First Half
Initially United started this game in an unfamiliar 4-1-4-1 shape. This shape involved Jones sitting in front of the back four tight to Fellaini. Ahead of Jones was Cleverley, generally joined by Rooney dropping deep. Giggs was on the left and Valencia on the right. Everton’s shape was a 4-4-1-1 with Fellaini behind Anichebe.
United started at a high tempo and in the initial stages it was United who took the initiative. Rooney, Giggs and Van Perise all showed good movement and their fluidity saw Everton under pressure which they appeared unable to relieve. It was noticeable from the start that Valencia was the least fluid of the United offensive players, he stayed in position on the right, perhaps a deliberate tactic to restrict the opportunities for Baines to get forward.
After the initial pressure Everton did manage to get out, chiefly as a consequence of United’s carelessness in possession. When Everton did cross the half way line United found it difficult to win the ball back. In defence United tended to sit off Everton, waiting for the visitors to surrender possession, rather than chasing the ball down. Jones just stayed close to Fellaini who dropped deep in search of space. Everton then had some good possession in the United half but didn’t really look like creating clear cut chances. Vidic stayed close to Anichebe who led the line, attempting to lay the ball off to Osman, Pienaar and Mirallas. When Everton came forward this was the pattern throughout the first half.
Conversely when United crossed the halfway line they did look like creating chances, chiefly through a series of one-two’s around the edge of the Everton box. Rooney, Giggs and Van Persie were all regularly involved as was Rafael who moved forward from right back and had some success in the inside right channel, (partly as a consequence of Valencia occupying Baines). One such move led to a shot by Van Persie striking the post after 11 minutes.
Then after 14 minutes, Boom! United scored. Again this all came from the right hand side. Van Persie tends to drift out to the right and then move inside. This time he had to outmuscle an Everton defender to get to a 50-50 ball. He fed Giggs who calmly and precisely hit a low shot past Howard. The ball struck the post and rebounded into the opposite corner of the net.
By this point United’s shape had changed into a more usual 4-2-3-1, but Jones never strayed far from Fellaini. After the goal United seemed to lose some of their urgency and from about the 20 minute mark onwards Everton were more assertive. Pienaar and Osman now started to play a little narrower and so closer to Anichebe. Everton had good periods of possession in the United half. Everton also started to play a higher line generally. United’s defence stayed fairly resolute and never looked seriously threatened. De Gea was tested by one long range shot and although Everton’s periods of possession were a cause for some concern, Jones marshalling of Fellaini ensured that Everton’s attack lacked the static a which caused so many problems last year.
United had not really been pressing Everton, appearing content to wait for Everton to give possession away. The problem was that Everton retained the ball, and when United did win the ball around the edge of their own box they carelessly gave it back, either by not moving to create a passing opportunity, or as a consequence of a number of inappropriate flicks.
Perhaps because of the lack of pressing United now made an interesting positional change. For the last ten minutes or so of the half Jones dropped into the right back position and Rafael moved into midfield. Rafael has a natural inclination to dive in and operating in midfield he pressed the ball. United therefore finished the half on the attack, and Boom! A second goal. Rafael came inside and fed Van Persie to run on. He rounded the keeper and shot. The covering defender was unable to keep the ball out. Van Persie had been caught out on a number of occasions by Everton’s high line, but on this occasion he beat the offside trap.
