Manchester United’s Anthony Martial celebrates scoring their winner against Everton. Photograph: Eddie Keogh/Reuters Roberto Martínez’s Wembley luck ran out at the last to let Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United through to an FA Cup final . A last-minute winner by Wigan Athletic against Manchester City in the 2013 final had earned the Spaniard a step up to Everton, but just when his side, battling against injuries and tiredness as well as waves of United attacks, appeared to have done enough to earn extra-time at least, a killer finish by Anthony Martial, easily the game’s most eye-catching player, ended the contest with seconds to spare. Related: Louis van Gaal criticises referee after Manchester United beat Everton The Everton manager is thought to be on borrowed time and badly needed a result here, though at least his side gave a good account of themselves in what by the end was a pulsating contest. United always had the attacking edge, something that has not always been in evidence this season, and if they can continue in this vein against Crystal Palace or Watford, Van Gaal will end up with the trophy he craves, whatever else the future may hold. Arguably United should have put the game to bed earlier, though after jeers at half-time Everton put in a shift for their supporters thereafter. Until Martial’s decisive intervention the game could have gone either way, but over the 90 minutes United deserved to reach the final. Everton were far too passive in the first half and only really got going in the final half-hour. Sorry, your browser is unable to play this video. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Van Gaal: Manchester United showed ‘unbelievable mental spirit’ against Everton The great Everton lineup mystery, the subplot in the buildup to this semi-final, with the club’s players dropping like flies in the preceding week, turned out to have been a little overstated. There was no Gareth Barry, but John Stones, Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines were all passed fit to play, so the only unusual selections in the Everton side were Darron Gibson in midfield, which is his rightful position, and Muhamed Besic at right-back, which is not. Stones was into the action almost straight away, blocking a shot after a promising Martial run at the expense of a corner. The Everton defence dealt with it comfortably enough, and when Joel Robles launched a quick ball upfield a mistake by Tim Fosu-Mensah let in Romelu Lukaku for what should have been the opening goal. The striker had only David de Gea to beat and an otherwise empty penalty area in which to do it, but a heavy touch compromised his options and forced him to carry the ball too wide of the goalkeeper, resulting in an almost apologetic shot at goal that Wayne Rooney insouciantly headed off the line. It was not the most difficult effort to keep out, in truth, but the United captain deserved immense credit for getting all the way back to his own goalmouth. Remarkably, almost the same thing happened again a few minutes later, Lukaku’s pace this time leaving Chris Smalling in his wake, only for the striker to fail to apply the brakes in time and end up practically passing to De Gea by trying to shoot from an impossible angle. It was certainly not turning out to be the meek surrender Everton supporters had feared after their mauling in the Merseyside derby , though United were creating chances too, and from a decent opening engineered by Rooney the impressive Martial found space on the left but shot too high. Related: Anthony Martial should be left alone to provide relentless stream of menace | Barney Ronay Perhaps the game turning out to be an evenly-matched contest should not have been the greatest surprise, given that both sets of supporters have been moaning about their teams’ performances all season. It was always likely to be won by whichever side could produce a moment of quality up front, and if Lukaku was slightly below his best...

• published: 24 Apr 2016
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