Everton had their four-game unbeaten run destroyed on their visit to Old Trafford in their Premier League clash with Manchester United, and Sean Dyche will be disappointed with the result as the pressure mounts on avoiding relegation.
The Toffees could fall back into the drop zone later this afternoon as a number of their rivals are in action this weekend, so it will be out of their hands as to whether they will keep their head above water or fall into deeper trouble before their next game.
Dyche opted for a change in formation against the Red Devils, deploying a 4-4-2 system instead of the successful 4-1-4-1 used in the draw against Tottenham Hotspur earlier this week, and it massively back-fired with the Everton defence completely smothered by their hosts' attacking threat.
Everton failed to dominate any area of the pitch with just 36% possession, fewer shots on target (1 v 11) and fewer big chances created (1 v 8). Meanwhile, they completed 300 fewer accurate passes (233 v 533) and lost possession on more occasions (130 v 129), suggesting that the 2-0 defeat could have been much worse if United had been more clinical in front of goal (stats via Sofascore).
In the first half, the Toffees had only Jordan Pickford to thank for staying in the game as long as they did, as Erik ten Hag's side ran riot in the channels, which led to a whopping 21 shots against them as Scott McTominay eventually broke the stalemate with a goal in the 36th minute.
Dyche made a crucial change at half-time with Vitaliy Mykolenko replacing Ben Godfrey on the left flank after he struggled to keep up with Antony throughout the opening 45 minutes.
However, it wasn't the left side that the Everton boss had to worry about in the second half, as Seamus Coleman had an absolute howler which led to Anthony Martial's 71st-minute strike to kill the game.
How did Seamus Coleman get on vs Manchester United?
The Everton club captain has been a consistent feature in the team since Nathan Patterson suffered an injury earlier in the season and has become a trusted player since Dyche's arrival at Goodison Park in January.
However, today's display will be one the experienced £55k-per-week Irishman will want to forget about in a hurry, as his lack of concentration was severely punished and ultimately cost Everton the opportunity to get back into the game in the dying minutes of the clash.
Over his 87-minute performance, Coleman lost possession of the ball 17 times, failed to win any of his aerial duels and completed just 24 accurate passes, with 33% of his pass attempts misplaced – and made the horrendous error that led to Martial's goal.
Manchester Evening News' chief correspondent for Manchester United, Samuel Luckhurst, took to Twitter to make a scathing statement about Coleman's mistake:
"Not the first time Seamus Coleman has crumbled with Anthony Martial near him. Easy goal that should kill the contest."
Indeed, it was a costly mistake, but we think there will is little doubt that Dyche will continue to put his trust in the right-back over the remainder of the season, as his experience at the club will continue to be a valuable asset to Everton in their fight for survival.
