Key events
31 min: Idrissa Gueye wins the ball high up the field and sprays it wide for Lindstrom.
29 min: Dalot goes down injured after getting caught on the ankle by a slightly late Mykolenko nip. Weirdly, it’s Everton who win the free-kick so I must have missed an initial indiscretion by Dalot.
28 min: United attack down the left again, with Dorgu and Fernandes combining to good effect. The January signing from Lecce wins a corner for his side but nothing comes of it. He looks a decent player.
27 min: United are really struggling to cope with the balls being sent into their penalty area from both flanks and Beto is proving quite the handful for their back three.
25 min: Beto is fouled by Mazraoui out near the left touchline and Everton have another opportunity to send the ball into the United box. Jack Harrison does the honours and his delivery is decent but United clear.
The goal stands!!!
Everton lead! After a VAR check that took over three minutes, Goodison Park erupts again. Beto was offside at one point in the build-up to his goal as Matthijs De Ligt headed the ball away from his goal but crucially, he was not interfering with play. He was very much onside when the ball came back to him and he steered it home with a shot into the ground that bounced past Onana.
21 min: Manchester United had three or four chances to clear the corner and failed to do so. Following an impromptu game of head tennis, the ball bounces kindly for Beto, whose shot into the ground from eight yards out bounces up and beats Onana. There’s a VAR check for an offside at some point in the build-up …
GOAL! Everton 1-0 Man United (Beto 19)
Everton lead!!! Beto scores his fifth Premier League goal in four games to put his side in front after Manchester United fail dismally to clear the corner.
18 min: Doucoure charges forward, plays the ball wide to Jesper Lindstorm and his low cross towards Beto is cut out by Harry Maguire. Everton corner.
17 min: An influential presence in this game so far, Dorgu sends another cross into the Everton penalty area. This time it’s high but again his delivery is too close to Pickford.
16 min: Matthijs De Ligt takes some heat off Zirkzee by giving the ball away. Jake O’Brien is the beneficiary of his largesse.
15 min: “Is Joshua Zirkzee some sort of a second-rate Marouane Fellaini tribute act?” writes Justin Kavanagh. “Every time you watch him, you can’t help thinking that he won a raffle to play at this level. He’s already lost the ball three times in the first 12 minutes.”
13 min: After playing a one-two with Bruno Fernandes, Patrick Dorgu whips a low cross towards the Everton goal from the left. At his near post, Jordan Pickford does well to clear the ball with his feet before Hojlund can get to it.
12 min: Everton’s players are pressing United’s defneders ferociously whenever Andre Onana tries to play out from the back. The visitors aren’t looking at all comfortable on the ball.
10 min: James Tarkoswki slides in to put the ball out of play and prevent Rasmus Hojlund getting possession out by the touchline. Manchester United’s Danish striker hasn’t scored in 15 games, so one presumes his confidence is not particularly high.
9 min: United advance again but Patrick Dorgu coughs up cheap possession, misplacing a pass to Joshua Zirkzee on the edge of the final third.
7 min: Idrissa Gueye robs Bruno Fernandes of possession, breaking up a promising United attack. It’s been quite a lively start.
5 min: United win a throw-in deep inside their own half after Beto and Harry Maguire contest the ball out by the touchline. Everton win the ball under a heavy press, the cross comes in from the left and under pressure from Matthijs De Ligt, Beto heads straight at Andre Onana. Good play from the home side.
3 min: Play resumes, with Andre Onana sending the free-kick from just outside his penalty area as long as he can. Joshua Zirkzee chases the ball towards the byline but Vitalii Mykolenko is on hand to put it out for a throw-in.
1 min: Everton win an early free-kick wide on the left, prompting their central defenders to amble towards the edge of the United penalty area. Noussair Mazraoui is fouled by James Tarkoski as the ball comes in and United win a free-kick.
There’s an early break in play so the United defender can receive treatment after an awkward fall. James Tarkowski is also receiving medical attention.
Everton v Manchester United is go …
1 min: Manchester United get the ball rolling, their players wearing red shirts, black shorts and black socks.
Not long now: Referee Andy Madley and his team of match officials lead both sets of players out of the tight tunnel and on to the vast expanse of the Goodison Park pitch on a sunny Merseyside afternoon. Kick-off is just a couple of minutes and some pre-match formalities away.
Manchester United: Ruben Amorim’s succinct explanation for why Everton have enjoyed the kind of new manager bounce which has eluded him at Manchester United was that “David Moyes is doing a better job” than him. Dominic Booth reports …
The pragmatist meets the ideologue
David Moyes v Ruben Amorim: Everton’s decision to change managers midway through the season is working out a lot better than Manchester United’s, writes Ben McAleer.
