David Moyes: "We won't complain too much about it"
“I think it should have been more,” says Everton’s manager of his side’s return of one point from the game. “When we were 2-0 up, we had chances to make it 3-0. We were up against a good side, I know they are not in a good place in the table. We did as well as we could do.”
On the penalty decision being overturned: “I thought Ashley Young’s jersey is undoubtedly pulled,” he says. “I thought the on-field decision was correct and I was surprised that the referee was sent to VAR. It went against us today but we won’t complain too much about it. That decision went against us.”
On his team’s performance: “We lost two points and gave away two poor goals but we played well in front of the crowd and overall I’m really pleased. Suddenly people are looking at Everton a bit. More points, new stadium, hopefully, that will be in the Premier League.”
Everton 2-2 Manchester United
Match report: “A rousing fightback does not camouflage the extent to which Ruben Amorim and Manchester United were reprieved,” writes Andy Hunter from Goodison Park. “The visitors recovered from two goals down to salvage a point against in-form Everton, but only after a penalty awarded to David Moyes’ team was controversially overturned in the 96th minute.”
Ruben Amorim: "We need to survive the season"
“I think it was a soft touch from what I saw,” says the United manager of the late penalty (in)decision in an interview with TNT Sports. “I think it was a soft penalty, it was clear.”
Moving on from the controversy, the United boss thinks his own players were similarly soft. “We need to win three points and we need to win the whole game,” he says. “The worst part is that we are losing the ball without pressure and we are not doing what we need to do. We were soft. In training, we have to continue to do the same. In the second half, we changed nothing. We have to do the same thing but in a good way. We have to improve on creating chances and in this game also we struggle with scoring goals.”
On his side’s lack of consistency: “I don’t know, if I know,” he says. “I will change it. Everything we do in the week, we have to do better in the game. In this moment, we need to focus on day by day. We need to survive this season and then we can think ahead. I don’t want to just say the negative part. In the second half, we were close to win this game.”
From the Premier League’s match centre X account: And it seems to be as I suspected: “VAR checked the referee’s call of penalty to Everton for a challenge by Maguire on Young and deemed that no foul had been committed and recommended an on-field review. The referee overturned the original decision and play restarted with an indirect free-kick.”
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That penalty shout: Here is my read on the penalty decision – after Onana saved from Gueye’s shot, the ball broke free in the United penalty area. As Young reacted and tried to get to it, he had his shirt pulled by Matthijs De Ligt and was then grabbed around the hip by Harry Maguire. He went to ground and Andy Madley immediately blew his whistle and pointed to the spot. It seemed a good decision – fairly cut and dried.
Upon being sent to his pitchside monitor by the lads in Stockley Park, Madley studied replays of the pertinent passage of play from only one TV angle, an angle that didn’t show De Ligt’s shirt-pull but did show Maguire’s grab around the waist. On that basis, he seems to have ignored the shirt-tug and decided Maguire’s foul wasn’t worthy of a penalty. Other opinions are available, so don’t @ me.
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Full time: Everton 2-2 Manchester United
Premier League: Left clinging on for dear life after allowing Manchester United to come back from two goals down through strikes from Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte, Everton thought they’d been given an opportunity to win this game with a late, late penalty for what appeared to be a blatant foul/fouls on Ashley Young by one or both of Matthijs De Ligt and Harry Maguire.
Having awarded the penalty without hesitation, Andy Madley was sent to his pitchside monitor by his VAR personnel and overturned the original decision. It’s a let-off for United but following a brilliant second half they probably deserved a point for their superb fightback.
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90+10 min: From that corner, the ball is scrambled behind for another but it won’t be taken. The referee, who is not popular around Goodison Park way, blows for full-time. The spoils are shared after a wonderful game of football. That second half was an absolute thriller.
90+8 min: Pickford rushes out of his goal to prevent Garnacho getting to a loose ball, while Everton’s fans shout “Cheat! Cheat! Cheat!” at the referee. United win a corner …
The penalty decision is overturned ...
Wow! I am surprised by that decision! The progress of Ashley Young looked to have been blatantly impairted by both De Ligt and Harry Maguire as he tried to reach that ball but Andy Madley has changed his mind after consulting his monitor.
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PENALTY FOR EVERTON!!!
