Man United vs Everton score, highlights, result as McTominay and Martial net but Rashford limps off injured

Joe Wright

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Man United vs Everton score, highlights, result as McTominay and Martial net but Rashford limps off injured image

OLD TRAFFORD, MANCHESTER — Manchester United eased to a 2-0 win over Everton to boost their top-four chances in the Premier League, but the loss of Marcus Rashford to injury will have come as a major blow.

After a battling 1-0 win over Brentford less than 72 hours ago, the Red Devils were back in Premier League action against a Toffees side who fought for a valuable point against Tottenham last time out.

They led 1-0 at halftime courtesy of Scott McTominay's first Premier League goal for more than a year, but several missed chances during that first half meant the lead was more precarious than it might have been.

Substitute Anthony Martial scored midway through the second half, though, giving the home side a more comfortable advantage, and Everton never truthfully looked capable of threatening a surprise result.

Christian Eriksen's first appearance since January brought huge cheers from the home fans on a warm day in Manchester, but plenty of supporters would have felt an icy chill when Rashford hobbled off in the closing stages with what looked like a groin injury.

Man United vs Everton final score

  1H 2H Final
Man United 1 1 2
Everton 0 0 0

Goals:
Man United — Scott McTominay — 36th min
Man United — Anthony Martial — 71st min

United's narrow win over Brentford on Wednesday saw the Red Devils dominate the first hour without managing to kill the game, leaving them hanging on a little in the closing stages. It looked like this contest would follow a similar pattern.

Ten Hag's side largely controlled the first half but were too often thwarted by Everton keeper Jordan Pickford, who performed admirably to deny Rashford from a host of chances and made good saves from Antony and Marcel Sabitzer. The home side ended the first 45 minutes on 21 shots, the most of any team in an opening half this season.

There was little he could do about the opening goal when it finally arrived. Rashford and McTominay managed to keep possession amid a crowd of Everton defenders; as the latter continued his run into the box, he was picked out by a precise Jadon Sancho pass, and he duly smashed in a low finish from six yards for his first league goal since December 2021.

Ellis Simms, born in Greater Manchester, had Everton's only clear opportunity of the half but dragged a shot wide from 12 yards out. In reality, that was about as good as it got for the visitors.

The second half was a scrappier affair, with both sets of players a little looser in passing and a little less willing to sprint in the warm Easter sunshine. It wasn't surprising that an error ultimately ended any hope of an Everton comeback: after Seamus Coleman failed to control the ball, Rashford nipped in and squared it to Martial, who finished well under pressure.

Eriksen's return off the bench after three months out with injury was a welcome sight for the home fans, but the game ended on a sour note as Rashford pulled up on the Everton byline and hobbled the long way around to the tunnel in the Stretford End. He gave his shirt to a fan as he trudged down the tunnel, but that youngster was the only United supporter smiling as their star player limped away.

Marcus Rashford injury: What happened?

Rashford had been a lively presence in attack and played a key part in both goals, although he should really have scored at least a couple himself.

There was a moment midway through the second half when he seemed to decide against chasing the ball and spent a few minutes walking, although that was apparently just a means of catching his breath given the sprint he produced moments later to stop Coleman on the counter-attack.

Then, with a little over 10 minutes left to play, Rashford stretched to reach a cross into the Everton box and signalled straight away to the dugout that he wanted to come off. Given the incident was on the far side of the pitch from the tunnel, he had to hobble the long way around to the dressing room.

Erik ten Hag told BT Sport that the injury "doesn't look [good]", and pointed to the tight turnaround between matches as a major concern.

He then told reporters at Old Trafford: "I can't say in this moment. You are a doctor, maybe? I'm not! We have to wait. Obviously, he went off, and we have to wait, set a diagnosis and we can see."

He added: "Some things, you can't afford. Why has the Premier League given us the late Sunday game, the early Saturday game? I think it's not right. Players can't recover that quickly. All science research shows you that players need more time to recover. It's part of the schedule that we're now finding ourselves in this situation. Now, we can only pray.

