Manchester United’s top-four hopes are all but mathematically over after Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Everton.
Ralf Rangnick looked lost as the team’s aimless game plan was capitalised upon by the struggling Toffees who earned just their second win since February 12. The winning strike was delivered by 21-year-old Anthony Gordon, whose deflected shot found the net on 27 minutes.
The youngster has been one of the few positives Everton have produced this season. The goal was his fourth of the season in what has been a breakout campaign for the local lad. After full-time, former United midfielder Owen Hargreaves said United should be looking to Gordon as an example of creativity.
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He told Premier League Productions: "Everton did their job well and United just did not have any answers. There were just no efforts from them. The United players need to play like Anthony Gordon.”
United mustered 12 shots at goal but just four were on target. They dominated possession and completed more than double the number of passes that their opponents managed (633).
But attacks rarely led to an opening with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford - who was eventually taken off - failing to make a telling impact. United have now won just three of their previous 12 games and are stuck in seventh in the table.
Rangnick admitted his side lost their nerve in the game. Speaking post-match, he said: "When we conceded, we lost a little bit of our composure and maybe also a little bit of our confidence.
“And if you don't score against a team against Everton, with all respect a team that conceded three goals against Burnley, you cannot expect to get anything out of it. If you don't score in 95 minutes against a team that conceded three goals against Burnley and we scored three goals against Tottenham at home, it's difficult to explain. For us, as a coaching staff, it's not so easy to understand why we didn't create more chances in a game like this."
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