[ad_1]
EDINSON CAVANI produced a magical moment to lead Manchester United to a fourth semi-final this year.
Now Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be determined to go one step further than in the last four of the FA Cup, EFL Cup and Europa League last season.
8
8
8
One more step to Wembley, then all the steps up to collect his first coaching trophy.
Only two minutes of normal time remained in these EFL quarterfinals when veteran Cavani snatched the ball from Ben Godfrey with his right boot and then released it with his left.
Robin Olsen didn’t stand a chance when the ball curved into the far bottom corner.
⚽ Read our Man United Live Blog for the latest news from Old Trafford
In the last minute of stoppage time with Everton pressing for an equalizer, Marcus Rashford fed Martial to finish it off.
Solskjaer had made nine changes from the team that beat Leeds United 6-2.
That would normally lead to a more disjointed display.
Quite the opposite in the first half.
The staff may have changed, but as with the Leeds game, they were quickly back off the blocks.
Its label of slow beginners has been removed.
But while they led 4-1 at halftime against Marco Bielsa’s men, they had nothing to show for the skillful football and opportunities created at Goodison Park.
It was also slippery with little movies and dolls.
8
8
They won five corners in the first ten minutes and had nine attempts to score one before half an hour, but more importantly, no goals.
Mason Greenwood, who was on the bench over the weekend, looked particularly strong in the final third.
When he had a blocked shot in the seventh minute and Paul Pogba played a smart heel, Donny van de Beek had a shot charged by Seamus Coleman.
An error by Rob Olsen in the Everton goal nearly let Edinson Cavani in as he charged his delayed punt.
Unfortunately for Cavani, the ball bounced off him directly towards Olsen.
The Uruguayan veteran was a threat, with his constant movement in and around the area sounding the alarms in front of the 2,000 Everton fans allowed.
Olsen did particularly well in rejecting it from an angle, blocking a short-range volley and instinctively reaching out to deny the return.
Greenwood did an excellent job of distributing the ball to Bruno Fernnandes before going into the box to find his center and launch a dive header through the goal, slicing through the far post.
8
8
Pogba had a chance with a header also from a corner but directed it directly to the goalkeeper.
Everton leveled off at the half-hour mark and pulled a good save from Dean Henderson when Gylfi Sigurdsson hit a free kick off the wall.
After the break in the 52nd minute, Cavani will be grateful that the VAR is not used in this competition until the semi-final stage.
He was having a push and shove with Yerry Mina before grabbing the Everton player by the throat and shoving him to the ground.
The officials had not seen, so nothing could be done.
Everton then lost a dazed-looking Richarlison after colliding with Eric Bailly and United took the lead once more as Everton reorganized.
Fernandes had a great opportunity from the edge of the area after Pogba attacked him, but the player who can’t be wrong made a mistake by throwing the ball over the crossbar.
With United still not making the most of their dominance, Solskjaer called up Rashford and Anthony Martial.
8
The ineffective Van de Beek and Greenwood broke through.
But from the polished football of the first half, United were starting to get nervous.
The whole game was starting to slow down going into the final 15 minutes.
It seemed that Everton were ready to settle for penalties while United continued to search for the key to break out of the deadlock.
When Fernandes hit Martial, he completely missed his kick as the ball deflected away from him on his supporting leg.
Suddenly Everton had a chance when Alex Iwobi threw a cross into the center of the box, but Gylfi Sigurdsson’s header went wide.
Then Cavani had his moment.
The movement began with Harry Maguire finding Martial in space and feeding Cavani.
The super forward comes to life right now by spinning inside Ben Godfrey, shifting the ball from his right foot to his left before delivering a crisp shot as he passed under Olsen in the far bottom corner.
With Everton pressing for an equalizer, the defense was wide open and United took the lead through Martial.
Everton down and out, United in another semi-final.
[ad_2]
