Manchester United suffer yet another defeat

Manchester United’s poor run in the ongoing season got even poorer when they got outplayed by Everton to be beaten 2-0 at Goodison Park. Leighton Baines and Mirallas scored for the Merseysiders in the first half to make sure that they complete a rare double over Manchester United in one season. United had the ball under their almost for the two-third of the 90 minutes in the match but they never looked like scoring mostly because of great defending display from David Moyes’s former side. Also Wayne Rooney and co lacked the determination that could be felt when they played against Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Juan Mata was also a bit off-colour tonight. Everton mostly caught the shaky Unite defense on counter-attacks. And both the goals came from couple of such counters. In the 28^th minute, referee made no hesitation in pointing to the spot while Phil Jones handled a shot from an Everton player. Baines, who was United’s one of the summer targets, made no mistake to find the back of the net from the spot. 15 minutes later, Mirallas took advantage of United’s yet another defensive lapse to score the second of the night.

In the second half United tried to make a comeback but somehow they lacked penetration. Hence could not get any clear chance at Everton goal. Towards the end Wayne Rooney missed a golden opportunity to reduce the margin but he failed to score even after having only the keeper at his mercy. The keeper made a great save and made sure that Everton keep a clean sheet.

With this win, Manchester United’s slim chance of playing any European tournament next season got slimmer as a top 5 finish now looks a distant dream for them. On the other hand, Everton is breathing down the neck of Arsenal after this win. They are looking really good under their new manager Roberto Martinez for a 4^th place finish and getting an opportunity for playing in the Champions League in the next season.

• About the Author

About Argha Ghosh

An ardent follower of sports and die-hard Manchester United fan, Argha's ultimate dream is to watch a Manchester derby from the Stretford End at the Old Trafford.