Anthony Martial seals easy Manchester United win over subdued Everton

This was a swaggering pageant from Manchester United. In the season’s defining phase Erik ten Hag’s team are hitting a new gear that today reduced Everton to patsies and which deserved more than a one-goal lead at the interval.

That came courtesy of Scott McTominay drifting into the type of schemer’s area behind lines that is supposedly beyond a midfielder labelled as functional. But no. The Ten Hag way is to see potential everywhere, unmined gold from the boots of all of his charges. So to see, at the start of the second period, the maligned Harry Maguire sweep a diagonal ball that arced sweetly in the spring sunlight and that had Everton scrambling to defend was, too, scant surprise.

Later, the captain offered a repeat, from a deeper position, that found Tyrell Malacia as United tapped the ball about in a mode akin to a local park knockabout. Then suddenly Marcus Rashford – instrumental in the opener – was taking possession in the penalty area and Everton were under siege again and able to escape once more narrowly.

At this juncture Sean Dyche’s side retained a slim chance because of the narrowness of the deficit. They flickered occasionally, as when James Tarkowski rose in United’s area to head a free-kick, but this went as astray as any plan the manager had plotted for his team.

By now Antony, who had scampered free at will along the right before the break, was off for Anthony Martial.

Shots from Ellis Simms and Alex Iwobi forced a corner for Everton. This dropped to James Garner, once of United, and his effort went for a second dead ball. It was defended and those in red launched another raid, which featured Rashford and the excellent Marcel Sabitzer (another beneficiary of Ten Hag’s coaching smarts) whose chip was