Everton’s late-season momentum hands Louis van Gaal his heaviest defeat as United manager after an emphatic 3-0 win at Goodison. Elsewhere, Chelsea grind out a goalless draw at the Emirates to take a major step towards clinching the title.
Revitalised Toffees march on
Everton extended their unbeaten run to six matches with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Manchester United at Goodison Park. Goals from unlikely sources propelled the Toffees into a lead before half time, with James McCarthy netting the opener (his second of the campaign) after a sweeping counter attack and John Stones bagging a debut goal courtesy of a towering header from a corner. Kevin Mirallas made his mark from the bench in the second 45, beating the offside trap to notch his second in as many weeks.
Mirallas’ back-to-back strikes strengthens his claim for a starting berth, having been usurped by Leon Osman for the Red Devils clash. For now, a lack of security of starts limits our interest in the Belgian winger. In the only other change enacted by manager Roberto Martinez, Arouna Kone dropped out to accommodate the return of Romelu Lukaku as the hosts continued with a 4-1-4-1 system.
Leighton Baines reasserted his potential for attacking returns with an assist to complement Everton’s fourth clean sheet in six Gameweeks. The Merseysiders’ run-in (avl, SUN, whu, TOT) certainly works in favour of the English left-back, yet Lukaku’s reinstatement ensures that Baines slips further down the spot-kick pecking order. Furthermore, with a sizeable proportion Fantasy managers already owning one of Branislav Ivanovic (7.7) or John Terry (6.9) – who boast three consecutive clean sheets – few will want to divert funds towards another high-priced defender in light of Arsenal coverage being of paramount importance ahead of their double Gameweek 37.
United wilt without Carrick
Having chalked up six successive wins before Michael Carrick’s calf injury, United have now lost two on the trot without the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder – emphasising what a key figure he is to Louis van Gaal’s outfit. That being said, United will fancy their chances of a recovery in the their next two outings (WBA, cry), before a home tie against Arsenal in the penultimate Gameweek of the season presents another stern challenge.
In the absence of Carrick, Van Gaal named fit-again Daley Blind as the sitting midfield in a 4-1-4-1 formation, with Radamel Falcao dropping to the bench and Wayne Rooney reclaiming the lone striker berth. The ex-Toffees academy star suffered an injury in the dying embers of the encounter and was forced off with a knee problem – Van Gaal said post-match that the severity of the injury is as of yet unknown.
Gunners rearguard shows resolve
Arsenal’s defence tallied their seventh clean sheet in 13 fixtures following a 0-0 draw with Chelsea. They’ve conceded just seven across those matches, too, encouraging investment in the Gunners’ rearguard ahead of their double. Hector Bellerin (4.6) and Nacho Monreal (4.8) immediately catch the eye by virtue of their modest price tags, while Laurent Koscielny’s (6.0) four bonus points in two outings and greater security of starts also renders him a strong option.
On the flip side, Arsenal’s attacking contingent offered little in the way of goal threat for Chelsea’s visit to the Emirates. Joint-top scorer Olivier Giroud drew a blank for the second consecutive Gameweek, fashioning just two (off-target) shots on goal. Nonetheless, the French marksman should attract a flurry of new owners in the coming weeks, with Arsenal facing two agreeable match-ups (hul, SWA) before their double.
Chelsea rebuff last title contenders
Blues boss Jose Mourinho named one change from the XI that bested Manchester United 1-0, with Willian recalled in place of Didier Drogba – who was only fit enough to be named on the bench. With no recognised striker in the starting line-up, the Portuguese boss opted to field Oscar in the false nine role ahead of Willian, who operated in “the hole” behind his international teammate.
As expected – knowing Arsenal were the only team capable of staging an unlikely title challenge – Mourinho set his team out to contain, restricting the hosts to just one shot on target. Those managers in possession of Chelsea defenders were rewarded when they carded their third consecutive shut-out. Hopes of back-to-back clean sheets largely depends on whether Leicester City – who’ve been in fine form of late, netting 11 goals in five matches – can sustain their momentum when they play host to the league’s best defence on Wednesday.
Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas made it a clean sweep of blanks for Chelsea’s and Liverpool’s high-ownership midfielders in the first fixture of their respective doubles. Loic Remy’s continued absence and Diego Costa’s doubtful status for the Foxes tie offers little incentive for Mourinho to set up any differently at the King Power Stadium, though Oscar may well be set to miss out after being sent to hospital for head scans following a collision with Arsenal shot-stopper David Ospina.
