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Manchester United's hopes of finishing in the top-4 were shattered as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer suffered his biggest ever defeat as a manager in the Premier League against Everton on Sunday. After the 3-0 defeat in Europe against Barcelona during the midweek, the manager demanded a reaction from his players against Everton if they wanted to play in the Champions League next season, but the players didn't look up for the challenge.
United lacked cohesion, commitment, and effort in the 4-0 humiliation against Everton. They failed to do the basics right and that's what cost them the match. The Manchester United team were outrun by the opposition who ran 4 km more than them in the first half itself and failed to have a shot on target until the 85 minutes. David De Gea conceded two goals from outside the box, not good enough for a goalkeeper of his stature.
But Manchester United's shambolic display shouldn't hide the fact that Everton were brilliant and fully deserved their victory. They were dominant in every department on the pitch and made the most out of the opportunities they got. The Toffees have now given themselves a great chance of finishing in a European spot and will be full of confidence going into the remaining fixtures after a huge victory over Manchester United.
Some players really impressed us during the game while the others had a game to forget. We pick the hits and flops from the 4-0 demolition of Manchester United:
#5 Hit: Richarlison
Richarlison is Everton's top scorer with 14 goals across all competitions this season. The Brazilian wonder-boy was brilliant once again against Manchester United, scoring the opening goal for the Merseyside club with a wonderful acrobatic volley. The 21-year-old was a nuisance for the Manchester United defenders during his time on the pitch.
He kept Diogo Dalot on his toes, who struggled to keep him at bay. Richarlison fired six shots at the Manchester United goal, more than any other player on the pitch. The Brazilian also imposed himself aerially against the Manchester United centre-backs and managed to win two aerial duels. The 21-year-old came off injured five minutes into the second half but would be proud of his performance against the mighty Red Devils.
#4 Flop: Nemanja Matic
Nemanja Matic was brought back into the side after missing his last two Premier League games but looked out of sorts against Everton. The midfielder looked lethargic on the ball and was caught sleeping in possession a couple of times. His failure to control the tempo of the game and maintain possession in the middle of the park was one of the reasons why the Red Devils were overpowered by Everton.
The defensive midfielder managed to win just one tackle throughout the game. Matic was at fault for Everton's second goal as he failed to close down Gylfi Sigurdsson, who buried the ball into the back of the net with a brilliant strike from outside the box. He also squandered a brilliant opportunity to score in the second half. Matic was the worst player on the pitch by far and was definitely a flop against Everton.
#3 Hit: Lucas Digne
Lucas Digne has settled well in the Merseyside since his arrival from Barcelona in the summer. And the 25-year-old put on another solid performance against the Red Devils. The left-back was perpetual throughout the game and dealt with a threat of Marcus Rashford quite well, as well as moving forward to attack whenever he got the opportunity. Everton opened the scoring with the help of his trademark long throw-in into the box which was won by Calvert-Lewin and brilliantly finished by Richarlison.
The full-back managed two key passes and fired 2 shots during the 90 minutes. The Frenchman was rewarded for his hard-work and scored with a spectacular volley from outside the box in the second half to take the game far away from Manchester United's reach. Digne's performance made him one of the contenders for the Man of the Match and he was definitely a hit for Everton against Manchester United.
#2 Flop: Romelu Lukaku
The return to Goodison Park turned into a nightmare for Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian has been inconsistent with his form this season and was back to his worst against his former side. The Belgian is infamous for his poor touch and displayed it against his former side. The striker was unable to hold the ball for his teammates to join in the attack and was robbed of possession by the Evertonian centre-backs many times.
Lukaku was criticised for playing in wider positions instead of getting into the 18-yard box against West Ham last week and did the same against Everton. Lukaku didn't manage even a single shot at the opposition goal in the whole 90 minutes. The Belgian hitman couldn't impose himself against his former side, which he would have loved to do and was a flop for Manchester United against Everton.
#1 Hit: Gylfi Sigurdsson
Gylfi Sigurdsson loves to play against Manchester United and has been directly involved in 9 goals against the Red Devils, more than versus any club and the 29-year-old once again haunted the Red Devils during Sunday's game. The midfielder pulled the strings in midfield for Everton and was lethal during counter-attacks. Sigurdsson has the ability to score from long ranges and got on the scoresheet with a spectacular strike from outside the box.
The Iceland international managed four key passes in the 90 minutes against Manchester United and managed to grab an assist for Theo Walcott's goal. The midfielder exploited the region between the Manchester United lines very well and ran circles around Nemanja Matic. Sigurdsson was involved in everything for Everton and was named the Man of the Match for his superb performance.
