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SALAH NETS BRACE AS LIVERPOOL CLAIM RECORD-BREAKING VICTORY AT EVERTON

Liverpool piled more pressure on former manager Rafael Benitez with a record-breaking 4-1 win over Everton at Goodison Park in the 239th Merseyside derby.

In maintaining their current Premier League average of three goals per game, Jurgen Klopp’s side became the first top-flight English team to score at least twice in 18 successive fixtures in all competitions.

Mohamed Salah’s figures continue to be equally impressive as his double, after Jordan Henderson’s opener, made it 19 goals in as many appearances.

His first was a beautifully-crafted curling shot across Jordan Pickford into the far corner but his second was all about a predatory instinct.

With the score at 2-1 after Demarai Gray pulled one back just before half-time, he seized on a calamitous error by Everton captain Seamus Coleman to race the length of the pitch to score.

Diogo Jota lashing a shot past Pickford’s near post was the last thing Benitez – now eight matches without a win and just two points from a possible 24 – wanted to see.

For some fans it was the last thing they did see as they began to stream for the exits.

The game was played on the 62nd anniversary of Bill Shankly’s appointment as Liverpool manager and the early part of the second half in particular was something of a throwback as Everton put up a brief fight which had been lacking in the majority of their previous seven matches.

But that aside, the amount of space Liverpool were given in midfield in a Merseyside derby was barely believable.

Everton’s players were so far off the pace the visitors were able to play through them at will with Henderson running the show in the first 20 minutes.

Joel Matip’s header and two efforts from Salah, one denied by a smart low save from Pickford, could have put Klopp’s side ahead before Henderson actually did in the ninth minute.

A ball over the top to Sadio Mane had players looking for an offside flag but – in the meantime – the ball was moved on to Andy Robertson who cut back for Henderson, unsurprisingly unmarked inside the penalty area considering Everton’s earlier failings, and he coolly passed the ball beyond Pickford with his weaker left foot.

Had it not been for their goalkeeper, Everton would have been buried before half-time as he also saved from Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mane but was powerless to deny the class of Salah.

Caught in possession midway in the opposition’s half, Everton were left chasing shadows as Henderson’s inch-perfect through-ball inside left-back Lucas Digne sent the Egypt international racing clear and he clinically beat Pickford with a curling left-footed shot placed into the far corner.

Fittingly considering the impact Salah has had, it was the 500th league goal scored in Klopp’s 234th game.

The atmosphere was starting to turn inside Goodison and seeing Andros Townsend and Gray booked for diving did nothing to help the mood.

Alexander-Arnold slicing a Richarlison cross over his own crossbar appeared the closest Everton would come to troubling Liverpool’s goal before, out of nothing, they gave themselves a lifeline.

Mane lost possession wide on the left and Richarlison quickly slotted the ball through to Gray, who charged down through the middle to fire in a shot which Alisson Becker could not keep out.

It was Everton’s first goal in a month and one which saw Gray equal his joint-best Premier League scoring season, matching the four he got for Leicester in 2018-19.

The goal injected new life into the crowd and the players with even lumbering 32-year-old striker Salomon Rondon suddenly finding the energy to press the central defenders.

Mane’s goal-bound header blocked by Ben Godfrey just before the break suggested the pain was not over for Everton.

Benitez’s side came out galvanised for the second half and were making a contest of it until one error decided the game.

When Liverpool cleared a corner the ball was passed back by Gray to Coleman but the Toffees captain miscontrolled and the Egyptian brilliantly seized the opportunity, racing from halfway to roll a shot past Pickford.

Benitez – yet to beat his former side in seven attempts in domestic competition – tried his best to encourage and cajole renewed effort from his players but it was a hopeless task without his still-injured main striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and Jota made things worse in the 79th minute.

As Blues fans made a swift exit, the visiting Reds supporters entertained themselves with chants of “Rafa’s at the wheel” – a cruel twist on the song they taunted Manchester United fans with after their 5-0 win at Old Trafford in October.

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ANTONIO CONTE’S FIRST SPURS’ LEAGUE GAME END IN A BARREN DRAW

Tottenham manager Antonio Conte endured a frustrating start to his Premier League return as his shot-shy side drew 0-0 at Everton, who ended a run of three successive defeats.

