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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Joe Thomas

Anthony Gordon fumes with Manchester United man as secret messages passed from Everton dugout

Everton's six game unbeaten run in the Premier League came to an end at the hands of Manchester United on Sunday night.

Goals from Antony and Cristiano Ronaldo were enough to seal the win for the away side, which had trailed to Alex Iwobi's stunning fifth minute strike. It proved to be a frustrating night for the Blues, the side largely undone by individual errors.

After the latest instalment of 'Goodison Park under the lights' Everton now face trips to Tottenham Hotspur and then Newcastle United. But before the attention turns to those fixtures, here are some moments you may have missed from last night's match.

MATCH VERDICT: What Everton fans sang at full time reveals Frank Lampard truth after Manchester United loss

READ MORE: 'Not so important' - Frank Lampard shares Dominic Calvert-Lewin 'noise' verdict after Everton return

Intense Conor Coady attempts to get his teammates going

When the two sides walked onto the pitch to sound of Z-Cars, Everton were greeted by a huge roar from the home fans. The players then lined up for the pre-match handshake, Coady standing between Jordan Pickford and James Tarkowski. As the final players were lining up and the fans still in impressive voice, Coady stepped forward and started shouting, seemingly calling on his team mates to make sure they played with intensity from the start. Tarkowski - his centre back partner and who some in the dressing room call 'dad' alongside Coady - then stepped forward to back-up Coady and the atmosphere intensified as players responded.

Anthony Gordon pulls up Marcus Rashford as he leaps to defence of Seamus Coleman

There was a battle of the number 10s for a moment midway through the first half as Antony Gordon leapt to defence of his captain, Seamus Coleman. Coleman had kept his composure to retain the ball and win a throw-in from Marcus Rashford on the touchline. As Coleman was shielding the ball he went down in a heap and it was claimed Rashford, trying to get the ball back, was responsible. It was at this point Gordon jumped in and had a word with Rashford - the pair almost squaring up as Gordon made his anger clear.

The crowd's love for Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Dominic Calvert-Lewin was involved in an Everton league matchday squad at Goodison Park for the first time since his winner secured the club's Premier League survival in May. Supporters have been eager for his return for weeks and he was named on the bench by Lampard for the first time after recovering from the knee injury that he picked up shortly before the season opener with Chelsea. The stands welcomed Calvert-Lewin back with a great reception as he warmed up on the touchline 20 minutes into the match. When he later came on the supporters roared him onto the pitch as they got behind the returning striker.

Secret message passed from the Blues dugout

United dominated after Antony's equaliser, growing in confidence and controlling possession. Everton struggled to regain their foothold in the game, with the attackers feeding off scraps as they chased loose balls and struggled to hold onto those that did fall their way. It became clear a tactical switch might be necessary and, just before the half-hour mark, changes were made. A note, presumably containing instructions, was passed from the Everton dugout to captain Coleman, who passed it on to Iwobi, Maupay and later Idrissa Gueye to read,

In the following moments, Anthony Gordon and Demarai Gray switched flanks while Gueye - who had been operating as a number six, sitting deeper than his midfield team mates, appeared to be given the chance to move further forward while Amadou Onana screened the back four.

Onana raises the atmosphere as Everton attempt fightback

Everton came into the match in the second half and grew more threatening as the game went on. Key to that improvement was Onana, who was involved in several intricate passing phases as he tried to lead the team into a rescue job before becoming a focal point in the opposition penalty area. After one surge forward, at around 70 minutes in, he won a corner down Everton's left and responded by shouting and gesticulating at the Blues fanbase to get behind their team - his actions having an immediate impact as the new fan favourite helped to raise the volume inside Goodison Park.

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