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Edinson Cavani and Anthony Martial scored goals at the last moment as Manchester United claimed a 2-0 win over Everton in very cold Goodison Park on Wednesday to prepare for a League Cup semi-final with rival Manchester City.
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United squandered numerous opportunities in the opening stages and at times the game was terrible on both sides as the game seemed to be heading for penalties before Cavani picked up the ball on the right wing, leaped in with his left foot and will pass to Everton goalkeeper Robin Olsen. .
Martial added a second with virtually the last kick of the game as the visitors now face City for a place in the April 25 final, while championship Brentford take on Tottenham Hotspur in the other quarterfinal clash. final.
“It was an excellent performance and we should have been out of sight, we had three or four great chances. We need to be more clinical,” United captain Harry Maguire told Sky Sports.
“We are expected to win trophies. It is important to get to these big games but we have to start winning them and lift some trophies for this club.”
Everton will be aggrieved that the influential Cavani was still on the field after receiving only a verbal warning from referee Bobby Madley when he pushed Yerry Mina to the ground with his hands near the throat of the Everton defender in an off-the-ball incident in field. First half.
But with the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) absent in this competition until the semi-final stage, no further action was taken as replays showed Cavani was lucky to escape the penalty.
However, his quality proved the difference in opening Everton’s tight defense, with Martial’s sure goal in the closing seconds as the home team pushed bodies forward in search of a draw.
“He was cautious at times, back and forth and fluid, attacking and defending, but you’re always confident if he opens up a bit with the pace we have,” United manager Ole Gunnar Solskajer said.
“Cavani should have scored three in the first half but he is a great striker, movement, quality and the goal was excellent,” he added.
United maintain their excellent record away from Old Trafford and are now undefeated in 20 domestic games in all competitions, winning 18 of them.
The visitors dominated early exchanges and put pressure on Everton with a succession of wasted chances, Cavani coming close twice.
Everton finally woke up from their slumber when, to the roar of 2,000 fans at Goodison Park, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Gylfi Sigurdsson made efforts on goal that needed to be saved by United goalkeeper Dean Henderson.
The second half had little of the spark of the first, both sides missed passes in the third offense and neither goalkeeper had a serious save until Olsen was pulling the ball out of his net for Cavani’s first goal.
Everton coach Carlo Ancelotti was disappointed that his team failed to obtain a favorable result.
“We did enough to win, a good performance that we needed to defend, which we did well, but more in the second half,” he said. “We had a difficult start, but after 20 minutes the game was under control. We didn’t play enough attacking football but we had to defend and until the last 20 minutes we did well.”