The Italian had warned his players they would have to be prepared to suffer after he took over from Nuno Espirito Santo, but it was the former Chelsea boss who was put through the wringer at Goodison Park.

Having kept faith with the same team which were unconvincing 3-2 Europa League winners over Vitesse Arnhem on Thursday, he witnessed his side come off second best to opponents beset by injuries and low on morale who had not won in their previous four matches.

Spurs have now gone three hours and 47 minutes without registering a shot on target in the league, which undoubtedly helped Rafael Benitez’s fragile team grow in confidence.

Although the better side, Everton, who had a penalty award overturned by VAR and substitute Mason Holgate sent off in the 90th minute, just eight minutes after coming on, only had two attempts on target themselves.

Nevertheless, Benitez will have been delighted to have stopped the rot heading into the international break, which will give him some breathing space in which to get some of his injured players back.

The performance also restored supporters’ faith after witnessing some abject displays over the last month.

Benitez’s decision to hand Fabian Delph his first start since December was pretty much forced upon him due to injuries and Jean Philippe-Gbamin’s woeful 45 minutes in Monday’s defeat at Wolves.

But it made Everton better. Inside the first 20 seconds he had set the tone by snapping into a tackle on Harry Kane – it may have been a foul, but it sent out a strong message after the insipid showing at Molineux and his team-mates took the hint.

But the former England midfielder has plenty more strings to his bow and his organisational skills and reading of the game helped form a more co-ordinated midfield which fluctuated from a three to a four as Tottenham worked their way back following their hosts’ positive start.

However, the meeting of two under-achieving sides, Everton having more of an excuse with key players Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Andre Gomes and Yerry Mina out injured, produced an underwhelming first half.

There was more intensity from Conte in his technical area than his players, however, as Everton started brightly, but the match did not really come to life until after the interval.

Twice early in the second half Conte turned his back on the pitch in disgust as his players once again failed to follow his plan and the most commonly seen sight was of the Italian, arms outstretched questioningly.

Delph, meanwhile, was seeing everything and when left-back Lucas Digne charged forward the former Aston Villa and Manchester City man dropped back to cut out a through-ball which would have sent Lucas Moura racing clear.

With only 52 minutes’ action this season he was replaced on the hour, and almost immediately Richarlison thought he had won a penalty when he was brought down by goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

However, referee Chris Kavanagh was advised by VAR to check the monitor and he overturned his original decision.

The home fans were incensed but that in itself was a positive as the Goodison Park crowd, and by extension their team, are often at their best when they have a perceived injustice to rail against.

Cristian Romero’s diving block denied Demarai Gray, while Richarlison’s control let him down as he got behind the Spurs backline from Allan’s chip as Benitez’s side continued to play better in the final third.

Conte’s arm-waving was akin to an angry traffic policeman as he pointed first forwards and then backwards, but it had little effect with Gray steering another shot wide.

Substitute Giovani Lo Celso came closest to making a dramatic impact when he beat Jordan Pickford but not the post in the 88th minute.

Holgate was then dismissed after Kavanagh changed his decision on a yellow card for an unnecessary over-the-top tackle on Pierre-Emile Hojberg.

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RAUL JIMENEZ SCORES HIS FIRST HOME GOAL FOR OVER A YEAR AS WOLVES BEAT EVERTON

Raul Jimenez bagged his first Molineux goal for over a year to inspire Wolves to a narrow 2-1 win over Everton.

The forward, fit again after recovering from a life-threatening fractured skull 12 months ago, scored at home for the first time since October 2020.

It was also his 50th goal for Wolves – and second of the season – as the Mexico international proved beyond doubt he has lost nothing following the horror injury.

Max Kilman’s first goal for the hosts set them on their way and they now sit seventh in the Premier League.

They lost four of their first five under Bruno Lage but are now unbeaten in five games, winning four, to join the clutch of clubs around the European spots.

Wolves moved above Everton, despite Alex Iwobi’s second-half goal threatening a comeback following the Toffees’ aimless first half, and Rafa Benitez’s side have lost their last three.

