Live Blog

Fulltime Thoughts - Everton were the second best team here, and the scoreline reflected it too. Can blame tired players, wrong team selection or whatever you would like, but we simply did not look ready or interested enough in trying to get to the semi-finals of a competition we have never won.

WhoScored

90+5’ - Everton have no men at the back and a United counter finds Martial free, he places it past Olsen, United 2-0 and there’s the final whistle.

90+4’ - Shaw booked, for time-wasting. Evrton not doing much don’t worry.
United stretch Everton pushing forward, Fernandes with a chance to shoot, clips the bar.
Now Olsen foils a United 3-on-2.

90+3’ - United win a corner and wind the clock further down.
Godfrey shot blocked, Everton corner. Taken short, Sig crosses it in the box, and Henderson claims well.

90+2’ - Tuanzebe and Martial have been booked, but it’s scant consolation for the Toffees.

90’ - Ancelotti throws on Cenk Tosun for Doucoure.
Bernard wins a freekick on the edge of the box. Sig inswinger, Godfrey gets to it but heads well over.
Everton looked like they were playing for penalties, and will pay for it. Five minutes added on.

88’ - Goal. Cavani cuts in from the right, and his left-footed shot is into the far post, no chance for Olsen. Godfrey was left for dead.

87’ - Gylfi steals the ball and evades Pogba, found Iwobi and the Nigerian’s cross into the box is met somewhat by Sigurdsson flying at it. Wow, that ciould have been something.

86’ - Everton have a chance to break.. and guess what, misplace a pass again and instead Fernandes in acres of space. He plays Martial in and the Frenchman falls on his behind trying to get off a shot.

84’ - United’s last change is Luke Shaw for Telles, like-for-like.

80’ - I’ve calmed down a bit, even though Everton have done nothing but give the ball away.
Bernard leaves out a leg and Pogba gratefully goes over just outside the box. Telles to take, hits it well over.

68’ - Everton have a chance to break, DCL with the ball and guess what, misplaces his pass to Iwobi.
Now Coleman breaks forward, and his pace to DCL is overhit, and the striker was offside anyway. What. The. Everloving. Heck. Is. This.

67’ - Hate to say the p-word, but Everton look like they’re playing for penalties already.
United are going for a goal meanwhile, Marcus Rashford (good person) and Anthony Martial (not so much, diving shite) are on for Greenwood and van de Beek.

65’ - Maybe it’s just me, but Bernard is a waste of a sub. Has done absolutely nothing since he came on. Might as well have sent Anthony Gordon on.
ICYMI, how bad was the Richarlison foul? Here you go. No I didn’t see a card flashed either.

61’ - Mason Greenwood with a Best Supporting Actor category entry there, diving when Godfrey’s leg was about two feet away from any part of him.

55’ - Richarlison looks badly winded - maybe broken ribs? - and will not continue, Bernard is on now.
Pogba first player in the book, brings down an overlapping Godfrey. Second change is on now, Tom Davies replacing the quite ineffective Andre Gomes.

52’ - Off the ball, Cavani gets his hands in Mina’s face who goes down somewhat theatrically. Hands to the face is hands to the face, and Andy Madley is not interested.
2,000 Blues are livid as Bailly jumps up and charges hip-first into Richy going for a bouncing ball. Madley blows for a foul, but nothing else as the Brazilian lands heavily.

48’ - Doucoure nutmegs Paul Pogba and sets off on a break, but the Blues lose possession.
Poor clearance from Godfrey allows Tuanzebe to find Cavani. The striker looks to control with his arm, but fires his shot into the side netting. Gets a corner too, saved by Olsen?
Everton clear through Mina and charge upfront, a poor cross from Iwobi (Trying hard not to laugh here) ends that move.

46’ - No changes at the break for either side. Blues setting up like a 4-4-2 with Sig next to DCL when United are in possession.

‘Grand Old Team’ playing on the tannoy as Everton emerges for the second half. Can the players grow on their late first half resurgence?

Halftime Thoughts - Everton look to have finally arrived at Goodison, a full thirty-odd minutes after the opening whistle. Still all to play for at 0-0.

WhoScored

45+1’ - Gomes gives up a freekick in a dangerous area just inside the Everton third of the field. Fernandes goes for it.. but Olsen gets down smartly and saves.
There’s the halftime whistle, somehow it’s still 0-0.

44’ - Ancelotti had talked about Bruno Fernandes ‘killing’ his side if left uncovered. Think Fernandes is tired too after playing all his minutes. He’s not running as free as he was, and Everton can now defend better.
There will be one minute of time added on.

41’ - Everton push forward again, and Sigurdsson can let off a shot from outside the box with his left foot, but it has no juice on it and trickles to Henderson.
Tottenham have won the other quarter final, so it’s the Spurs, City and Brentford in the final four now.

38’ - Coleman wins another corner off Telles. Gylfi outswinger, Godfrey tries to control but Maguire clears. The Toffees have finally showed up for this battle.

36’ - Sigurdsson and Godfrey combine in the box, and the defender goes down under a challenge near the six-yard box.. but Andy Madley is not interested in a penalty.
Another attack from the Blues and they win a freekick about 30-yards out, just to the right. Sigurdsson drove one off the ball over the weekend. Over the wall and Henderson is forced to make a save. Not quite top corner, but a corner for the Blues.
Sig takes again, too high, cleared.

34’ - Everton’s first sequence of a dozen or so passes nicely works the ball from behind all the way up to win a corner, their first of the game. Sigurdsson to take from the right, DCL gets a head to it but it’s take and straight at Henderson. Shot on goal, yay.

