There was certainly pressure on Man United to pick up a positive result against Villarreal in the Champions League on Wednesday, but it appeared that the Red Devils would be in for another frustrating night, with their classy Spanish opponents enjoying themselves for long periods in Manchester.
Paco Alcacer’s 53rd-minute finish sent the Yellow Submarine ahead, but a wonderful volley from Alex Telles levelled the scores on the hour before Cristiano Ronaldo came up with a 95th-minute winner to spark incredible celebrations inside the stadium;
the victory was crucial for Man United in terms of their Group F campaign, but it was also a key result for head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
All things considered, it has been a positive start to the 2021-22 Premier League season for the Red Devils, with a return of 13 points from six matches leaving them fourth, only one point behind leaders Liverpool, but the 20-time English champions suffered a 1-0 home loss to Aston Villa last weekend.
Indeed, Kortney Hause’s late header proved to be the winner at Old Trafford, with Bruno Fernandes missing a late penalty for the home side, and Solskjaer’s team will be desperate to put three more points on the board ahead of the international break.
Man United have an incredibly tough October and November in terms of the strength of their opposition, and a win over Everton on Saturday would boost confidence ahead of the difficult period, but a defeat would again lead to questions surrounding Solskjaer’s future at the club.
Everton were well beaten by Man United in a pre-season clash at Old Trafford on August 7, and the four-goal loss in Manchester certainly left a number of the club’s supporters fearing what could happen this term.
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Benitez’s appointment as head coach remains incredibly controversial, but the Spaniard has delivered some excellent results this season, with the Toffees boasting an identical record to Man City, Chelsea, Man United and Brighton – winning four, drawing one and losing one of their opening six Premier League outings.
Everton suffered a 3-0 defeat at Aston Villa on September 18 before losing on penalties to Queens Park Rangers in the EFL Cup three days later, but the Merseyside giants returned to winning ways last time out, recording a 2-0 victory over struggling Norwich City at Goodison Park.
Andros Townsend and Abdoulaye Doucoure scored the goals for Benitez’s side against the Canaries, and another win this weekend would lead the team nicely into back-to-back home fixtures against West Ham United and Watford after the international break