"I don't think any manager at this stage of the season will rotate. It's why it's the toughest league. In all the competitions we were in, you have to rotate to a certain extent. But this was avoidable. This is a fact that's more important than the sporting element: protecting players. This was a very entertaining afternoon, but players cannot do it when they are not fresh. We created a lot of chances but missing chances is also a part of it. We have to protect players and this is in the interests of football."

When asked whether he should have taken Rashford off at 2-0, Ten Hag replied: "I had that consideration — fair question. But I also wanted to bring Martial back and get [back] to those routines. The other thing is there was no indication at all. If there were complaints in the last days, I would have taken him off.

"Developing a team is also working on co-operations. You want to see them together. It will give us benefits in the coming games."

Casemiro will return to Man United midfield in ruder health

McTominay was in fine goalscoring form for Scotland in the international break and continued that with a well-taken finish here. Throughout the game, he and Sabitzer made strong runs from deep that kept the Everton defence on the back foot and stopped the visiting midfield getting any sort of grip on proceedings.

United were also carried by a superb performance from Fernandes as a deep-lying playmaker. The Portugal international distributed the ball with aplomb as the Red Devils sought to expose Everton down the flanks with cross-field passing.

"When you miss players, you have to find solutions as a manager," Ten Hag said. "When Casemiro and Eriksen were available, there is no need to bring [Fernandes] back. When they are missing, you have to find a solution. We found the idea to bring Bruno deeper, and he's been brilliant."

Fernandes' positional diligence also helped United keep Everton counter-attacks to a minimum. When Eriksen came on to fill that role instead, Fernandes drifted further forward to the right and brought two good saves out of Pickford. It showed again that the former Sporting CP star is a far more versatile player than many give him credit for.

With their midfielders in this sort of form, the return of Casemiro from suspension next week will leave Ten Hag feeling confident about his options in the middle of the park.

Confirmed lineups:

Man United (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1-De Gea (GK) — 29-Wan-Bissaka, 5-Maguire, 6-Martinez, 12-Malacia — 39-McTominay, 15-Sabitzer (17-Fred) — 21-Antony (9-Martial), 8-Fernandes, 25-Sancho (14-Eriksen) — 10-Rashford (27-Weghorst)

Man United subs: Dalot, Eriksen, Varane, Pellistri, Fred, Butland (GK), Weghorst, Martial, Lindelof

Everton (4-5-1, right to left): 1-Pickford (GK) — 23-Coleman (3-Paterson), 5-Keane, 2-Tarkowski, 22-Godfrey (19-Mykolenko) — 11-Gray, 17-Iwobi, 8-Onana (26-Davies), 27-Gueye (37-Garner), 7-McNeil — 50-Simms (20-Maupay)

Everton subs: Begovic (GK), Paterson, Holgate, Mina, Mykolenko, Maupay, Davies, Coady, Garner

Man United vs Everton commentary, highlights from Premier League

FT: It finishes 2-0 to Manchester United, who make it consecutive comfortable home wins in a week (and without conceding a goal). There was a welcome sight as Christian Eriksen made his return, but the injury to Marcus Rashford will have put a real dampener on the afternoon for Erik ten Hag.

90 + 2 mins: Christian Eriksen does a tidy bit of defensive work in his own box, and that's that!

90th min: Harry Maguire goes for a wander down the left wing and wins a corner. Bruno Fernandes fizzes the ball 30 yards to Christian Eriksen, who sees his shot blocked. United are enjoying themselves in these closing minutes.

86th min: Appeals for a penalty against Seamus Coleman, who was prone on the floor as the ball touched his arm, but nothing is given. Bruno Fernandes then stings the palms of Jordan Pickford, who has certainly been Everton's best player today.

80th min: On the day Christian Eriksen returns, Man United are given a new problem: Marcus Rashford has been forced off. The forward tried to control a ball over the top of the Everton defence and immediately signalled to the United bench. He looks to have hurt his groin and has walked gingerly down the touchline and into the tunnel.

76th min: There's a huge cheer around Old Trafford as Christian Eriksen comes off the bench for his first game since January. It brings an end to a loud rendition of 'We want Glazers out'.

