Manchester United news: Manager rumours no excuse for Everton loss, says Ralf Rangnick

Anthony Gordon's first half strike was enough to secure Everton a vital three points in their bid for Premier League survival.

Manchester United controlled a lot of the posession but were unable to break down a Toffees defence who stuck stubbornly to their task.

The defeat leaves the Red Devils seventh in the table, and despite only being three points away from the top four, Tottenham and Arsenal's games in hand means that the gap is likely going to grow over the weekend.

With the club out of form and looking lost in the league at the moment, the appointment of a new manager in the summer can't come quick enough for the United faithful, regardless of whether they want Mauricio Pochettino or Erik Ten Hag in the hotseat.

However, while rumours of United's managerial pursuit continue to rumble on in the background, current interim boss Ralf Rangnick refused to use that as an excuse for his side's dismal display.

"No. I don't think this should be an excuse for anybody. We're Manchester United, we've got a lot of international players," said the German coach.

"This cannot be an alibi for anybody. If the next manager is announced in 10, 14, 21 days, this should not affect a game like today.

"We are depending on other results if we don't win our own games. The only thing to do is stick together."

It was also another game where United's star-studded attack failed to produce the goods, meaning their last six games in all competitions have resulted in just five goals.

Marcus Rashford continued to look out of form despite being handed a start by Rangnick, and Ronaldo often looked isolated in the Everton box.

When asked if United's poor form in front of goal was a concern, Rangnick answered "If you don't score a single goal in 95 minutes you have to be disappointed. We had a good start, we were in control of the game for 25 minutes and should have created more chances out of that domination.

"Then we conceded a deflected shot and lost that little bit of our composure and our stride. In the second half we were trying to create more creativity but we didn't always find the right moment or take the right decision."

As for Everton, the result came at a crucial time for Frank Lampard's side, who find themselves four points clear of the drop after picking up the win.

The former England star was understandably pleased with his side's performance, and he took a moment to praise his players following the full-time whistle.

"I'm very proud. These are pressure times with the reality of the situation, but at Goodison we've been good, a fifth win in seven, getting clean sheets. Away from home is a different aspect but when we come together, the players, the fans here we're hard to beat.

"It starts with the physical output, the fighting spirit. That's what the fans demand and rightly so. When you give them that you give yourself a chance.

"You make your own luck but it's not just luck because Jordan makes a great save and then we get a deflected goal - I got a lot of those and you fight for that."