United rebirth? Rotten show at Everton reveals sheer size of Solskjaer's task
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Updated 21/04/2019 at 23:57 GMT
After the rebirth with Ole at the wheel, Manchester United's Champions League hopes have gone decidedly off track.
Manchester United suffered the heaviest defeat of their season
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The match stats were a damning indication of just how bad this performance was from a group of players that have crumbled in the Spring, now looking likely to spend next season combatting Thursday night football.
After a devastating 4-0 loss to Everton - only a fifth Premier League defeat by four or more goals - United are faced with the rather unwanted position of needing to beat their neighbours Manchester City on Wednesday to retain any real hope of snaffling fourth spot off their direct rivals Arsenal and Chelsea, whom they face at Old Trafford next weekend.
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United were well beaten at Everton at Goodison
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At Goodison Park on Sunday, United did not attempt a shot on target until the 86th minute through Anthony Martial’s strike from outside the penalty area. It was what United were forced to resort to having gone an 11th consecutive game without a clean sheet in all competitions for the first time since December 1998.
When Jose Mourinho was dismissed in the same month last year, all logic pointed towards Mauricio Pochettino being appointed as his successor in the summer, but the feeling now grows that emotions took hold of the club’s search for the Portuguese’s replacement.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was designed to be the outside voice returning to a club he knew well, positioned to work alongside Mike Phelan and Michael Carrick to bring an air of stability to an unhappy dressing room.
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Theo Walcott fires in goal No 4 for Everton
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The fixtures were initially kind as five victories were rattled off against Cardiff, Huddersfield, Bournemouth, Newcastle and Reading, but then came the tactical masterclasses that earned Solskjaer the job on a full-time basis.
Victories at Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea in the FA Cup was topped by the incredible night in Paris as United reached the Champions League quarter-finals. The shift in mood brought a feeling of inevitability to Solskjaer's appointment on March 28.
But six defeats in eight games in all competitions has meant United's progress under the Norwegian has well and truly hit the buffers. On Easter Sunday, there was no rise from the dead for the Red Devils. The humiliation at Everton represented the lowest point in the Norwegian's short tenure, with qualification for next season's Champions League now out of their hands.
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer apologises to the United fans
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There was little of the effort and desire that punctuated the first two-and-a-half months of Solskjaer's reign, and this was every bit as bad as the worst of Mourinho's time in charge.
Some United fans will tell you that their side haven't performed well since their 2-0 victory over Chelsea in the FA Cup at Stamford Bridge on February 18 - 13 games ago. That's how far you need to go back.
From the moment Paul Pogba provided a rather subdued pre-match interview for Sky Sports television, and was seen as the players emerged from the tunnel laughing and joking with Kurt Zouma, something didn't feel right - beyond the off-pink away strip United opted to wear, the first time that a side has worn their away kit in this fixture.
The warning signs were there from the first five minutes.
Richarlison had the game's first good chance, as he forced David de Gea into a good reaction save to his right from Idrissa Gueye's cross, with the Brazilian unable to adjust his feet quick enough on the rebound.
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Richarlison fires in the opner after 13 minutes
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Chris Smalling was happy to concede the throw in after an over-hit pass down the line for Bernard, but it offered Lucas Digne the chance to launch the ball into the box in the same way it led to Phil Jagielka's winning goal against Arsenal a fortnight ago.
The Frenchman found the head of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who rose above Smalling to flick on for Richarlison to acrobatically finish past the helpless De Gea.
No one looked like taking charge in a United shirt. Nobody looked dominant as Everton continued to target the United right. Everton ran 4km further in the first-half, the lung capacity just wasn't there for some in pink - five days after they were given the run-around by Barcelona at the Camp Nou.
Nemanja Matic - making his first start since March 30 - was extremely off the pace, seen in the manner Gylfi Sigurdsson glided away from him to fire in Everton’s second, which didn’t cover De Gea in glory as he slowly fell to his right.
Marcus Rashford was visibly short on confidence, while Martial - usually so lethal against Everton - was anonymous but for a disgraceful dive midway through the second-half.
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Seamus Coleman shows his disdain after Anthony Martial's act of simulation
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Fred was being out-battled by Gueye and was rightfully replaced at the interval as part of a double change by United, but within 19 minutes of the re-start, the visitors' problems had doubled through further strikes from Lucas Digne and Theo Walcott as Solskjaer watched his defence part at the seams.
"We conceded from a throw, and there are so many things we need to look at," he said afterwards.
Talent has never been the issue. That was not worthy of a Manchester United team, and we have to apologise to everyone associated with the club. We have to perform a lot better than this on Wednesday, which now becomes a massive game.
"We've got a fairly big job to do and we've just got to do it. This club has been down before and now we have to focus on winning on Wednesday night. We were sloppy on the ball, and we can't hide. We've got to step up and improve to get to where we want to be.
"We're all human beings, and it's easy to get yourself going when you're doing well. We have to try to forget the past couple of experiences and we know we're going to have to perform if we are to get a result against City. It's going to be a big ask.
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Lucas Digne fires in Everton third
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It was up there with United’s worst performances in the post Ferguson era on a day when United were attempting to avoid a fifth straight away defeat for the first time since 1981. What they achieved was their biggest defeat to any opposition since October 2016 against Chelsea in the Premier League.
Rancid - that was the immediate assessment of a furious former defender Gary Neville. Weed is attacking the foundations of the house. The fans aren't going to turn on Solskjaer, so the players have to find the minerals from somewhere.
Where do you see United’s next league title coming from? This was a team in their armchairs, and the expected reaction never came. Belief and sharpness was absent as United resorted to speculative efforts that rarely troubled Jordan Pickford.
Arsenal and Chelsea are now in the box seat to go head-to-head for fourth spot, after this United stroll that emphatically backfired. Solskjaer knew he was in for a battle to return his beloved club to its former glories, but he is under no illusions now.
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Paul Pogba cuts a dejected figure at Goodison Park
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The 46-year-old has spoken of the need for time to rebuild this squad and the need for a few transfer windows to sort this mess out.
The fixture list was always going to get harder after that glorious honeymoon period. But with each passing setback, the United hierarchy will be wondering if they have made the right appointment.
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