OPINION
Everton fell to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Manchester United on Sunday at Old Trafford, and there were plenty of talking points to take away from the game.
The first half consisted of one goal from United, with Paul Pogba netting home a rebound after Jordan Pickford pulled off a superb save after the Frenchman’s effort from the spot.
Anthony Martial put the home side two goals up just after the start of the second half, but Gylfi Sigurdsson spared the Toffees’ blushes by converting a penalty in the 77th minute.
This is Futbol have picked out three things we learned about Everton v Manchester United below.
Bernard did not step up to the plate
Everton’s summer recruit looked a shadow of himself during this fixture – there were a number of times where he had clear goal scoring opportunities, but he failed to convert any of them. He looks a shadow of the player that we saw thrive at the start of the season, and to be honest, this is a shame. The 26-year-old looked ineffective on the wing, and he looked rather uncomfortable too. Apart from the few chances that he missed, he was basically invisible for the majority of the game – if he maintains this sort of form, then his place in the first team will end up being compromised. This is the last thing he would want to happen, but based on his display on Sunday, you would not really blame Marco Silva for axing him.
Walcott needs to be axed ASAP
Where has the Walcott of old disappeared to? Yet again, it was easy to forget that he was even on the pitch until he was substituted for Cenk Tosun in the 78th minute. The pacey runs were not there, nor was the fear that he usually strikes into defenders with his technical ability. It seems that somebody has replaced the first teamer with another player, because this is not the Walcott that Everton fans remember from last season. The gutless £110,000-a-week [Spotrac] player achieved absolutely nothing down the flank, and there is no doubt that he must be axed as soon as possible – for everyone’s sakes.
Gomes was the star of the show
Despite the fact that Everton did not manage to claim any points on Sunday, there is at least one positive they can take away from this game – and that is the performance of midfielder Andre Gomes. He was the only shining light on the pitch for them with his classy and assured passing, and it would be hard to argue that there is a better midfielder outside of the Premier League top six. It would be hard not to see Gomes establish himself as a firm fan favourite at the rate he is going – and based on this outing, he is definitely not far off.