71st min: MANCHESTER UNITED HAVE A SECOND! It's a costly slip from Everton captain Seamus Coleman, who miscontrolls Lisandro Martinez's long pass to Marcus Rashford and allows the England forward in on goal. Rashford squares it to Anthony Martial, who takes his time before slotting the ball past Jordan Pickford.

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67th min: United break forward and Marcel Sabitzer picks out Bruno Fernandes with a cross, but his header is tipped over by Jordan Pickford. Aaron Wan-Bissaka then flicks Anthony Martial's delivery goalwards, but it's right into the Everton keeper's midriff.

64th min: It's been sloppy to say the least in this second half, with passes going astray across the pitch. Everton are starting to apply some pressure, though.

56th min: United are walking when in possession and it's giving Everton a bit of heart when they win back the ball and break with speed. The trouble is, they're not doing much with it.

51st min: It's been a pretty sedate start to this second half. United seem happy enough to keep the ball and wait for the chance to get a runner in behind the Everton defence.

46th min: Everton get the second half underway. Ben Godfrey has been replaced by Vitalii Mykolenko, which is no great surprise given the problems Man United were causing down the Toffees' left-hand side.

HT: Man United lead 1-0 at halftime of this contest. They missed a hatful of chances before Scott McTominay took his international form to the domestic scene, scoring his first Premier League goal since December 2021. On that day, Sean Dyche's Burnley were the visitors to Old Trafford.

45 + 1 min: Jordan Pickford flies to his right to claw away Antony's shot after another long pass from Tyrell Malacia exposed the Everton left. Lisandro Martinez blasts over the bar from the corner, and that's the end of the half.

41st min: Since the goal, United have threatened again through Marcus Rashford and Aaron Wan-Bissaka just saw a shot deflected over the bar. They are in full control here, although a second goal before halftime would be welcome.

36th min: GOAL FOR MANCHESTER UNITED! The deadlock is broken at last! Marcus Rashford and Scott McTominay somehow keep the ball amid a melee of Everton defenders. McTominay keeps running and is picked out by a precise pass from Jadon Sancho before firing low past Jordan Pickford.

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35th min: Christian Eriksen gets a warm round of applause as he warms up on the touchline. United are using Bruno Fernandes as a deep-lying playmaker in the Dane's absence today. He's doing it well, but he'd be better off further forward.

32nd min: Marcus Rashford has had five chances in this half but hasn't managed to take any of them. The latest sees Jordan Pickford make a jumping block as the striker tries to prod the ball goalwards from Bruno Fernandes' long pass.

27th min: Demarai Gray is blocked by Harry Maguire in the United box but speculative appeals for a penalty are waved away. At the other end, Antony has another chance through on goal from David de Gea's kick, but Ben Godfrey recovers well to make a tackle. Everton's left-hand side is looking suspect.

23rd min: Jordan Pickford saves Everton! First, the keeper parries a strong shot from Marcel Sabitzer, then he denied Antony one-on-one when it looked certain the Brazilian would put Man United in front.

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19th min: What a chance for Ellis Simms! Lisandro Martinez gets pulled out of position and suddenly the Everton striker is in space in the box. It's a nervy attempt, though, which rolls harmlessly across goal and out of play.

13th min: Oh, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, what a miss! Antony's half-volley from Bruno Fernandes' corner bounces through the box and comes back off the post. Wan-Bissaka only has to tap it into the net, but he puts it wide! It might have been with his weaker foot, but that was shocking miss.

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10th min: Big chance for Marcus Rashford! He gets clear of Michael Keane but his low shot is straight at Jordan Pickford. It was a good save from the England goalkeeper, but Rashford could have done more with the finish.

4th min: First chance of the game sees Marcel Sabitzer turn in the box and see his shot deflected narrowly wide. United are pushing for an early goal.

KO: Here we go! Marcus Rashford gives Antony some last-minute instructions before United kick off the contest.

10 mins before KO: The sun is shining (yes, even here) this Easter weekend. You can't complain about the conditions today.

