After Saturday’s win against wasteful Everton at Old Trafford, Manchester United drew level with fifth-place Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, despite Spurs having two games in hand.
The win provided Erik ten Hag and his team a much-needed break after losing to Fulham and Manchester City in a row. However, the game had an odd rhythm, with the Toffees attempting 23 shots but failing to score. The hosts capitalized on two penalties, converted by Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford, due to fouls committed by the visiting players.
Winner of both penalty kicks, Alejandro Garnacho has once again shown why he is a valuable asset to the Red Devils’ system.
Although Garnacho was unable to score again, he was a constant threat to Sean Dyche’s team because of his two penalty wins and impressive dribbling.
This underachieving Manchester United club is set to lose the services of the 19-year-old as he continues to show no signs of slowing down.
In addition to drawing fouls from Everton defenders James Tarkowski and Ben Godfrey, the Argentine winger had an impressive performance overall, according to Sofascore, finishing 81% of his passes, making two crucial passes, successfully completing two of his three dribble attempts, and winning five of his eight contested ground duels.
Those who support him already know he is genuine. Even though Garnacho was the most impressive forward, there were a number of other players who stood out against an Everton team that might have changed the score if they had been more disciplined with their scoring chances.
As usual, Raphael Varane was superb throughout the match, and defensive pairing Jonny Evans and him were a formidable force in front of Andre Onana’s goal.
| Raphael Varane: E.P.L Stats 23/24 | |
|---|---|
| Matches played | 19 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Pass completion | 89% |
| Ball recoveries/game | 3.2 |
| Clearances/game | 4.3 |
| Ground duels won/game | 1.1 (59%) |
| Aerial duels won/game | 1.1 (81%) |
| Sourced via Sofascore | |
Indeed, Varane defeated his opponents in all three ground and air duels on Saturday. His energetic play was impressive, as he made two tackles (including one as the last man standing), cleared the ball three times, intercepted the ball, and blocked a shot.
Not only that, but renowned content producer Mark Goldbridge praised his “magnificent” performance, and he is subtly carrying on a tradition of reliable performances for his team, remaining calm and collected while being Evans’ ideal foil.
“A cool performance, although he was against the ineffective Beto for an hour until Dominic Calvert-Lewin came on,” remarked by Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News, who believed that the France international had a fine game.
I have to give respect to Varane for putting a stop to any threat, even if Everton’s strikers had a nightmare of a match.
Next weekend’s FA Cup quarterfinal match against Liverpool is the toughest test Manchester United will face. However, a confident win in the Premier League gives them a boost, and with Varane delivering consistently good performances, a positive campaign finish is certainly within reach.
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