Man United VS Everton Premier League LIVE Football Score 09/04/2022
Two teams in desperate need of the three points will lock horns for a key Premier League contest on Saturday afternoon, as Everton welcome Manchester United to Goodison Park. Everton’s relegation fears deepened on Wednesday when they lost 3-2 at fellow strugglers Burnley, while Man United saw their top-four hopes take a hit last weekend, dropping points at home to Leicester City.
Everton are one of six teams to have never been relegated from the Premier League, but there is no question that the Merseyside giants are locked in a battle for their lives heading into the final straight, and the pressure is already firmly on head coach Frank Lampard despite his recent arrival. The Toffees picked up a vital 1-0 win over Newcastle United before the international break but have lost their last two in the league, going down 2-1 at West Ham United last weekend before suffering a damaging 3-2 reverse away to fellow relegation candidates Burnley on Wednesday night.
Richarlison netted two penalties for Everton at Turf Moor after an opener from Nathan Collins, but Jay Rodriguez made it 2-2 in the 57th minute before Maxwel Cornet decided the contest in the 85th minute, piling the pressure on Lampard. The Toffees are currently 17th in the table, just one point clear of 18th-placed Burnley on the same number of matches, while they are only three ahead of 19th-placed Watford, but the Hornets have played a game more.
The Merseyside club are now heading into a tough run of fixtures, facing Man United, Leicester (H), Liverpool, Chelsea and Leicester (A) before a trip to Watford on May 11, and there is no question that the home supporters will be demanding a response at Goodison Park on Saturday afternoon. Man United will not be in the mood to hand out any favours this weekend, though, as the Red Devils require three points to keep their top-four hopes alive heading into the final straight.
A little over a month remains for the 2021/22 season to end, and the business end is well and truly underway. Gameweek 32 kicks off in the Premier League with Newcastle United hosting Wolves at St. James’ Park. The action on Saturday begins at Goodison Park, where Everton will welcome Manchester United for a must-win match for both teams.
Everton’s campaign started controversially with the appointment of Rafael Benitez. The Spaniard’s reign lasted just half the season, with the former Liverpool boss leaving the Toffees languishing in the bottom half. Frank Lampard replaced Benitez in January and has since overseen a tough period for Everton.
The Merseyside giants are only a point ahead of 18th-placed Burnley following the 2-1 defeat to the Clarets earlier this week. Like the hosts, Manchester United’s season can be chalked off as underwhelming, to say the least. The Red Devils began the campaign with hopes of possibly challenging for the Premier League title.
But things have gone horribly wrong for Manchester United, with interim boss Ralf Rangnick unable to steady the ship, despite overseeing just three defeats in 21 games. The poor run of results has left United seventh on the table, albeit within touching distance of a top-four spot.
Everton came from a goal down to hold Manchester United to a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture, with Andros Townsend’s 65th-minute strike cancelling Anthony Martial’s 43rd-minute opener. Ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter.
Frank Lampard has been handed a much-needed double boost on the team news front ahead of the visit of Manchester United. On Saturday, the Everton manager will be bereft of the services of six first-team players due to various injuries.
The good news is that Michael Keane and Allan are available after serving their respective suspensions. The duo’s return leaves Nathan Patterson (ankle), Yerry Mina (hamstring), Andre Gomes (knock), Tom Davies (hamstring), and Andros Townsend (knee) on the sidelines.
Donny van de Beek, who would have been ineligible to face parent club Manchester United anyway, is also unavailable due to a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, the returning pair of Keane and Allan should take their places back in the starting eleven straight away.
Keane should pair up with Mason Holgate at the heart of the Manchester United defence, with Ben Godfrey dropping to the bench after an abysmal performance against Burnley. Seamus Coleman will likely return too after recovering from an illness, with Jonjoe Kenny making way after a horror show in the midweek fixture. Vitaliy Mykolenko picks himself on the left flank.
Allan will star in the middle of the park alongside Abdoulaye Doucoure, with the duo getting the responsibility of keeping a lid on Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba’s outputs. Anthony Gordon and Alex Iwobi will aim to push Everton forward during transitions while also having defensive responsibilities.
Last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Leicester, coupled with the other results in England’s top flight, has left Ralf Rangnick’s side in seventh spot, three points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur on the same number of matches; it is not an impossible task, but they will also likely have to finish above Arsenal and West Ham.
The 20-time English champions are believed to be on the verge of naming Ajax’s Erik ten Hag as their new manager, with the club already planning for next season, but they will surely have to finish in a Champions League spot this term to be able to attract their desired transfer targets this summer.
Man United have only won one of their last six matches in all competitions during a disappointing run, while they suffered a 4-1 loss at Manchester City in their last away league fixture towards the start of March.
The Red Devils also have some huge matches in April, facing Liverpool and Arsenal in back-to-back away fixtures on April 19 and April 23 respectively, but they should be in a confident mood heading into this game, having only lost once to Everton in all competitions since April 2015.