Ruben Neves set the tone early when his sharp volley tested Jordan Pickford, with Mason Holgate hacking away Conor Coady’s attempted follow up.

In front of watching England boss Gareth Southgate, Pickford was in action again soon after when he turned Francisco Trincao’s fine 25-yard effort over.

Yet even Pickford needed bailing out by VAR when Hwang Hee-chan broke through after 18 minutes as Everton struggled to contain the bright and efficient hosts.

Jimenez’s fine run ended with him slipping in Hwang, who squeezed the ball into the corner from six yards, but Wolves’ celebrations were cut short with the striker fractionally offside.

Everton were clearly smarting from last week’s 5-2 humbling at home to Watford and appeared to have picked up where they left off during the chaotic late defeat.

Then, the Toffees conceded four in the final 12 minutes and they imploded again by conceding two in four minutes thanks to calamitous defending.

After 28 minutes Jimenez won a corner for Rayan Ait-Nouri to sling in and Kilman beat Michael Keane, Andros Townsend and Ben Godfrey to head past Pickford.

It was the defender’s first goal for Wolves, with his only other career strike coming for Maidenhead against Dover three years ago.

Then Jimenez got the goal he had waited over a year for when Godfrey gift-wrapped it for him.

The defender’s woeful back pass lacked any weight to reach Pickford and Jimenez caught Holgate on his heels to race through and dink the ball over the exposed goalkeeper.

Despite Wolves’ dominance Demarai Gray and Holgate missed fine chances at the end of the half and Fabian Delph replaced Jean-Philippe Gbamin – who made just his second league start for Everton since joining in 2019 – at the break.

Anything above the lacklustre first half would have been an improvement and the Toffees showed glimpses of a fightback, Kilman blocking a Gray drive, before Jose Sa escaped embarrassment 10 minutes after the break.

The goalkeeper’s clearance was charged down by Richarlison but he recovered in time to deny the striker.

The much-improved visitors then survived when Jimenez’s header hit a post before Iwobi struck to test Wolves’ nerves with 24 minutes left.

Godfrey’s speculative drive from distance was blocked by Coady but it fell straight to the previously anonymous Iwobi to finish under Sa.

Wolves regrouped and Trincao poked wide while referee Martin Atkinson changed his mind after initially awarding a penalty for Holgate’s foul on Trincao, only to give a free-kick outside the box.

Sa then clinched Wolves’ win with a stunning one-handed save to turn away Anthony Gordon’s header with four minutes left.

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WALTER SMITH: FORMER RANGERS AND EVERTON MANAGER DIES AT 73.

Former Rangers, Everton and Scotland manager Walter Smith has died age 73.

Smith achieved legendary status at Ibrox, winning 21 trophies in two spells making him the second most successful Rangers boss ever behind Bill Struth.

Rangers chairman Douglas Park commented: “It is almost impossible to encapsulate what Walter meant to every one of us at Rangers.

“He embodied everything that a Ranger should be. His character and leadership was second to none, and will live long in the memory of everyone he worked with during his two terms as first team manager.

“I spoke with Walter as recently as last weekend. Even when he was battling illness, he was still able to provide advice and support. For that, I am personally grateful. I know that he continued also to maintain dialogue with senior members of staff, including our manager, Steven Gerrard.

“Walter will be sorely missed by all of us at Rangers. For Rangers supporters, he was much more than just a football manager. Walter was a friend to many, a leader, an ambassador and most of all-a legend.”

Rangers confirmed in March that Smith was recovering in hospital following an operation.

And his passing comes 10 months after Jim McLean, whom he assisted over a long spell at Dundee United, died at 83.

“Walter leaves behind a wife, children and grandchildren, all of whom are in our thoughts and prayers at this difficult time,” added Park.

Rangers asked for the Smith family’s privacy to be respected.

A defender in his playing career, Smith had two spells with Dundee United and a short stint at Dumbarton in between. After assisting McLean at Dundee United his managerial career began in 1978 with the Scotland Under-18 team, before he took charge of the Under-21s.

Smith stepped up from assistant manager when Graeme Souness left Rangers for Liverpool in April 1991 and won the final seven of Rangers’ record-equalling nine league titles in a row.

