Manchester United vs. Everton: Simulating EPL Tie with FIFA 14 on Xbox One

Manchester United's important Premier League tie with Everton headlines a round of midweek features that could significantly shake up England's top division.

David Moyes' side are unbeaten in 12 games across all competitions, while Everton once again maintain pace with the elite. Can the Merseyside club stick one over their former manager? Will Marouane Fellaini prove to haunt the side who sold him for £27.5 million?

We decided to simulate a match in FIFA 14 on the Xbox One to work out exactly that. All information regarding team selection was utilised up to the time of writing, so don't expect to see Robin van Persie, Michael Carrick or Phil Jones in the United team.

To add a little excitement, Adnan Januzaj and Ross Barkley make the starting lineups. United began with Shinji Kagawa sitting off Wayne Rooney in the No. 10 role, as seen during United's last two matches, while Everton deployed the combative 4-2-3-1 we have come to know from Roberto Martinez.

Manchester United vs. Everton: FIFA 14 highlights

2'—United start quickly and maintain possession with some simple passing. Everton set up smartly, keeping two tight banks of four to halt the home side's progress up the field.

7'—Suddenly a quick Antonio Valencia break sees Gareth Barry easily overcome, while Sylvain Distin puts enough pressure on to halt the Ecuadorian's powerful dribble. Valencia finds Rooney just inside the box, but he can't control.

9'—Moments later, the Englishman holds play up and dinks toward Kagawa, who enters the box. Distin once again recovers possession with a well-timed block from the Japanese star's shot.

11'—Everton finally get hold of the ball and begin pinging it around the centre. Progress is slow, but an incisive run from Barkley sees him halted on the edge of the box by Fellaini. It's a stinging tackle, one that momentarily leaves the starlet in a heap.

20'—CHANCE! United progress up the pitch with some decent passing. Possession eventually falls to Fellaini, who fires wide from inside the box. So nearly a fairytale moment for the former Toffees star!

25'—Barkley latches onto a poor throw in and eventually works the ball to Romelu Lukaku, who fires wide. Everton exert control as United's midfield lose direction. Tom Cleverley then gives the ball away, which sees Leon Osman break into the box and cross to Lukaku, but Nemanja Vidic heads away.

34'—GOAL! A stunning goal out of nowhere for United. Valencia wins a throw down the right and lobs possession back to Chris Smalling, who plays a fantastic cross toward Rooney in the middle. The former Everton striker is unmarked and has time to execute a terrific overhead kick. Tim Howard is left with no chance.

40'—Everton remain dogged and pen United in. While having plenty of the ball, Martinez's side aren't doing much with it.

45'—GOAL! United move quickly up the field with neat play between Smalling and Valencia. The winger gets into the box and passes to Rooney, who brilliantly spins away from Phil Jagielka, sending the centre-back crashing to the floor. Rooney sneaks the ball beyond Howard to give United another boost before the break.

HALF-TIME: Manchester United 2-0 Everton, Rooney (x2)

SECOND-HALF

48'—Nearly an immediate response from Everton as Barkley finds space in the area. He jumps too early and directs a simple header over the bar. A huge let off for United, who gave the youngster far too much room. Equally, Barkley should have scored from five yards.

53'—Nani and Anderson on for Januzaj and Cleverley.

55'—Patrice Evra chips the ball over Seamus Coleman and finds Nani bursting into space. The Portuguese winger skips into the area and tries blasting from a tight angle, but it is blocked. Everton scramble clear and watch on as Kagawa's shot is slowed down by the rain. Howard gathers.

65'—United firmly in control as the game trudges to a standstill.

68'—Gerard Deulofeu replaces Steven Pienaar for Everton.

75'—A spell of control for the visitors comes to nothing once more. De Gea hasn't been forced into a save all game and has only had to deal with crosses. With 15 minutes left, Deulofeu's cross eludes Lukaku and goes straight into the Spaniard's gloves once more.

90'—Are you still awake? Nothing of note happens in the final quarter of an hour as both teams fail to dominate in the centre. The away support's continuous chanting have finally hushed as cries of "UNITED" ring out around Old Trafford.

FULL TIME: Manchester United 2-0 Everton, Rooney (x2)

ODDS: Rooney to score first and United to win 2-0: 25-1 with bet365.

Well, there we have it. FIFA 14 predicts a pretty comfortable win for the home side and picks Rooney to extend his goalscoring run. Can the experienced forward replicate his virtual performance in real life?

If you have any suggestions for what you'd like to see in future FIFA 14 simulations, please make your ideas heard, either in the comments section or straight to me on Twitter:

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