90+4 min: Ashley Young has his shirt tugged by De Ligt, who was trying to prevent him getting to a breaking ball after Onana had made a save from Gueye. Referee Andy Madley pointed to the spot without hesitation. There’s a VAR check but I can’t see this being overturned. Ooh, Andy Madley is being sent to his pitchside monitor …
90+3 min: This is breathelss, terrific, end-to-end football. Garnacho appeals for a penalty after being beaten to a low Zirkzee cross by Gueye … oh my, what’s this?!?!?!
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90+1 min: Garnacho cuts in from the left and eschews a shooting opportunity in favour of playing the ball to Zirkzee on the right side of the area. His low cross-shot into the box is too close to Pickford. Everton break upfield and Young wins a corner. United clear.
90 min: Garnacho has a shot blocked by Brantwaithe and the ball breaks to Fernades outside the area. His right-footed shot is tipped over the bar for a corner by Pickford. This is frantic stuff and Everton are clinging on by their fingertips
88 min: Beto leaps to connect with an Ashley Young cross from the right but is unable to generate enough power on his header to trouble Onana unduly.
86 min: Following a break in play for an injury to Jarrod Brantwaithe, play resumes. United had a penalty appeal for a handball turned down, not least because it hit Brantwaithe in the face. Hence the pause for the injury because the dazed defender had cartoon budgies tweeting around his head.
83 min: From being totally abject and 2-0 down in the first half, Manchester United are now going all out to win this game. It’s a remarkable turnaround, due in no small part to Bruno Fernades pulling the strings from a deeper midfield role ever since Casemiro went off.
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82 min: Everton double-substitution: Tim Iroegbunam and Carlos Alcaraz on for Doucoure and Garner.
GOAL! Everton 2-2 Man United (Ugarte 80)
It’s all square! From the free-kick, Beto wins the header but can only clear the ball as far as Ugarte, a couple of yards outside the area. He chests it down and rifles an excellent left-footed shot through a forest of bodies and into the back of the net.
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79 min: Ashley Young gets booked for a late challenge on Garnacho.
78 min: Harry Maguire goes down in the Everton box under a nothing challenge from Jack Harrison as the duo contested a high ball. He appeals for a penalty but doesn’t get one and it would have been a travesty of justice if he had.
75 min: Their collective tail visibly up following that moment of Fernades magic, United go in search of an equaliser. They’re dominating possession but Everton are holding their shape and remaining resolute.
GOAL! Everton 2-1 Man United (Fernandes 72)
United pull a goal back! Bruno Fernades scores with a free-kick from two yards outside the Everton penalty area, some yards left of centre. Jordan Pickford was wrongfooted and helpless to stop the ball as it sailed through a gap in the defensive wall.
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69 min: Garnacho, who is on for Casemiro, is fouled by Idrissa Gueye. It’s time for some more United substitutions: Leny Yoro and Chido Obi-Martin come on for Hojlund and Noussair Mazraoui.
67 min: Maguire is penalised for a cynical foul on Beto, who had got the wrong side of him and was threatening to break upfield. I don’t think he’s been booked and if that’s the case, he’s got away with one on this occasion.
66 min: Oof! Abdoulaye Doucoure meets a cross into the Manchester United penalty area from the right on the half-volley and brings a smart save out of Andre Onana.
64 min: Oh my. Matthijs De Ligt needlessly puts the ball out for an Everton corner after overhitting a what should have been a very straightforward backpass to Andre Onana. That is dreadful. Nothing comes of the set-piece and the Dutchman goes unpunished for his lapse in concentration.
62 min: Jarrad Brantwaithe gets multiple pats on the head and back from assorted Everton fans after running into an advertising hoarding. He’d just picked out Jordan Pickford with a quite remarkable backwards recovery header from the near post, over the head of Hojlund and into the hands of his goalkeeper to prevent the ball going out for a corner.
59 min: Everton appear to have factored in United’s increased sense of urgency in this second half and have adjusted accordingly. They’re taking what little their visitors can throw at them in their stride. It’s really difficult to see where any United goals are going to come from and they need at least two to rescue anything from this match.