Smith joined Everton in the summer of 1998 but his almost four years there were unremarkable, with the club unable to break into the top half of the Premier League or progress beyond cup quarter-finals.

After a brief spell as Alex Ferguson’s assistant at Manchester United in 2004, he was appointed as Scotland manager. Despite improving the team, he failed to reach the 2006 World Cup and was part-way through the Euro 2008 qualifiers when he accepted an offer to go back to Rangers.

There he not only enjoyed further domestic success but reached the 2008 Uefa Cup final, losing 2-0 to Zenit St Petersburg. Smith retired in 2011 as the club’s second-most successful manager. He briefly returned to Ibrox as a director and chairman.

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JOSHUA KING NETS HAT-TRICK AGAINST FORMER CLUB AS FIVE-STAR WATFORD STUN EVERTON

Joshua King’s hat-trick powered Watford to a stunning 5-2 victory at Everton as Claudio Ranieri got his first win in charge of the Hornets in some style.

King played 11 games without a goal for Everton last season but was in devastating form on his return to Goodison Park, where Watford scored four times in the last 12 minutes to come from behind against Rafael Benitez’s men and record their first victory at the famous old ground.

Everton had looked to be on for the victory after Richarlison came off the bench to head them 2-1 up in the 63rd minute but after Juraj Kucka headed Watford level, King struck twice before Emmanuel Dennis added a final flourish.

King’s first had come 13 minutes in to cancel out an early Tom Davies strike.

It was a stunning finish to the match, all the more so given Ranieri’s men were humbled 5-0 by Liverpool just a week ago in the Italian’s first game in charge.

But while they celebrated what they will hope is the start of a turnaround to their fortunes, Ranieri’s old friend Benitez was left to ponder a second consecutive home defeat and their ninth of 2021 – one shy of the club’s record in a calendar year.

The early signs had been good for the hosts.

With Richarlison deemed fit enough only for the bench after six weeks out with a knee injury, Benitez made two changes to the side beaten 1-0 at home by West Ham last week and both players to come in – Davies and Anthony Gordon – were involved as they struck just three minutes in.

Benitez had said he needed to find someone with the right energy to replace the injured Abdoulaye Doucoure and it soon became apparent why Gordon got the nod as he drove Everton forward, playing in Demarai Gray whose low cross was turned in by Davies for his first goal of the season.

But a set-piece offered Watford a route back into the game as Craig Cathcart flicked on Ozan Tufan’s free-kick for King to turn in at the far post and though the flag initially went up for offside, VAR would overturn the decision and level the scores.

Encouraged, Watford continued to create chances – Moussa Sissoko drilled a shot wide from the edge of the area after good link-up from Adam Masina and Cucho Hernandez, with the latter then seeing a bending shot deflected narrowly wide.

Richarlison was sent out to warm up as the second half got under way, with Everton seeking a spark as Watford threatened again – Jordan Pickford making a superb save to deny King at close range.

Benitez responded by sending on Richarlison on the hour mark but his decision to replace Gordon was greeted with boos from the stands.

They turned to cheers three minutes later, however, as Richarlison beat Ben Foster to Michael Keane’s ball to head into an open net.

Watford responded well. Kucka drew a good save from Pickford with a shot from the edge of the area before some calamitous defending almost gifted openings to King and substitute Joao Pedro.

They were warnings which went unheeded. Kucka headed level from Hernandez’s corner and then two minutes later Watford hit Everton on the break as Dennis played in King to fire beyond Pickford.

Having lost their lead, Everton lost their way entirely.

Terrible defending saw them pass up opportunities to clear the ball before it fell for King to finish his hat-trick in the 86th minute.

As the home fans streamed for the exits, Dennis added an exclamation mark in stoppage time.

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WESTHAM END EVERTON BOSS BENITEZ’S PERFECT HOME RECORD

West Ham defender Angelo Ogbonna’s header ended Everton manager Rafael Benitez’s 100 per cent home record as David Moyes got the better of his old Merseyside adversary in a 1-0 Premier League victory at Goodison Park.

The pair had previously met 15 times – 12 of those as managers on opposing sides of Stanley Park with the Spaniard then Liverpool boss – and Moyes had won just twice.

