Marcus Rashford is a chance for all the shortlisted players of the year if he continues to put in performances like this. The No.10 was the creative force behind Antony’s opener and Conor Coady’s own goal before slotting home a stoppage-time penalty after Alejandro Garnacho was brought down to secure the lead of Manchester United in the next round.
Of his star act, Erik ten Hag said: “Once again, great performance, Marcus was the one who went up front and showed confidence and belief and good moves behind, took the players and for 90 minutes he be a threat. When he’s focused like that, I’m sure he can keep that going.”
Frank Lampard arrived needing a win to try and save his job, but left with his future hanging in the balance. Everton host Southampton on Saturday week, whether Lampard will still be in charge is open to doubt.
Of his chances of avoiding the office, he said: “This is not under my control. It’s not for me to focus on that. It’s for me to focus on what I saw tonight and that was a performance that every manager wants with the attitude of the team and the focus. The focus now is Southampton.”
On three minutes, United promised to be an irresistible juggernaut that would flatten their visitors but that never materialized. Casemiro tapped Anthony Martial and the number 9 lost and then regained possession to find Rashford. He rolled down the left, gained half a yard on Ben Godfrey and rolled the ball for Antony to tuck in.
Everton was confused and dazed and there was more. Martial shot wide, Antony raced down the right but his shot missed and Christian Eriksen pointed from distance.
However, football, as the saying goes, can be a funny game and the latest evidence came in Everton’s farcical draw. Amadou Onana shrugged off Casemiro and passed to Neil Maupay – the striker was practically on the byline to the right of David De Gea’s left post but when he pointed the keeper comically refused to remove his left hand from right to make the stop. the ball went through his legs and Coady forced it home.
Conor Coady turns the ball past his own keeper, Jordan Pickford, from Marcus Rashford’s ball across goal. Photo: Ryan Browne/Shutterstock
De Gea has a sorry catalog of howlers on his CV and this was one of the worst. With their draw, Everton had given their manager the perfect boost in their first FA Cup meeting with United since the 2016 semi-final won by United en route to their last FA Cup victory .
Both managers named strong XIs, with Martial, Rashford, Casemiro and Luke Shaw in the Ten Hag line-up and Lampard picking his strongest squad, with the exception of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who had recently returned from an injury
Raphaël Varane, another of Ten Hag’s main players, conjured a trick to leave Idrissa Gueye for dead before cutting in from the right and passing to Casemiro, whose chip on goal was misdirected. So was an Eriksen drive, if only marginally, the last of a barrage against Everton which they survived to be level at the break.
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Casemiro, usually very silky, did not run and was eventually substituted. The Brazilian started the second half with a misplaced pass that allowed Alex Iwobi to dart into United’s half. Tyrell Malacia rushed to attack but inadvertently injured the winger and Iwobi was left off. “It’s ankle ligament damage, hopefully to a lesser extent,” Lampard said.
Another wide man, Rashford, was about to make his second assist. On this occasion, Séamus Coleman was the defender left scrambling as the number 10 came through and whipped in a cross which Coady was unlucky to turn past Pickford.
Here was Rashford’s latest game-changing act in a season of theirs. It had a jubilant Stretford End informing Lampard that he was “going off in the morning” and prompting a question: could United take control and, as the cliché goes, get their foot on the ball?
The answer was no. The spectacle remained akin to a hockey match which had Casemiro bothering close to an Everton corner flag, then Coleman tipping the ball into the United box and Vitalii Mykolenko going close to make it 2-2. Fernandes then warmed the fingers of Pickford from 30 yards and Rashford sent off Abdoulaye Doucouré with a yellow card.
De Gea came close to making another clown mistake under pressure from Calvert-Lewin, who had replaced Maupay. The forward would bundle into the net seconds later, but Gray had been caught offside earlier in the play. Rashford’s strike, who has now scored in five games in a row, marked United’s progress.