Everton vs. Manchester United: Roberto Martinez and Louis Van Gaal Reaction

Manchester United suffered back-to-back defeats under Louis van Gaal after slumping to a 3-0 loss against Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday. They had previously lost to Chelsea on April 18.

The Dutchman was fully accepting of the fact that Everton outclassed his lineup, per BBC Sport, noting Sunday's outing as the first genuine match in which he feels United were the inferior outfit:

"

We have always had more fighting spirit on the pitch and I think that this is the first match that the other team have shown more of that than us. We created five chances in the first half - Marouane Fellaini had to score - that is more than Everton. In the second half they scored on the counter and we had to play against a defensive side.

"

United remain seven points above fifth-place Liverpool, who have a game in hand, but Van Gaal claims this defeat gives Brendan Rodgers' side some hope of yet clinching a top-four finish, per Ian Herbert of The Independent:

Chelsea defeated the Red Devils at Stamford Bridge last weekend. This latest defeat means Van Gaal's men now sit in fourth, two points below rivals Manchester City and one point off Arsenal in third.

With a top-four place effectively theirs, some United players were alleged to be lacking in motivation, according to Van Gaal:

The tactician may have felt the need to defend his team following that 1-0 loss in west London, but there was no such reply on Merseyside, with Van Gaal conceding it was a fair outcome for both clubs, per BBC Sport:

"

This was the first match when I saw a team that was more motivated and aggressive than us. It is not good, but we are human beings. We have to see that our opponents will defend more and cope with that as a club. Everton deserved to win - when the result is fair, you can live with it.

"

James McCarthy, John Stones and Kevin Mirallas struck to give Roberto Martinez's side a terrific win against tough opposition. BBC Sport quoted the manager as saying his side were worthy of the three-goal triumph:

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Manchester United are very good in how they work, their positional play and their work-rate. We were happy to let them have it in certain areas, but we showed a lot of dynamism and were clinical to change defence to attack. I think that the likes of Aaron Lennon, Ross Barkley and Romelu Lukaku carried so much threat.

I thought we were well worth a three-goal lead and that speaks volumes. To keep the concentration for 90 minutes and keep a clean sheet was magnificent. It showed an incredible mentality and that is something that we have learned in a hard season.

"

It's been a topsy-turvy season for the Toffees, and Martinez highlighted the need to compete in the Europa League and domestically as a difficult juggling of priorities for his club.

However, Everton have shown a drastic improvement in form of late to move into 10th on Sunday. Martinez said Sunday's win is one for his side to savour, per the official Premier League Twitter account:

Despite admitting United shouldn't have won the encounter, Van Gaal did have something to say on the discipline of his opponents—or more specifically the crowd—in relation to the substitution of Marouane Fellaini.

The Belgian was cautioned after just 11 minutes in a fierce clash against his former side and was replaced by Radamel Falcao at half-time. Van Gaal was quoted as stating he felt the home fans aimed to unsettle his star, per Merseyside writer Richard Buxton:

Another United talisman who failed to feature for the full 90 minutes was captain Wayne Rooney, with Van Gaal saying the extent of his leader's injury is still unknown, via the club's official Twitter account:

Having now gone two games without a point and looking to cement their place in the Premier League's top three, United will be desperate for a victory against West Brom next Sunday.

However, some of the club's attention will assuredly rest with the clash against Arsenal on May 17, with the Gunners currently one point ahead of the Red Devils and having played two games fewer.

Jon Super/Associated Press

Everton, meanwhile, can look to use this result as a springboard coming into the climax of their campaign, ending the season with an upturn in form that could yet see them finish in the top half.

It's a drastic improvement from the prospects they were examining but a few months ago, but the players will undoubtedly revel in Sunday's success for now, which will hand them a huge boost in the changing room.