So this was a satisfying return to his old stomping ground for the Scot with Ogbonna’s 74th-minute goal denying Benitez the chance to record Everton’s best start to a season since 1978-79.

The nature of the goal was somewhat familiar to all inside the ground as, much like during his 11 years with the Toffees, it came from a set-piece.

Since his first game back in charge at West Ham, his side have earned a reputation as dead-ball specialists – and they have scored more (29), excluding penalties – than any other Premier League side.

There was a whiff of controversy as referee Stuart Atwell ruled Michail Antonio’s awkward challenge on goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had earned a corner despite protests from the home team.

Having wasted a good start to the game, Moyes would have been relieved to have left with three points, which lifted West Ham back into the top six.

Everton, still without their two biggest attacking threats Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison due to injury, barely had a kick for 20 minutes.

They were pinned back by the visitors’ flying start, propelled forward by Pablo Fornals and Said Benrahma with England midfielder Declan Rice knitting things together from deep.

But, bizarrely, it was Benitez’s side who squandered the best opportunity of the half when Demarai Gray beat Ogbonna by the corner flag and crossed the ball to the near post.

The proximity of Salomon Rondon may have put off team-mate Alex Iwobi at the near post, but his swing and a miss from six yards was inexcusable.

Abdoulaye Doucoure headed another good chance wide, this time from an Andros Townsend cross, while a Tomas Soucek goal at the other end was chalked out for offside after he converted a rebound from Jarrod Bowen’s shot.

Moyes would have gone in at half-time wondering how his side were not ahead, Benitez would have been grateful they were not.

The Spaniard’s tactical switching of Gray to the left and Iwobi centrally – late in the first half – had the two-fold effect of giving the former more freedom to attack 21-year-old right-back Ben Johnson, standing in for the injured Vladimir Coufal, while also reducing Rice’s influence in the centre.

Everton enjoyed more control after the break with Iwobi’s shot on the turn deflected behind and Rondon glancing a header just wide from Townsend’s inswinging cross as West Ham started to lose their way.

However, the match turned on Antonio’s challenge on England’s number one: Ogbonna glanced home Rice’s cross and with it went Benitez’s unbeaten home record.

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TOWNSEND CLAIMS BUDWEISER GOAL OF THE MONTH

Andros Townsend has won September 2021’s Budweiser Goal of the Month award with his spectacular long-range strike against Burnley.

The Everton winger is the first player to win the award three times since the Premier League introduced it in August 2016, with his latest winner being his curling effort beyond goalkeeper Nick Pope from 30 yards out.

Townsend says the goal was made even more special by the atmosphere at Goodison Park as his strike helped the Toffees fight back from 1-0 down to win 3-1.

“It was incredible,” he says. “They had just scored not long before that, so they went 1-0 up and we scored three in a six-minute period. Honestly, the atmosphere was electric, especially the fact we’ve had no fans for 18 months.

“That was up there with one of the best atmospheres I’ve ever witnessed, in that period when we went from 1-0 down to 3-1 up and cruising.”

His previous two Goal of the Month winners came for Crystal Palace, whom he left to join Everton this summer.

He won December 2018’s accolade with the strike at Manchester City that earned him the 2018/19 Budweiser Goal of the Season prize, and claimed the March 2017 award at West Bromwich Albion.

Townsend says his latest showpiece strike was inspired by his mum, Katerina, who had sent him a compilation of his best long-range goals with the message, “Believe in yourself again”, a few days before the Burnley match.

“My last goal from outside the box was May 2019, so it’s been a while,” he says. “All of a sudden I get a compilation of my goals, a lot of them outside the box, and within a few days I score a cracker.

“Confidence, belief, visualisation. Honestly, it must play a part in what happened against Burnley.”

The 30-year-old’s goal was chosen by a panel of experts combined with a public vote, beating six other contenders.

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ANDROS TOWNSEND STRIKE EARNS EVERTON A POINT AT MANCHESTER UNITED

Andros Townsend secured Everton a deserved point at Manchester United as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men stumbled into the international break.

Just three days on from Cristiano Ronaldo’s stoppage-time winner against Villarreal, the Red Devils were back in action and looking to build some much-needed momentum.