57 min: A Mykolenko cross from the left is overhit and the ball carries through to Young on the right. He sends the ball into the United penalty area and it’s only half-cleared towards Harrison. His shot from a couple of yards outside the box is blocked.
55 min: Maguire goes down in the Everton area while trying to get on the end of a delivery form deep. He claims Tarkowski was tugging on his shirt and demands a spot-kick but neither the ref nor VAR are having it.
53 min: Everton win a corner and now Young comes on after a wait of a few minutes on the touchline. Harrison sends the ball into the area but Beto is unable to get a flick on the ball at the near post. United break forward at speed but Everton get numbers back.
52 min: I jumped the gun – Lindstrom hasn’t actually been replaced by Young yet, but it’s a substitution waiting to happen.
52 min: United are playing with far more aggression and intent in this second half, presumably having got the mother of all rollockings from their manager at the break. They’ve yet to threaten Jordan Pickford’s goal, however.
50 min: Everton substitution: Ashley Young on for Jesper Lindstrom, who has picked up a knock.
49 min: United win a corner. Bruno Fernades’s inswinger counts for nothing as Diogo Dalot is penalised for shoving as it whistled towards the edge of the six-yard box.
48 min: A Dorgu cross into the Everton box from the left is hooked clear by Jack Harrison. United get the ball into the penalty area again and this time it’s Jake O’Brien who dispatches it upfield.
47 min: Everton corner. The delivery is long towards the far post where Jarrod Brantwaithe’s downward header forces a save from Onana.
Second half: Everton 2-0 Man United
46 min: Play resumes with Everton on the ball and their visitors in dire need of a reaction after a dreadful first half in which they were second best in pretty much every single department and metric you can think of. What’s worrying for United fans is that these sort of dismal performances are becoming the norm rather than the exception.
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An email: “I’m inclined to give Amorim a bit more leeway, even with the run of results,” writes Matt. “The bottom line is that there are deep issues at the club, and professionals don’t tend to play their hearts out for an unhappy workplace.
“Tactically, there’s more invention going forward despite not having many holding midfield options to attack through. Ten Hag’s obsession with “control” made it a dirty word in my lexicon, so I am still looking forward to seeing if he can win anything with kids after this year. No way around it though, this is pretty grim football.”
Half-time: Everton 2-0 Manchester United
The players go off for the break and Everton are worth every bit of their two-goal lead. They’ve been vastly superior to United and truth be told, could and probably should be further ahead.
Beto scored their opener after United failed to clear a corner and Abdoulaye Doucoure doubled their lead with an opportunistic header after Andre Onana had saved from Jack Harrison but failed to clear the ball.
In stark contrast, United have offered little in the way of a threat up front and are staring down the barrel of yet another defeat under Ruben Amorim, who would not be human if he wasn’t pondering the wisdom – or lack thereof – of his life choices.
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45+7: Doucoure gets a lucky break of the ball down the right and squares it towards Beto at the far post. Doucoure’s delivery nutmegs Maguire, but Mazraoui is on hand to intercept with an outstretched leg before the Everton striker can tap home. That’s good, desperate defending and now it’s half-time.
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45+4 min: Gueye and Doucoure are playing wonderfully for Everton and have won three or four balls in midfield with strong challenges. on this occasion its Gueye who sends Fernandes sprawling with a strong and entirely legitimate block-tackle.
45+3 min: Jake O’Brien fouls Dorgu just outside the Everton penalty area after getting the wrong side of the United wing-back. The Irishman is booked, United have a free-kick on the left side of the area and Fernandes’ whipped delivery is cleared.
45+2 min: Cutting an extremely isolated figure up front for United, Hojlund receives a pass in the Everton box and holds the ball up until reinforcements arrive. Manchester United win a corner. The ball’s sent into the mixer, where Zirkzee heads it wide.
45 min: Looking incredibly comfortable on the ball and with United’s players chasing early afternoon shadows, Everton enjoy a period of sustained, hypnotic posssession before somebody in a Manchester United shirt finally puts the ball out for a throw-in. We’ll have six minutes of added time.
40 min: Lindstrom and Garner combine to great effect down the right flank and it’s the latter who squares for Beto. Instead of striking for goal first time, the Portuguese takes a touch, then another … then another before being crowded off the ball. Beto should have scored there, not least because he’s surfing what must be a tidal wave of confidence.
