Rafael Benitez’s appointment as Everton boss was not a popular one with supporters given his past as a Champions League-winning Liverpool m...
Rafael Benitez’s appointment as Everton boss was not a popular one with supporters given his past as a Champions League-winning Liverpool manager, but the Spaniard’s tactical nous has the Toffees dreaming of European football.
Everton have lost just one of Benitez’s first seven Premier League games in charge despite a limited budget due to financial fair-play restrictions and injuries to star strikers Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison.
A 1-1 draw away to Manchester United kept Benitez’s men level on points with the Red Devils and Liverpool and one ahead of Manchester City ahead of the champions’ trip to Anfield on Sunday.
United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could afford the luxury of bringing Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Paul Pogba on as substitutes, while Benitez had to name three teenagers to fill out his bench.
But a point was the least the visitors deserved from a performance that married the defensive organisation Benitez’s sides are famous for with a potent threat on the counter-attack.
Everton’s goal showed the impact the 61-year-old has had in just a few months in charge.
After an Everton outlay of £240 million ($325 million) in transfer fees over the past three years, Benitez’s spending was limited to £1.7 million to bring in Demarai Gray and Andros Townsend during the...