31’ - Everton’s first real opportunity is a bad backpass from United, Dominic Calvert-Lewin tries to make something but eventually a poor pass (who’s surprised?) puts paid to it.
Richarlison and Iwobi have swapped sides, and right now it’s made no difference whatsoever.

28’ - Another corner, and this time Pogba gets his head to it, but it’s straight at Olsen. Relief.

25’ - United coming closer and closer. Greenwood moves into the middle from his right side, sets up a cross and then gets his head on it too, flashes wide of Olsen’s left post with the goalie beaten.

24’ - We’re at the quarter mark of the game, and Everton’s players are certainly looking like this is their fourth game in about ten days. United meanwhile made nine changes and have fresher players on the pitch.

22’ - Sigurdsson has the ball in the box, beats a couple of men before losing the ball trying another dribble. That was Everton’s first touch in the United box.

19’ - Everton’s 33% possession feels more like a 15%, and Olsen might have most of it.

16’ - Double save from Olsen on Cavani!! The Everton defence are static and letting him shoot at will! This is ridiculous.

14’ - Early call on the RBM Slack that this is the worst Everton have looked this season so far. I would agree.
Tuanzebe robs Godfrey, the latest to commit an error, and his center is dangerous, but quelled well at Cavani’s feet by Olsen. Oh my word, what is going on?

12’ - More sloppy play from Everton as Olsen miscontrols under pressure from Cavani, and nearly gifts the striker the ball but can recover and clear. Shambolic start for the Blues.

10’ - Now Coleman concedes the fourth corner of the game already, low and cleared well by Richarlison.
Doucoure cuts out a cross from the right, another corner. Low again from Telles, Richy clears again.

8’ - Both sets of players claiming a handball, play goes on and Pogba’s backheel finds Donny ban de Beek shoots at goal, blocked for another corner!
Ball comes eventually to Cavani from the corner but he’s offside. Whew. Everton have not showed up yet after Keane makes another mistake with a backpass.

5’ - Won’t bore you with a bunch of stats, but United have won a gazillion away games in a row, conceded first in more of them yada yada yada.
Godfrey concedes a corner. Telles takes it, Olsen punches clear for another corner. Mina caught part of that fist off his nose too, and he looks shook up. Andy Madley insists Mina has to leave the pitch after the two minute delay, and the Blues won’t have him for the corner.

3’ - Edinson Cavani called offside and he seems to be waiting for VAR which is not in use today.
Michael Keane struggles to manage a bouncing ball back to him, Mason Greenwood pounces and finds Bruno Fernandes and he miscontrols, Yerry Mina can clear. Everton looking shaky.

1’ - We’re off! Both sides are lined up in the 4-2-3-1, so it will really come down to positional battles and who wins them. Richarlison against Axel Tuanzebe, and Alex Iwobi against Alex Telles could determine how much attacking joy Everton get today.

The lineups are out - Carlo Ancelotti has decided to make a couple of changes with Club captain Seamus Coleman returning at right back, Robin Olsen getting another start and Andre Gomes in the middle.

Big changes for United too, starting with Dean Henderson once again getting the Carabao Cup start.

Preview

There’s not much to say here. Everton have never won the League Cup, or any of its variants, including the Carabao Cup which is what this tournament is now called. They play Manchester United in the quarterfinals of the competition at Goodison Park, with Manchester City and Brentford already through to the final four and Tottenham Hotspur playing Stoke City in the other game.

United are having an up-and-down season, going from ‘Ole Out’ and crashing out of the Champions League after the group stage, to climbing up to the top four of the Premier League.

Ole Gunnar Solksjaer has a large squad to select from so might decide to rotate his side and keep players fresh while Carlo Ancelotti has a smaller pool of players, so this might come down to the fittest side winning.

Match Details

Competition: Carabao Cup Fifth Round

Date and start time: Wednesday, December 23rd at 12:00 p.m. PT / 3:00 p.m ET / 8:00 p.m. BST

Stadium: Goodison Park, Liverpool, England, United Kingdom

Capacity: 39,572 (2,000, behind closed doors)

Weather: 43°F/6°C, light rain, 38% chance of precipitation, 15 mph winds

How to Watch/Listen

TV: N/A - United States; Sky Ultra HD - United Kingdom; DAZN - Canada, beIN Sports 2&11, SuperSport Premier League ROA, SuperSport Maximo, RMC Sport 1, ESPN 2 Colombia

Radio: evertontv, TalkSport Radio UK, BBC Radio 5 Live

Live stream: ESPN+, carabaocup.live, Sky GO, ESPN Play Sur, beIN SPORTS CONNECT, DStv Now, RUSH

Gamethread: Live blog above starting one hour before game time

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Information from LiveSoccerTV.com

Lineups

Everton

Olsen, Coleman, Keane, Mina, Godfrey, Doucoure, Gomes, Sigurdsson, Iwobi, Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin

Subs: Pickford, Kenny, Holgate, Tosun, Bernard, Gordon, Davies

Manchester United

Henderson, Tuanzebe, Bailly, Maguire, Alex Telles, Matic, Pogba, B Fernandes, Van De Beek, Greenwood, Cavani

Subs: Grant, Fosu-Mensah, Shaw, Fred, Lingard, Martial, Rashford

Last Meeting

The last time Everton took on United this season was with Richarlison out, and the Blues looked toothless while defending atrociously and letting Bruno Fernandes free all game long to lose 3-1 at home.