Anthony Martial’s first United goal in eight months put Solskjaer’s men on course for victory, only for Townsend to secure Rafael Benitez’s Everton a 1-1 draw and frustrate the Old Trafford faithful.

Cristiano Ronaldo was surprisingly named on the bench on Saturday lunchtime, with the United boss plumping for five changes having been made to sweat in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Solskjaer bemoaned the Saturday lunchtime scheduling of this Premier League fixture but his side pulled ahead as Martial scored his first club goal since February. The forward’s relief was palpable.

It was a well-constructed goal cancelled out by a fine Everton break involving Demarai Gray, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Townsend, who replicated Ronaldo’s celebration after firing past David De Gea.

Everton thought they had snatched victory late on, only for Yerry Mina’s goal to be rightly ruled out by the video assistant referee for offside.

It was a poor end to a match that United had begun brightly, with Martial wasting a great early chance when heading a fine Aaron Wan-Bissaka cross off target.

But Everton settled after an uncomfortable start and Michael Keane met Townsend’s free-kick from the right with a glancing header just wide.

It was an even, entertaining encounter and Jordan Pickford prevented the hosts pulling ahead in the 21st minute after Edinson Cavani met a Fred cross with a firm downward header.

Mason Greenwood was looking lively and saw a long-range drive comfortably stopped, but Everton were having chances of their own.

Salomon Rondon and Townsend saw efforts blocked, before Gray turned Scott McTominay, ghosted past Fred and hit a driven 20-yard effort that De Gea denied with a strong one-handed stop.

Wan-Bissaka blocked a Doucoure strike when the visitors next countered, but United wrested back control as half-time approached and took the lead through a quality move.

McTominay showed impressive awareness to play into Greenwood, who swept over for Bruno Fernandes to kill the ball and play onto an overlapping Martial.

The France attacker opened up his body and fired a right-footed strike past Pickford, with his name sung from that point up until half-time.

Greenwood saw a shot from distance held by Pickford in a comparatively quiet start to the second period, with Solskjaer turning to substitutes Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho in the 57th minute.

The duo added renewed intensity to United’s attack but Everton had been a threat on the break all day and caught United from their own corner in the 65th minute.

Fred was all too easily outmuscled by Gray and played into Doucoure, who followed good footwork with a pass out to Townsend.

The winger hit a low right-footed drive past statuesque De Gea and brought out the Ronaldo celebration in front of the visiting support.

Paul Pogba replaced Fred shortly after the equaliser as United looked to pull back ahead.

Sancho and Ronaldo linked up before the latter flashed across the face of goal, with Pogba swinging a curling 20-yard effort wide as the match entered the closing stages.

Pogba headed wide from a corner, only for Everton to celebrate a goal from one at the other end in the 85th minute.

United cleared the initial set piece but Ben Godfrey coolly put Tom Davies behind the backline, directing across for Mina to tap home.

The towering defender ran off to the corner, where his celebratory dance was made to look a little foolish as the video assistant referee rule out the goal for offside.

Sancho mishit a late effort from a Ronaldo flick as the match ended level.

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SOLSKJAER FRUSTRATED WITH LUNCH TIME KICK-OFF AGAINST EVERTON

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants his Manchester United players to carry the momentum of Wednesday’s Champions League win over Villarreal into Saturday’s clash with Everton – but voiced frustration that the two games are so close together.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s stoppage-time strike at Old Trafford saw United come from behind to register their first points of this season’s Champions League campaign.

Having lost three of four games going into the fixture, United might have wanted to bottle that feeling at full-time and move quickly on to the next one. Just not, Solskjaer said, quite as quickly as this.

“The boost and energy you get in the group after a win like this has to be built on,” he said.

“It’s a very, very quick turnaround, Wednesday night and Saturday morning, but the players are not going to get caught out by it and we need to start as we finished on Wednesday night.”

Solskjaer’s frustrations are nothing new. United faced an even more difficult situation against Everton last season when they played away in Turkey in the Champions League on the Wednesday night, losing 2-1 to Basaksehir, but flying home and winning 3-1 at Goodison Park in the Saturday lunchtime kick-off.