Today’s match officials
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Referee: Andy Madley
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Assistants: Mat Wilkes and Craig Taylor.
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Fourth official: Anthony Taylor.
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VAR: Matt Donohue.
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Assistant VAR: Derek Eaton.
Everton: David Moyes has said he wanted to “fight the world” when he first joined Everton and Manchester United but his calmer demeanour today should not be mistaken for a drop in passion, writes Andy Hunter …
An email: “Another dismal team selection,” writes Martin Coult, a Manchester United fan who is mad as hell and isn’t going to take this any more. “Even Garnacho doesn’t get a look-in. I wonder why Amorim hates wingers so much. Is it because they provide excitement, entertainment and goals? Because Amorim’s system seems designed to squeeze all the joy and life out of the game.
“I am surprised that so many people seem willing to subscribe to the view that Amorim is bringing about necessary ‘culture-change’ and he should be given time to do it. I have supported United since 1963, and while results over the last couple of years have been disappointing, I have seen nothing to convince me that playing with seven defensive players is a strategy for either a) winning things or b) pleasing or entertaining the fans.
“I simply don’t want to watch a team that plays like this. Indeed, I haven’t watched any football since the Forest game back on 7 December, when it became apparent to me that United have made a very bad error in appointing this naive, inexperienced, yet arrogant coach. I spend my time hoping United will lose and the clowns in charge will realize their mistake.
“I won’t be watching today either, think I’ll go over to Soho and buy some vinyl. Come on You Blues!”
Everton’s new stadium: The 52,888-seat ground in Bramley-Moore dock impressed the 10,000 fans lucky enough to be invited to a midweek test event, a match between Everton U18s and their Wigan Athletic counterparts.
Like any football correspondent worth his salt on the Merseyside beat, Andy Hunter went along to test the Wi-Fi and discovered it was more than adequate enough to file this interesting and informative getting-to-know-you primer on Everton’s new home.
Interview: Carlos Alcaraz wants to settle down at his fourth club in three years and has begun like a house on fire at ‘loco’ Goodison. Words: Andy Hunter.
Those teams: Everton make one change to the side that was a little fortunate to beat Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park last weekend, with Abdoulaye Doucoure returning to the starting line-up on his return from suspension. Carlos Alcaraz, who scored Everton’s winning goal in South London, can consider himself unlucky to be dropped to the bench.
Following his team’s defeat at Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, Ruben Amorim has decided to beef up Manchester United’s midfield by bringing in Manuel Ugarte to play alongside Casemiro. Alejandro Garnacho makes way and drops to the bench. Back from injury, Christian Eriksen and Leny Yoro are also among the United substitutes.
Everton v Manchester United line-ups
Everton: Pickford, O’Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Gueye, Garner, Doucoure, Lindstrom, Harrison, Beto.
Subs: Virginia, Begovic, Keane, Young, Alcaraz, Iroegbunam, Sherif, Dixon, Heath.
Manchester United: Onana, Dalot, Mazraoui, De Ligt, Maguire, Dorgu, Casemiro, Ugarte, Fernandes, Hojlund, Zirkzee.
Subs: Graczyk, Harrison, Heaven, Lindelof, Yoro, Eriksen, Kone, Garnacho, Obi.
Early team news
Both teams have plenty of absentees to not choose from, although Everton midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure is available for selection after serving a one-match ban for the red card brandished his way following the stramash that followed Everton’s recent draw with Liverpool.
Dwight McNeil, Orel Mangala, Seamus Coleman, Nathan Patterson, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Armando Broja and Youssef Chermiti all remain sidelined for the hosts.
Forced to name a bench with Victor Lindelof and eight untried teenagers on it last weekend, Manchester United number Amad Diallo, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, Mason Mount, Toby Collier and Johnny Evans among the lame and halt clogging up their physio room, but should have Christian Eriksen, Leny Yoro and Manuel Ugarte available after spells out.
Premier League: Everton v Manchester United
At a time when being a season ticket-holder at Goodison Park finally seems like fun again, Everton welcome a Manchester United side whose supporters have increasingly little to be enthused about to their stadium for the final time.
Since bringing David Moyes back to Merseyside six weeks ago, Everton have won four and drawn one of the six top flight games they’ve played and will fancy their chances of beating a team who have beaten them in each of their past five meetings.
United have lost eight of the 12 league games they’ve played since beating Everton in the corresponding fixture at Old Trafford and will be hoping to make it three wins on the spin at Goodison Park. Kick-off on Merseyside is at 12.30pm (GMT) but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.