Manchester United reached the final of the FA Cup in dramatic circumstances as Anthony Martial’s injury-time winner helped them snatch victory against Everton at Wembley.
Marouane Fellaini’s 34th-minute goal gave Louis van Gaal’s side the lead following some wonderful work by Martial, before Chris Smalling’s unfortunate own-goal cancelled out the scoreline.
Also read: FA Cup - Everton 1-2 Manchester United: Player ratings
The match – which blew wide open after the goal – looked to be heading into extra-time following a series of missed Everton chances, but Anthony Martial picked up an Ander Herrera pass in the 93rd minute to run into space between two defenders and slot the winner past goalkeeper Joel Robles.
Here are the 5 talking points that shaped up an FA Cup classic:
Anthony Martial gives Mo Besic a nightmare
With Seamus Coleman out of contention due to an injury, Martinez had no option but to deploy defensive midfielder Mo Besic at right-back. The Bosnian was, as expected, left clueless against the pacey runs of Anthony Martial down the wing and towards the byline.
Besic was left nonplussed on a number of instances by the 20-year old, including the run with which he assisted Fellaini’s opener. The energy shown by Martial was all too much for Besic to handle and he succumbed to the sheer quality of the Frenchman throughout the game.
One does feel some extent of pity for Besic, who would rather shield his defence than be part of the defence himself. Maybe Tony Hibbert was a better option since he’s a natural full-back.
David de Gea’s magnificent penalty save sows the seeds for Toffees’ dominance
Most would have thought Everton had squandered their best opportunity to score when Romelu Lukaku saw his spot-kick brilliantly saved by David de Gea. Ironically, that save ignited Everton spirits as they relentlessly attacked United’s goal in the second half.
Their pace on the counter-attack and Lukaku’s aerial strength made it only a matter of time before Everton would eventually. Once that inevitable goal came off an unlikely source in Chris Smalling, they kept pushing and pushing, but will now live to regret that they could not apply the finishing touch to some glaring opportunities.
David de Gea’s safe gloves and Marouane Fellaini’s commitment to cover some turf and get in the way of a Lukaku shot meant that United kept Everton down to just that single goal.
Romelu Lukaku determined ‘not’ to score
This game will have to be named ‘The tale of Romelu Lukaku’s missed chances’. The 22-year-old – who has been increasingly linked to some of Europe’s elite clubs – will have done no good to increase his market value based on his performance on Saturday.
A saved penalty and a plethora of opportunities gone begging in the last 20 minutes seriously questions his credibility as a big-game player. Despite a wonderful season for the Toffees, this particular game has easily been his most frustrating in his career.
He fluffed a couple of chances early in the game despite beating Chris Smalling on both occasions – one was headed off the line by Wayne Rooney while the other was saved by De Gea.
In the last 20 minutes, he found himself guilty of missing more opportunities to win the game for Everton, including a couple of instances where he found himself one-on-one with the Spanish goalkeeper, but headed one wide and couldn’t connect sweetly with the other.
The Belgian manager Marc Wilmots will also be a concerned figure looking at his frontline striker’s display yesterday after already having to deal with the pedestrian form of Christian Benteke and Divock Origi’s injury.
Gerard Deulofeu’s introduction puts United on the backfoot
Spanish winger Gerard Deulofeu’s introduction for Aaron Lennon sparked what was going to be 20 minutes of heart-in-mouth stuff for United fans. He was absolutely breathtaking on the counter-attack, as he looked to stretch United’s retreating defence on so many occasions.
His presence completely turned the game in the Toffees favour in the dying stages of the game. He also provided the cross which forced Smalling to divert the ball into his own net for Everton’s equaliser.
A product of Barcelona’s La Masia, Deulofeu will be heartbroken that his presence, though influential, could not get Everton the desired result. Nonetheless, it was an absolutely magnificent performance from the substitute.
What does the future hold for Roberto Martinez?
Fair to say that the Spaniard is in trouble. Although the team showed in the second half that they do still care for the club, ultimately the result is all that matters in the long run. It is another defeat against the manager’s record and one that surely sees Martinez sent on his way from Goodison following a disappointing season, where they lie 11th in the table when most thought they would be competing for the European spots.
Everton’s lack of defensive shape – crossing over positions at regular intervals – will not go down well with fans as they saw their team absolutely battered by United in the first half.
An eventual heartbreaking defeat – where the centre-backs failed to close Martial down – is a reflection of Everton’s season, where they have dropped points by conceding late goals. Will Martinez be in the Everton hot seat next season? Looks unlikely.
