Man United ease pressure on Ole
Manchester United eased pressure on manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with a 3-1 win at Everton in the Premier League yesterdaywith Bruno Fernandes scoring twice and Edinson Cavani grabbing a first for the club.
United have failed to win at home in the league this season and there were questions over Solskjaer’s future after a midweek defeat to Istanbul Basaksehir in the Champions League.
But United, who move up to 13th and 10 points, responded with a display which, while far fromsmooth, was full of character, epitomised by captain Harry Maguire’s determined display at the back.
Three points
“We knewwe had to get three points today. It’s early in the season and we don’t look at the table but the points we have accumulated isn’t good enough,” said Maguire.
“It’s important to bounce back from setbacks. We’ve been questioned but we know we don’t answer them in 90 minutes, we answer them day in, day out. The lads are working tirelessly for this club, everyone wants to improve and do better. The manager has to pull the lads off the training ground.” Pressure on Solskjaer intensified when Everton took the lead in the 19th minute with Brazilian winger Bernard’s low drive through Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s legs squeezing in the bottom corner.
Six minutes later United drew level when Fernandes met a Luke Shaw cross from the left with a perfectly angled and firm header.
Struck the post
Everton left back Lucas Digne then struck the post from a promising position but United were growing into the game and it was no surprise when they took the lead.
Fernandes floated in a cross from the left which Marcus Rashford tried to head into the bottom corner but though the striker failed to connect, the ball went in off the post.
Substitute Cavani added a third in stoppage time, finishing off a counterattack led by Fernandes for his first goal since joining the club on deadline day last month.
The loss was a third straight defeat for Carlo Ancelotti’s side who slipped to fifth.
“The problem was that after we scored we were not able to defend well, and they took
advantage. They were able to score easily. We said before the game we had to defend better and we did not defend good enough. We were slow at the back, we have to improve,” said the Italian.
Leeds United suffered another heavy defeat with a 4-1 loss at Crystal Palace yesterday,
Marcelo Bielsa’s side, beaten by the same score at home by Leicester City on Monday, slumped to 14th place with the defeat while Palace moved up to sixth, on 13 points, just three points behind leaders Southampton.
Scott Dann headed Palace into a 12thminute lead with a thundering header from an Eberi Eze corner.
Leeds thought they had drawn level with a nice finish from Patrick Bamford but the effort was ruled out for offside by VAR.
After that let-off, Palace then doubled their lead with a brilliant free kick from Eze, his first goal for the club, a 20mshot into the top corner.
Bamford did get on the target with a confident drive after he was set up by Polish midfielder Mateusz Klich’s headed pass and buried the ball in the bottom corner for his seventh goal of the campaign.
But Palace restored their two-goal advantage just before the interval when Helder Costa’s sliding tackle deflected a low cross from Wilfried Zaha inside the near post, confounding Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier.
Zaha had a hand in Palace’s fourth, running at the Leeds defence before slipping the ball to Jordan Ayew who made no mistake. —