30 mins before KO: Today will mark Marcus Rashford's 350th appearance for Man United in all competitions. While that's a pretty impressive number for a 25-year-old, he'll need to play another 614 matches to break the club record held by Ryan Giggs. Based on his current rate of games, Rashford would need to play around 35 matches a season until his early 40s to get there...

1 hour before KO: Man United make three changes from the team that beat Brentford: Tyrell Malacia starts for the injured Luke Shaw, which was expected, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire come in for Diogo Dalot and Raphael Varane. Christian Eriksen does indeed make the bench.

Everton go with 22-year-old striker Ellis Simms, born in Greater Manchester, as the replacement for the suspended Abdoulaye Doucoure. He will either lead the line alone in a 4-5-1 or partner Demarai Gray in a 4-4-2.

1 hour 15 mins before KO: You can take advantage of our betting preview, complete with a summary of the latest odds from major bookmakers in different territories, while you wait for the confirmed team news.

1 hour 30 mins before KO: In a huge boost to their late-season plans, United welcome back Christian Eriksen to the matchday squad today. The Danish midfielder has been out of action since his ankle was injured in an FA Cup win over Reading back in January. He's missed 17 games in all competitions for United since then.

1 hour 45 mins before KO: United manager Erik ten Hag speaks highly of Everton in his matchday programme notes. "We can say for certain they will bring huge amounts of desire and determination," he writes. "They have shown clear improvement in their results and performances in recent weeks, and the fact they have battled to take five points from games against Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham shows that we will have no option but to fight for every single ball."

2 hours before KO: Can Man United make it two wins from two games following that disappointing defeat to Newcastle United? It would certainly put the pressure on their top-four rivals if they can start the Premier League weekend with a strong performance.

Man United vs Everton live stream, TV channel

Here's how to watch all of the action from this match in some of the major territories:

  TV channel Streaming
USA NBC USA Network, Universo fubo
Canada — fubo Canada
UK BT Sport 1 BT Sport app/site
Australia — Optus Sport
New Zealand — Sky Sport NOW
India — Jio TV, Hotstar VIP
Hong Kong 620-621 Now Premier League 1 now TV
Malaysia Astro SuperSport 3

Astro GO, sooka

Singapore — StarHub TV+

UK: This match will be broadcast live in the UK via BT Sports' TV and streaming services.

USA: This match will be televised on the USA Network with broadcast options available in English and Spanish.

Canada: Every Premier League game this season is live streaming exclusively via fubo in Canada.

Australia: Fans in Australia can stream every match live and on demand on Optus Sport. 

MORE: Watch every Premier League match live with fubo in Canada

Man United vs Everton betting odds

Man United will be looking to drive home their top four advantage in the coming weeks, and try and balance FA Cup and Europa League commitments, during the run-in.

Despite their improvements under Dyche, Everton are yet to win away from home since his arrival, and United will be confident of a tight victory.

Prediction: Man United to win 1-0

  Man United
win		 Draw Everton
win		 Both teams
to score Y / N		 Over / Under
2.5 goals		 Man United
-0.5		 Everton
+0.5
BetMGM
(USA)		 -204 +333 +550 -108 / -130 -133 / -105 -195 +160
Sports
Interaction
(Canada)		 1.45 4.34 6.20 1.83 / 1.77 1.75 / 2.01 1.49 2.55
SkyBet
(UK)		 1/2 10/3 11/2 10/11 / 4/5 8/11 / 1/1 — —
Neds
(Australia)		 1.50 4.20 6.40 1.91 / 1.83 1.82 / 1.98 — —
Dafabet
(India)		 1.49 4.10 6.40 1.93 / 1.81 1.82 / 1.98 1.50 2.60

Joe Wright

Joe Wright Photo

Joe is a Senior Editor at Sporting News. He was previously a sub editor and writer for Goal.com before spending six years as part of the Stats Perform editorial news service, covering major global sports including football, tennis, boxing, NBA, rugby union and athletics. Joe has reported live on some of the biggest games in football, including two UEFA Champions League finals, Euro 2016, the Confederations Cup 2017 and the 2018 World Cup final at the end of a month in Russia.