Man Utd suffered a crushing 3-0 defeat at Everton

The Red Devils suffered their second consecutive defeat in the Premier League and put in a lackluster performance against a well-organised home team.

Rooney played poorly against his former team and his teammates did not do any better. Photo: Reuters.

The second consecutive defeat not only took away Man Utd's chance to take second place in the table but could also push the team into a struggle for fourth place in the last four rounds. Man Utd currently have 65 points, seven points ahead of fifth-placed Liverpool, but the Anfield team still has a game in hand.

Goodison Park has continued to prove a dangerous place for United in recent years. The Red Devils conceded in the fifth minute after James McCarthy completed a swift Everton counter-attack. The home side doubled their lead in the first half through a header from centre-back John Stone. Mirallas capitalised on a United defensive error late in the second half to make it 3-0.

This is Everton's third consecutive victory over Man Utd at Goodison Park. Meanwhile, Man Utd have only one win in their last seven away games here with two draws and four defeats.

History repeated itself in today's game. This was the first time Man Utd had conceded two goals in the first half of a Premier League game since April 2014, and the last time was also against Everton at Goodison Park. A year ago, David Moyes and Man Utd suffered a 0-2 defeat and now Van Gaal has suffered an even worse result.

David Moyes has left, but the current Man Utd squad still has players who left a deep impression at Everton, Rooney and Fellaini. The two stars playing at the top of the attack line of the Red Devils really want to score against their old team, but are powerless against Everton who play too tight in defense and sharp in attack.

Man Utd's most notable chance came right after they conceded the first goal. Fellaini stole the ball from Barry and faced goalkeeper Tim Howard, but the Belgian midfielder's shot went over the bar. On a day when Man Utd's midfield, including Herrera and Mata, played poorly, the visitors resorted to ineffective wing play. In the second half, coach Van Gaal replaced Fellaini with Falcao, further suffocating Man Utd because of the Colombian striker's confusion in the Everton defense.

Mata did not help Man Utd create pressure from the midfield and was often at a disadvantage in collisions. Photo: Reuters.

In the previous round, Man Utd lost at Chelsea in a match where they controlled the ball 71%. In this away match, Man Utd also controlled the ball 66% and the result was a similar defeat.

Everton looked like an exact replica of what Chelsea did a week ago, with an upgraded version of faster players. Aaron Lennon, James McCarthy and Lukaku kept the United defence on edge whenever United lost possession up front. Against a fast-paced attack, the centre-backs Smalling and McNair and defensive midfielder Blind showed the flaws that many United fans feared.

Blind has just returned from injury and this may be the reason why he played so poorly in this match. In a game where he knew the opponent was playing defensive counter-attacking, Blind could not intercept from a distance and put the central defenders at constant risk of being hit in the face. If Smalling had not made a few successful interceptions, De Gea would have had to pick the ball out of the net more than three times. Blind's performance only made Man Utd miss vice-captain Michael Carrick even more, whose return date is still unknown.

Mirallas punished Man Utd's defense with the goal that made it 3-0. Photo: Reuters.

Lukaku did not score in this match, but the former Chelsea striker still made the Man Utd defenders struggle to keep up. The Belgian striker not only had bold dribbles but also attracted the opponent's defense for his teammates. Everton's third goal was a typical situation when all the Man Utd defenders stopped because they were only focused on Lukaku being offside and forgot about Mirallas quietly running up from behind.

This was Everton's fifth win in their last six games. The Merseyside club have enjoyed a strong resurgence towards the end of the season after a largely uneven campaign. However, Everton's revival is only a morale boost as they are no longer in contention for a European place next season.

According to VNE