Everton secured their first win at Old Trafford since Roberto Martinez was manager on Monday night as they beat Manchester United 1-0.
Everton went into the clash on the back of a 2-0 win over Fulham, and despite Idrissa Gana Gueye being sent off for striking teammate Michael Keane, the Toffees took the lead with 10 men before holding out for a famous victory.
It’s a huge result for the Toffees, who have won most of the Premier League games they’ve been expected to win but have fallen short in a couple of others, and this feels like a step in the right direction.
And David Moyes’ side have been praised by former boss Roberto Martinez, who has labelled the result as a ‘season-defining moment’ in their quest for European football.
Everton manager Roberto Martinez.
Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty images
Roberto Martinez names Everton’s win over Man United as ‘season-defining’
Speaking on Monday Night Football on Sky Sports’ live coverage, Martinez was full of praise for Moyes after the win – especially under the circumstances of the red card.
The former Toffees boss said: “Incredible. I think David Moyes deserves it to the full, because it was a challenging night.
“It was a night that just came to them from the first minute.
“Everything had to be right to win. It wasn’t like that initially, they started well, they were really brave, and then they had the adversity of the red card.
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“From that point on they had to be very resilient in the second half at times, United had their chances. It’s just what the club deserves and nights like that are very special.
“For me, it’s a defining moment for this season. Everton can look to a different objective now.”
Whilst Premier League survival has been the objective for the past three years, this season feels slightly different due to the move to the Hill Dickinson Stadium, and now Everton are genuinely in the shout to qualify for Europe if results can slightly improve in the manner they did on Monday.
Roberto Martinez had a good record for Everton vs Manchester United
Roberto Martinez joined Everton in 2013 after David Moyes had departed for United – and that switch brought about lots of joy for the Toffees.
The Spaniard masterminded Everton’s first Premier League win at Old Trafford for 20 years thanks to a late Bryan Oviedo winner, and he did Everton’s second double over the Red Devils in that time frame with a 2-0 win late in the season.
All in all, Martinez won three Premier League games against the Red Devils in six attempts, only losing one game at Goodison Park in that time.
Date Result
4th December, 2013 1-0 W
20th April, 2014 2-0 W
5th October, 2014 2-1 L
26th April, 2015 3-0 W
17th October, 2015 3-0 L
3rd April, 2016 1-0 L
Roberto Martinez’s Premier League record for Everton vs Man United
Other bosses failed to do what Martinez did, only beating United twice from the point of his sacking until this weekend, though Moyes has now equalled that tally.
Martinez ended up finishing fifth with Everton in his first season and he’s since been called ‘extraordinary’ by Cristiano Ronaldo, though he tailed off from there – and Moyes will hope that he suffers an alternative fate.
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