Manchester United vs. Everton: Winners and Losers from Premier League Game
Manchester United won their first set of back-to-back games under Louis van Gaal by beating Everton 2-1 at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Angel Di Maria gave the Red Devils the lead in the first half and David De Gea kept it intact by saving a Leighton Baines penalty before the break. Steven Naismith eventually levelled matters in the second half, but Radamel Falcao popped up with an opportunistic winner to break his personal duck.
Here, we nominate our winners and losers from the game.
Winner: Rafael, Who Was Fantastic in Every Department
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Rafael looks an entirely different animal at the moment, and he put in another excellent showing during the win over Everton on Sunday.
He looks defensively conscious—finally!—and put in an immense physical effort to carry the right-sided presence on his own in the diamond formation.
He made two key defensive clearances and crossed superbly all day.
Loser: Leighton Baines, Who Should Have Turned the Tide
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Leighton Baines had never missed a penalty in the Premier League coming into this fixture, so when Tony Hibbert was chopped down by Luke Shaw in the box, Everton fans were already counting 1-1 in their minds.
But the England international's shabby effort was palmed clear by David de Gea, preventing the Toffees from grabbing an equaliser on the stroke of half-time. He is now 19-of-21 on penalties for Everton.
He grabbed an assist later on with a wonderful cross for Steven Naismith, but missing the key chance at the key moment prevented an almighty momentum swing.
Winner: Radamel Falcao, Who Scored His First Premier League Goal
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Radamel Falcao came into the fixture without a goal in three games; for a prima punta striker, that's viewed as a problem.
He'd created three chances and seen two converted as assists, per Squawka.com, but for the Colombian the be-all and end-all always centres around goals.
On Sunday, he set that straight, diverting Angel Di Maria's long-range shot into the top of the net and winning the game for the Red Devils.
Loser: Steven Pienaar, Who Was Exceptionally Poor
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Many Everton players had not long recovered from a 4,500-mile round trip from Krasnodar before playing this game, explaining some of the slightly leggy nature of their play.
No such excuses could be made for Steven Pienaar, though, who looked abysmal despite staying at home midweek to rest and recover.
In hauling down Rafael in petulant fashion and earning himself a booking in the first half, Pienaar summed up his own disappointing, off-colour performance. He hasn't started many games—two coming into this one since March 11, to be precise—but if you're deemed ready, you play better than that.
Winner: David De Gea, Who Was UNREAL in Goal for United
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David De Gea was Man of the Match on Sunday, playing particularly brilliantly in the final 15 minutes and saving Manchester United's bacon.
He made four eye-popping stops, including one unfathomable save from a rising Gareth Barry drive seemingly destined for the net, to close out the match in nervy fashion.
He also saved Leighton Baines' penalty in the first half.
United manager Louis van Gaal was quoted by the club's official website as saying:
"David De Gea was fantastic today.
When there are a lot of players in front of you your view is not so good as a goalkeeper.
When the shot comes in from outside the box it is always at the last moment that you see the ball, but his reflexes are very good.
"
Loser: Louis Van Gaal's 'Closing the Game Out' Tactics
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Manchester United sides of yesteryear were able to close out games by starving the opponent of possession. If the Red Devils were winning heading into the 86th minute, the game would be killed and no chance of a comeback presented.
At the moment, the complete opposite is happening. If it wasn't for David De Gea's unbelievable day, Everton would be heading back to Merseyside with at least a point.
Too often the ball was gifted to the Toffees in the closing stages, setting the scene for late attacks and equalising chances.
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