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37 min: While it’s no great surprise that Everton are winning this game, it is a bit of a surprise that Manchester United have yet to muster anything resembling an attempt on the home side’s goal.
Ruben Amorim is presiding over a total shambles and the only solace he can take from this particular performance so far is that United’s best player has been his only signing for the club so far.
36 min: With Manchester United already on the ropes, we’ve had another break in play so Vitalii Mykolenko can get treatment on an injury to his ankle after being on the receiving end of a kick from Ugarte.
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GOAL! Everton 2-0 Man Utd (Doucoure 33)
Everton double their lead! Beto squares the ball for Jack Harrison, who jinks inside a defender. Onana saves superbly but can only palm the ball towards the sky. Having continued a run from deep, Abdoulaye Doucoure is on hand to jump, beat Maguire to the loose ball and nod it home from six or seven yards. That’s a terrific poacher’s goal.
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31 min: Idrissa Gueye wins the ball high up the field and sprays it wide for Lindstrom.
29 min: Dalot goes down injured after getting caught on the ankle by a slightly late Mykolenko nip. Weirdly, it’s Everton who win the free-kick so I must have missed an initial indiscretion by Dalot.
28 min: United attack down the left again, with Dorgu and Fernandes combining to good effect. The January signing from Lecce wins a corner for his side but nothing comes of it. He looks a decent player.
27 min: United are really struggling to cope with the balls being sent into their penalty area from both flanks and Beto is proving quite the handful for their back three.
25 min: Beto is fouled by Mazraoui out near the left touchline and Everton have another opportunity to send the ball into the United box. Jack Harrison does the honours and his delivery is decent but United clear.
The goal stands!!!
Everton lead! After a VAR check that took over three minutes, Goodison Park erupts again. Beto was offside at one point in the build-up to his goal as Matthijs De Ligt headed the ball away from his goal but crucially, he was not interfering with play. He was very much onside when the ball came back to him and he steered it home with a shot into the ground that bounced past Onana.
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21 min: Manchester United had three or four chances to clear the corner and failed to do so. Following an impromptu game of head tennis, the ball bounces kindly for Beto, whose shot into the ground from eight yards out bounces up and beats Onana. There’s a VAR check for an offside at some point in the build-up …
GOAL! Everton 1-0 Man United (Beto 19)
Everton lead!!! Beto scores his fifth Premier League goal in four games to put his side in front after Manchester United fail dismally to clear the corner.
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18 min: Doucoure charges forward, plays the ball wide to Jesper Lindstorm and his low cross towards Beto is cut out by Harry Maguire. Everton corner.
17 min: An influential presence in this game so far, Dorgu sends another cross into the Everton penalty area. This time it’s high but again his delivery is too close to Pickford.
16 min: Matthijs De Ligt takes some heat off Zirkzee by giving the ball away. Jake O’Brien is the beneficiary of his largesse.
15 min: “Is Joshua Zirkzee some sort of a second-rate Marouane Fellaini tribute act?” writes Justin Kavanagh. “Every time you watch him, you can’t help thinking that he won a raffle to play at this level. He’s already lost the ball three times in the first 12 minutes.”
13 min: After playing a one-two with Bruno Fernandes, Patrick Dorgu whips a low cross towards the Everton goal from the left. At his near post, Jordan Pickford does well to clear the ball with his feet before Hojlund can get to it.
12 min: Everton’s players are pressing United’s defneders ferociously whenever Andre Onana tries to play out from the back. The visitors aren’t looking at all comfortable on the ball.
10 min: James Tarkoswki slides in to put the ball out of play and prevent Rasmus Hojlund getting possession out by the touchline. Manchester United’s Danish striker hasn’t scored in 15 games, so one presumes his confidence is not particularly high.
9 min: United advance again but Patrick Dorgu coughs up cheap possession, misplacing a pass to Joshua Zirkzee on the edge of the final third.
7 min: Idrissa Gueye robs Bruno Fernandes of possession, breaking up a promising United attack. It’s been quite a lively start.
5 min: United win a throw-in deep inside their own half after Beto and Harry Maguire contest the ball out by the touchline. Everton win the ball under a heavy press, the cross comes in from the left and under pressure from Matthijs De Ligt, Beto heads straight at Andre Onana. Good play from the home side.
