Manchester United vs. Everton: Winners and Losers from Premier League
Anthony Martial scored the only goal of the game as Manchester United recorded a 1-0 home win over Premier League rivals Everton on Sunday.
Frenchman Martial converted a cross from substitute Timothy Fosu-Mensah in the 54th minute to secure the Red Devils' fourth successive league win at Old Trafford.
It also means Louis van Gaal's side move up to fifth in the table with seven games to play.
They are just a point behind fourth-placed Manchester City in the battle to qualify for next season's Champions League.
Here, Bleacher Report has picked out the winners and losers from a tight contest in Manchester.
Winner: Anthony Martial
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On a day when Manchester United honoured Sir Bobby Charlton, naming the South Stand at Old Trafford after the club legend, it was a current star of the first team who grabbed the headlines.
Martial's eighth goal in the Premier League (making him his club's leading scorer in the competition) proved enough for the hosts to pick up three crucial points.
The forward was the one bright spark in a low-key first half. Per OptaJoe on Twitter, "10 of Manchester United's 15 Premier League games at Old Trafford this season have been goalless at half-time."
However, when Fosu-Mensah fired over a cross that Everton full-back Seamus Coleman failed to clear, Martial was on hand to put his team ahead.
His strike also carried Manchester United to a milestone. Per Squawka Football, it was the Red Devils' 1,000th Premier League goal on home turf.
Loser: Marcos Rojo
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According to the Sun, Marcos Rojo is a transfer target for Barcelona.
After his "performance" against Everton, Manchester United should phone the La Liga giants to open negotiations first thing on Monday morning.
Dominic King of the Daily Mail summed up the Argentina international's display: "Rojo may have talent but he has certainly not shown it this season and in what was just his eighth appearance, he was dragged off at half-time having been turned inside out by Everton’s Gerard Deulofeu who, it should be noted, wasn’t even at his best."
Fosu-Mensah contributed more in his first nine minutes on the field than his team-mate had managed in the first 45.
In an article explaining why the defender is Louis van Gaal's worst signing during his tenure at Old Trafford, Greg Johnson of Squawka Football branded Rojo "the defensive equivalent to Marouane Fellaini."
Winner: Timothy Fosu-Mensah
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On as a half-time replacement for Rojo, Fosu-Mensah combined with fellow teenager Marcus Rashford to set up Manchester United's winning goal.
The defender collected his team-mate's clever back-heeled pass on the right before drilling over a low cross that Martial converted at the far post.
However, while the assist caught the eye, Fosu-Mensah also showed his defensive capabilities to help his side hang onto their one-goal advantage.
Moved to centre-back after the outstanding Daley Blind was forced off through injury in the 82nd minute, the Dutchman was in the right place to hack clear a dangerous cross from Seamus Coleman in the closing stages.
Per WhoScored.com, the 18-year-old made three interceptions, two clearances and also blocked one shot.
Those are impressive numbers considering he only came on at half-time.
Loser: Roberto Martinez
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Roberto Martinez has steered Everton to semi-final appearances in both domestic cup competitions this season.
They lost to Manchester City in the last four of the League Cup, while they will face the winners of the replay between West Ham United and Manchester United in the semis of the FA Cup.
However, in the Premier League, the Toffees have picked up just one victory in their last four outings (and that came against rock-bottom Aston Villa, too).
Martinez blamed the loss at Old Trafford on poor defending, per Mike Whalley of BBC Sport: "The goal was a very soft action, it's not up to our standards. The performances were very, very level and we shouldn't have lost the game."
Whatever the reason behind the result, Everton are in 12th place in the Premier League table. Is that really acceptable, considering the squad their Spanish manager has at his disposal?
Not according to journalist Richard Buxton, who tweeted: "Interested to hear anyone willing to defend Martinez's Everton reign with today's banal, ineffectual performance now the standard fare."
Winner: John Stones
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John Stones' performance at Old Trafford was a positive for Everton to take out of the defeat.
Picked to start in place of Ramiro Funes Mori, the England international produced a perfectly timed sliding tackle in the first half to stop Martial from getting a shot away.
He also demonstrated his abilities on the ball at times, albeit one stray pass before the break nearly put his team in trouble.
Per Squawka Football on Twitter, Stones completed 84 per cent of the passes he attempted, as well as making three blocks and winning four aerial duels.
The 21-year-old didn't look rusty, despite making his first start at club level since being withdrawn at half-time in the 3-2 defeat to West Ham United on March 5.
His manager, Martinez, said in his post-match press conference, per Chris Beesley of the Liverpool Echo: "I can see a refreshed player who is growing all the time and I think that he can cope with anything that is surrounding his figure as a footballer. At 21, I think his display was very strong."
