongs to Big Dunc.
4 min Holgate has moved into midfield, though Everton lined up as a five to begin with. Oooh, clever clever!
3 min United struggle to clear the resultant corner, then the second falls at the feet of Calvert-Lewin when Lingard fails to clear - he’s having a lovely birthday so far - but someone, Lindelof I think, blocks the shot.
2 min Now hear come Everton, Holgate pumping in a cross that De Gea has to flick over the top. He looks to have hurt himself stretching, but will be fine.
1 min United nearly score in the first 20 seconds! Rashford beats Coleman in the air and Martial runs the channel - do not adjust your sets, you read that right – then finds Fred, who bursts into the box, beats one man, runs through another, and the ball squirts across to Lingard, who swivels to shoot just wide.
1 min Off we go!
Here come the teams! Harrance Maguire captains United, and I’d expect that to continue – I’d not be surprised if he was signed partly for that reason. Personally, I’m unconvinced. If he actually is the leader he’s meant to be – Steve Bruce with a first touch – then he ought to have done more to protect the leads United habitually cede.
“Happy to see bogeyman Sigurdsson on the bench,” emails Duncan Edwards. “Happy for Gary Naylor to keep that goal as his greatest memory of Everton v United and happy to predict that will remain the case after today. 4-2 United.”
To save Gary the bother.
Solskjaer tells Sky Everton pose a different challenge to City, and his young team are learning etcetera etcetera; he expects Everton to play a centre-back in midfield.
Ferguson confirms that Sidibe and Sigurdsson are ill, and the formation is a consequence of that – I think he might have done well in that aspect, because the 5-3-2 will make things harder for United.
What Everton need to avoid – and prepare yourselves, for this is a biggie – is not to concede early. United’s confidence, though up, remains brittle, and if they fail to score in the first half-hour, they’ll remember that they’re meant to struggle in such circumstances and also that they lack midfield inspiration. On which point, Jesse Lingard has been really good lately, and the onus will be on him to open things up.
Back to today, I imagine Ferguson has gone for ball-carriers in midfield because he wants to counter the counterers. Playing two strikers also means that the long ball is a decent option, and if Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin can hold it up, Bernard, Iwobi and the wing-backs will be in the game.
Imagine this was your boss!
How good was this!
I imagine United will look to outrun and outfight Everton in midfield – there’s not a lot of ballast in Bernard, Davies and Iwobi – then find space between centre-back and wing-back. The question is how effectively they can do that against a team sitting deep.
Players you’ve never seen play well: Bernard. I’m surprised he’s playing today, and I’m unsure what it is he’s meant to be good at. Feel free to correct me.
“Duncan knows what to do when the time comes,” tweets Gary Naylor.
He does.
Looking again at the teams, I wonder if Axel Tuanzebe might’ve been a smart choice for United. Lindelof started the season poorly, and though he’s been better in recent weeks, he and Maguire are too similar for my tastes. Tuanzebe is as good as Lindelof on the ball, better under the high ball, and has the recovery pace to compensate for any errors. I’d guess that Ferguson sees the centre of United’s defence as a weak point to exploit.
So, come on then: let’s have your tales of classic late-90s idiocy. I’ll start: when Hooch came out, we went to Kwik Save Kentish Town, bought a load, then went back to school for afternoon lessons. It went as well as you imagine.
Ferguson, meanwhile, changes formation and personnel. Aware of what United can do when offered space, his 5-3-2 will aim to restrict that, at the same time as keeping an attacking threat via the deployment of two strikers. Out go Sidibe, Schneiderlin, Walcott and Sigurdsson; in come Coleman, Mina, Davies and Bernard.
Updated
So United are unchanged – replace Fred or Lingard with Pogba (stop laughing at the back) and this is Solskjaer’s first team – United’s 4000th straight with a homegrown product in the squad. At some point, Greenwood is going to demand inclusion – personally, I’d have picked him over Martial for last weekend. But Martial was excellent in that game, so deservedly returns. Can he maintain that level of effort and performance?
Updated
TEAMS!
Manchester United (a 4-3-3 disguised as a 4-2-3-1): De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw; McTominay, Fred, Lingard; James, Martial, Rashford. Subs: Romero, Tuanzebe, Williams, Young, Pereira, Mata, Greenwood.
Everton (a practical 5-3-2): Pickford; Coleman, Keane, Holgate, Mina, Digne; Bernard, Davies, Iwobi; Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison. Subs: Stekelenburg, Baines, Tosun, Keane, Niasse, Martina, Gordon.
Preamble
Sometimes the cosmos is kind to us. Not often, but sometimes. And right now is one of those times, because frankly, who doesn’t wish we were back in the late 90s? Some of us who are dead were alive, many of us who are old were young, and all of us who are young were free of this revolting hell-hole of a planet. So slip on your v-neck and Vans, grab a Fuse and a bottle of Hooch, and come right in for Ole Gunnar Solskjær v Duncan Ferguson back up in the game!
Strangely, these men are similar in an increasingly unusual way: they are uniformly loved. Petty grudge-bearing and fickle mind-changing are part of what makes football so joyous, but both Solskjær and Ferguson sit above that, a status earned through consistent excellence, unquestioned commitment and unimpeachable integrity – whether tripping Rob
ert
Lee or ragdolling Paul Ince.
Solskjær’s life has changed significantly in the last 10 days. Though much of what ailed him was not his fault and though it was clear to see how things were improving under him, had United lost to Spurs and Manchester City, the pressure might’ve told. Instead, he stayed calm, got his players back, and out-tacticked two bona fide greats of the game. The test today is for his team to maintain that level of performance against an opponent less inclined to facilitate it.
Ferguson, meanwhile, spent last weekend inspiring Everton to beat Chelsea with a man of the match performance from the touchline. It is easy to characterise him as a simple pashun merchant – imagine coming back to a dressing room with him in it, having given less than 173.65% – but he was an intelligent player who had to think hard about his game once injury compromised his natural gifts, qualities which will help him as a manager. This is a huge chance for him, and he’ll be eager not to waste it.
All in all, we’re set for decent afternoon’s, er, Premiership. After that, I’ve not a clue, but in the meantime.
Kick-off: 2pm GMT
