Chapter 392: İlkay Gündoğan
As predicted by the media before the match, Everton launched an aggressive attack at home, playing an offensive style of football. Meanwhile, Manchester United adopted a more conservative approach, relying on counter-attacks.
When Ronald Koeman moved from the south coast to Everton, he faced a critical question: Should he build the team's tactical system according to his own ideas, or maintain the team's previous style and just make improvements?
This question had been troubling him. Looking at the entire Premier League, Everton's midfield and forward lineup was undoubtedly among the top tier. Fans were especially excited when they signed Bolasie from Crystal Palace and brought in center-back Ashley Williams to replace the departed Stones, as well as strong midfielder Gueye from Aston Villa.
With such a lineup, one would expect Everton to aim for a top-four finish. However, the reality was that Everton had been struggling. Due to Koeman's indecision about the team's tactics and lineup, they had only won once in 11 games from late September to early December, putting Koeman's job at risk.
During this period, Koeman tried various formations, including 4-2-3-1, 4-3-1-2, 4-3-3, 5-3-2, 3-5-2, and 4-4-2. The choice of wingers fluctuated between Mirallas, Bolasie, and Deulofeu. The current midfield core Gueye had no consistent partner, making it difficult for him to carry the whole team despite his excellent performance.
Moreover, Mirallas and Bolasie both preferred attacking from the left, causing serious positional overlap. Ross Barkley's ability remained, but his increasingly impatient playing style made him seem less intelligent on the field. As for Deulofeu, many media outlets reported that he might leave in the winter transfer window. Whether true or not, relying solely on right-back Coleman for right-wing attacks was unrealistic.
These various issues led to Everton's embarrassing record of just one win in 11 matches across all competitions after a good start to the league, casting a shadow over their outlook.
In this context, Everton naturally hoped to turn the tide as soon as possible. A win at home against Manchester United would undoubtedly boost the team's morale significantly.
Manchester United also made adjustments. Apart from the return of Kante from injury, Gündoğan surprisingly started. Until now, he had mostly been a substitute. Mourinho's decision to start him caught Everton's coach Ronald Koeman off guard because Gündoğan had had few opportunities to play this season, making him a relatively unknown factor for Koeman. Interestingly, Gündoğan turned out to be the key player.
Gündoğan was almost signed by Manchester City last summer while he was at Borussia Dortmund. However, Mourinho's personal charm convinced him to join Manchester United instead.
This season, he had played 14 times for United's first team in all competitions, six of those as a substitute. Most of his time was spent quietly improving his skills in the reserves according to the coaching staff's training plan.
If one only looked at the statistics, it might seem like his choice to transfer to United was a mistake, especially when compared to Mkhitaryan, who transferred to Manchester City and had much better stats. However, Gündoğan was undergoing meticulous training under Mourinho. Occasionally, Mourinho let him play for the first team to see the results of his training.
Sometimes he performed well, other times poorly, but regardless, Mourinho did not comment, neither praising nor criticizing, creating a relatively stress-free environment for Gündoğan.
In this match, Mourinho decided it was time to put more pressure on Gündoğan to see how he would perform in a crucial game.
Mourinho did not use his usual 4-3-3 formation but instead opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation. Kante and Carrick formed the double pivot, with Gündoğan, Bruno, and Rashford in front of them.
Before the match, Mourinho informed the team and Gündoğan that the left flank, where Gündoğan was positioned, would be the team's key area of attack, with Rashford acting as a decoy. When Everton's defense focused on Rashford, Bruno would switch the ball to Gündoğan on the other side.
In the first ten minutes, Gündoğan was still adapting to the game, quickly passing the ball away and not attempting his trademark dribbles. It appeared that Rashford was United's main attacking threat, with three breakthroughs, one successful and two unsuccessful.
Bruno closely monitored Gündoğan's situation. Once he felt that Gündoğan had found his rhythm, he would not hesitate to pass him the ball.
In the 22nd minute, Rashford drew two defenders on the right and passed through them to Bruno. Bruno, without hesitation, switched the ball to Gündoğan on the other side.
Standing at 1.80 meters tall, Gündoğan wasn't particularly strong but was quick, agile, and technically proficient. Receiving the ball, he didn't pass but chose to dribble forward. Everton's right-back, Seamus Coleman, was caught off guard by Gündoğan, who he hadn't yet figured out in the first 20 minutes.
Gündoğan breezed past Coleman and continued into the penalty area. Everton's Gueye tried to tackle him but ended up fouling him. Bruno and Ibrahimović raised their hands, signaling a foul to the referee. The referee blew his whistle and pointed to the penalty spot.
"Oh, Everton's player fouled... It's Gueye who fouled Gündoğan! A penalty kick!"
Gueye felt aggrieved, believing it was a fair challenge, and protested to the referee. However, the referee stuck to his decision, awarding a penalty to United.
Bruno took the penalty, blasting it past goalkeeper Stekelenburg, who dived the wrong way. United led 1-0.
With Everton pushing forward to attack, United found more opportunities for counter-attacks. Before halftime, Valencia broke through on the wing and crossed to Ibrahimović, who controlled the ball, turned, and shot it in off the post, making it 2-0.
In the second half, Everton launched a furious assault on United's half, hoping to equalize quickly. However, this played into United's hands, giving them more space for counter-attacks.
In the 64th minute, Bruno seized the opportunity to make a long pass, sending the ball past most of the pitch to Rashford. The pass was perfectly weighted, allowing Rashford to sprint forward, outpacing Baines and chipping the ball over the advancing Stekelenburg into the net. United led 3-0.
"Beautiful chip shot! Rashford seals the victory for the team!"
In stoppage time, Everton pulled one back due to a careless clearance from United's defense, but it was too late to change the outcome.
United players were unfazed by the late goal, as they had already secured the win.
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