Everton 0 Manchester United 3: Garnacho’s stunning goal, Mainoo and protests

Sports

Alejandro Garnacho’s stunning overhead kick helped Manchester United retain their status as the Premier League’s top team with victory over Everton at the feisty Goodison Park.

Everton supporters protested against the club’s 10-point deduction before and during the match, holding up posters reading ‘corrupt’ before kick-off and in the 10th minute.

After being stunned by Garnacho’s acrobatic opener, Everton had the bigger attacking threat but went down 2-0 when Ashley Young fouled Anthony Martial in the penalty area (VAR Chris Kavanagh asked referee John Brooks to review his decision to give the United forward for a dive) and Marcus Rashford (not Bruno Fernandes) converted the penalty.

Martial scored his ninth goal against Everton, making it United’s third of the match, securing a first Premier League win of the season by more than one goal. They have now won five of their last six games, with the 15 points gained being more than any other side during this period.

Everton, meanwhile, is in second place with four points.

Here The Athletics‘s Laurie Whitwell and Sebastian Stafford-Bloor analyze the match.

Was Garnacho’s bicycle kick the best the Premier League has ever seen?

Sitting high in the commentary booth at Goodison Park, Gary Neville knew he was starting the debate by hailing Garnacho’s acrobatic strike as the best of its kind he had ever seen. Even better than Wayne Rooney’s, he insisted. That Rooney goal needs no further description to let people know the moment in question – a sign of its unique quality. But instinctively it feels like Garnachos will have the same cachet.

In terms of technique both are similar, with the player shuffling backwards and turning his body at an angle to make contact with the ball, but Garnacho’s was a cleaner strike, with Rooney’s famous coming off his shin. There was a bit of this with Garnachos, but also with some boots. Garnacho also had less time to react, with Diogo Dalot’s cross delivered quicker than Nani’s, which took a deflection.

Perhaps this is a separate argument, but the structure probably also gives Garnacho an extra edge. Victor Lindelof’s pass to Marcus Rashford to start the move was sublime.

Garnacho’s beautiful bicycle kick (Getty Images)

Rooney’s had a bigger context: he won a Manchester derby in a season when United won the Premier League title. But Garnacho’s was also important: he suppressed Everton’s hyped start in a match that Erik ten Hag’s side had to win to stay close to the Champions League places.

Ten Hag got a good view of the goal and served his sideline ban by watching from the control box between technical director Darren Fletcher, who played in that Rooney game in 2011, and new interim CEO Patrick Stewart.

As for all the other contenders for the best bicycle kick the Premier League has ever seen: Sebastien Haller’s (vs Crystal Palace) in 2020, Dimitar Berbatov’s (vs Liverpool) in 2010, Christian Benteke’s (vs Manchester United) in 2015, Andy Carroll’s (vs Palace ) in 2017, Emre Can’s (vs Watford) in 2017 are all worth mentioning. But Garnachos had a special mix of power, distance and speed.

Laurie Whitwell

How did Mainoo do in his first Premier League start?

If the preparation had gone differently, Kobbie Mainoo would have started a Premier League match earlier. He started against Arsenal in New Jersey and was excellent, then again for the friendly against Real Madrid in Houston, a sign of how highly Ten Hag views the 18-year-old. But a knee injury sustained during that game in July kept Mainoo out until recently.

The choice of Mainoo in the feverish Goodison Park was a statement from Ten Hag for the qualities of the midfielder and his calmness was striking. As a schoolboy, Mainoo was a star of the United team that won the FA Youth Cup in 2022, but this was a different level. Despite the hectic nature of the match, he was never rushed, even when receiving the ball in deep positions from Andre Onana. He also wanted to turn and play forward, rather than pass back.

Sensing the danger sensibly, he slid in to clear a certain Idrissa Gana Gueye goal as Dwight McNeill’s shot rolled towards the line, and flew a short time later to block a McNeill shot as Everton the pressure increased.

Mainoo was also effective higher up, at one point collecting the ball from Dalot in a pocket of space and getting into the penalty area after an exchange of passes with Marcus Rashford.

When Mainoo was substituted after 72 minutes, he received congratulations from Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay, and Ten Hag will be hoping he now has a mobile player for that No.6 position.

Mainoo clears the ball off the line (Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Laurie Whitwell

How did Everton react on the pitch to their ten-point penalty?

The tone of Everton’s response was what everyone knew it would be. The crowd was angry and partisan. Signs denouncing the Premier League’s decision decorated the stands and fireworks crackled in the sky above Goodison Park. The gist of the day turned it into a football match played during a protest.

The players were also animated on the field. Garnacho’s fantastic goal may have been good enough to suck the day’s oxygen away, but Everton quickly rebuilt in the aftermath – so much so that United barely held on to their lead for the rest of the half. They failed to move or even retain possession in a meaningful way during the first half, resorting to long, direct exits that invited Everton to come back to them.

Referee Brooks checks the VAR screen (Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)

And that should have been costly. There was heart in Everton’s football, but also imagination, and they created enough chances to remain at least level at half-time, perhaps even ahead. The VAR review that led to Manchester United’s penalty understandably diminished some of the belief among Sean Dyche’s players in the second half, but Goodison continued to seethe and bubble long after the points had been lost.

Sebastian Stafford-Bloor

What did Ten Hag, Dyche and Garnacho say?

Erik ten Hag: “The start of the race was very good. A very good team goal, the finish was incredible – world class. Probably already the goal of the season. Beautiful moment.

“Then we went passive and Everton were in the game. We corrected that at half time and were very good. We were proactive, took the initiative and scored great goals.”

Garnacho, who was named player of the match by Sky Sports, said: “I honestly can’t believe it. I didn’t see how it got in. I just listened around. I said, ‘Oh my God.’ For me it is one of the best goals I have ever scored. Yeah, probably (one of the goals of the season), but it’s only November.”

Sean Dyche: “They started the match with a fellow world player, which put us in the background. We played well in the first half and had good chances, so I was happy at half time.

“Then they get a penalty early on and the VAR is made so complex. I feel for the fans and the referee is staring at the screen and we know the outcome.

“The way the modern game is, they say it’s a penalty. But we see it all the time and it is what the game has become now.”

What next for Everton?

Saturday December 2: Nottingham Forest (A), Premier League 5.30pm GMT, 12.30pm ET

What next for Manchester United?

Wednesday November 29: Galatasaray (A), Champions League, 5.45pm GMT, 12.45pm ET

United travel to Turkey desperate for three points to get their Champions League campaign back on track. A defeat would see them eliminated from the competition.

Saturday December 2: Newcastle (A), Premier League, 8pm GMT, 3pm ET