“We had no explanation, but it’s TV of course,” Solskjaer said. “There’s no common sense at all. We had the same scenario last season when we were in Turkey and came back and played.

“We had that joy last year and we have to make it happen. The crowd are going to have to help us.

Us and Chelsea both played on Wednesday and could have easily played on Sunday while City-Liverpool could have been on Saturday.

“Common sense might not be so common.”

Solskjaer was not the only one feeling frustrated at United, with Donny van de Beek’s despair at a lack of playing time growing as he was left on the bench again on Wednesday night, instead seeing Jesse Lingaard and Fred brought on as substitutes.

Last year’s £40 million signing from Ajax has started only two of nine games this season. Though Solskjaer said there was no problem with the 24-year-old showing some frustration, he warned it could not go too far.

“I’ve been a sub more than anyone at this club probably, and you have to be ready all the time,” he said. “I’ve been unhappy a few times. I understand the frustration. Every player is keen to play, that’s got to be built into energy and determination for when you get on and show me.”

“It’s not just Donny, it’s all players. I’ve got a squad of internationals and if we’re going to be successful we need positive energy, no sulkers.

“Donny has never affected his team-mates negatively. As soon as I see players affecting the team negatively then that’s a different scenario and I’ll probably be firmer.”

Though Harry Maguire will miss the Everton clash and perhaps Luke Shaw too, United got good news on the injury front on Friday as Marcus Rashford took part in full training for the first time since his shoulder surgery, though he still needs time to build up fitness.

“Marcus trained fully for the first time today with contact,” Solskjaer said.

“There were a few tackles flying in on him, but he seemed OK, which was nice to see.”

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EVERTON OUTCLASS NORWICH AT GOODISON PARK, PILE MORE MISERY FOR THE YELLOWS

Everton inflicted Norwich’s latest defeat as goals from Andros Townsend and Abdoulaye Doucoure saw the Premier League basement boys beaten 2-0 at Goodison Park.

Townsend put the hosts in front with a 29th-minute penalty, awarded after referee David Coote watched replays back pitchside of Ozan Kabak’s challenge on Allan.

Norwich midfielder Mathias Normann subsequently brought two good saves out of Jordan Pickford before Doucoure’s finish doubled Everton’s advantage in the 77th minute.

The result made it six defeats from six for Daniel Farke’s rock-bottom Canaries so far this term, with their losing run in the Premier League, including the final games of the 2019-20 season, now standing at 16 matches.

Rafael Benitez’s Everton, returning to winning ways after their 3-0 loss to Aston Villa last weekend and Carabao Cup exit at QPR, are up to fifth in the table with 13 points from their six games.

While the Toffees had the fit-again Pickford back in goal, they were still without a number of players due to injury, including forward pair Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison.

The opening stages of the contest saw the hosts have plenty of the ball but struggle to show much cutting edge.

The first real attempt on goal came in the 19th minute when Alex Iwobi delivered the ball from the left and it went via Salomon Rondon to Townsend, who fired a shot straight at Tim Krul, and Demarai Gray then sent a cross flashing across the Norwich area that no-one could apply a killer touch to.

Soon after, Allan went down in the box having been caught on the leg by former Liverpool loanee Kabak and appealed for a penalty, with Coote initially saying no.

But a VAR check followed, Coote watched the incident back on a pitchside monitor and pointed to the spot, and Townsend subsequently produced a cool finish from 12 yards to put Everton in front.

Norwich responded towards the end of the first half with a shot wide from Kenny McLean and then a Normann strike that Pickford turned behind.

Iwobi and Townsend hit efforts off target early in the second half before Pickford did well once more to deny Normann, pushing the Norwegian’s drive over the bar.

Norwich threatened again as McLean sent a free-kick towards Ben Gibson, who was just unable to make the connection he wanted as he tried to head in, and Normann then fired over a free-kick of his own.

It was making for a nervy time for Everton but that feeling was then settled when Gray teed up Doucoure, who slotted past Krul.

There could have been further misery for Norwich, with substitute Tom Davies seeing a shot deflect wide and Ben Godfrey, playing against his old club, then being denied from close range by Krul.