3 min: Play resumes, with Andre Onana sending the free-kick from just outside his penalty area as long as he can. Joshua Zirkzee chases the ball towards the byline but Vitalii Mykolenko is on hand to put it out for a throw-in.
1 min: Everton win an early free-kick wide on the left, prompting their central defenders to amble towards the edge of the United penalty area. Noussair Mazraoui is fouled by James Tarkoski as the ball comes in and United win a free-kick.
There’s an early break in play so the United defender can receive treatment after an awkward fall. James Tarkowski is also receiving medical attention.
Everton v Manchester United is go ...
1 min: Manchester United get the ball rolling, their players wearing red shirts, black shorts and black socks.
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Not long now: Referee Andy Madley and his team of match officials lead both sets of players out of the tight tunnel and on to the vast expanse of the Goodison Park pitch on a sunny Merseyside afternoon. Kick-off is just a couple of minutes and some pre-match formalities away.
Manchester United: Ruben Amorim’s succinct explanation for why Everton have enjoyed the kind of new manager bounce which has eluded him at Manchester United was that “David Moyes is doing a better job” than him. Dominic Booth reports …
The pragmatist meets the ideologue
David Moyes v Ruben Amorim: Everton’s decision to change managers midway through the season is working out a lot better than Manchester United’s, writes Ben McAleer.
Today’s match officials
Referee: Andy Madley
Assistants: Mat Wilkes and Craig Taylor.
Fourth official: Anthony Taylor.
VAR: Matt Donohue.
Assistant VAR: Derek Eaton.
Everton: David Moyes has said he wanted to “fight the world” when he first joined Everton and Manchester United but his calmer demeanour today should not be mistaken for a drop in passion, writes Andy Hunter …
An email: “Another dismal team selection,” writes Martin Coult, a Manchester United fan who is mad as hell and isn’t going to take this any more. “Even Garnacho doesn’t get a look-in. I wonder why Amorim hates wingers so much. Is it because they provide excitement, entertainment and goals? Because Amorim’s system seems designed to squeeze all the joy and life out of the game.
“I am surprised that so many people seem willing to subscribe to the view that Amorim is bringing about necessary ‘culture-change’ and he should be given time to do it. I have supported United since 1963, and while results over the last couple of years have been disappointing, I have seen nothing to convince me that playing with seven defensive players is a strategy for either a) winning things or b) pleasing or entertaining the fans.
“I simply don’t want to watch a team that plays like this. Indeed, I haven’t watched any football since the Forest game back on 7 December, when it became apparent to me that United have made a very bad error in appointing this naive, inexperienced, yet arrogant coach. I spend my time hoping United will lose and the clowns in charge will realize their mistake.
“I won’t be watching today either, think I’ll go over to Soho and buy some vinyl. Come on You Blues!”
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Everton’s new stadium: The 52,888-seat ground in Bramley-Moore dock impressed the 10,000 fans lucky enough to be invited to a midweek test event, a match between Everton U18s and their Wigan Athletic counterparts.
Like any football correspondent worth his salt on the Merseyside beat, Andy Hunter went along to test the Wi-Fi and discovered it was more than adequate enough to file this interesting and informative getting-to-know-you primer on Everton’s new home.
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Interview: Carlos Alcaraz wants to settle down at his fourth club in three years and has begun like a house on fire at ‘loco’ Goodison. Words: Andy Hunter.
Those teams: Everton make one change to the side that was a little fortunate to beat Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park last weekend, with Abdoulaye Doucoure returning to the starting line-up on his return from suspension. Carlos Alcaraz, who scored Everton’s winning goal in South London, can consider himself unlucky to be dropped to the bench.
Following his team’s defeat at Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, Ruben Amorim has decided to beef up Manchester United’s midfield by bringing in Manuel Ugarte to play alongside Casemiro. Alejandro Garnacho makes way and drops to the bench. Back from injury, Christian Eriksen and Leny Yoro are also among the United substitutes.
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Everton v Manchester United line-ups
Everton: Pickford, O’Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Gueye, Garner, Doucoure, Lindstrom, Harrison, Beto.
Subs: Virginia, Begovic, Keane, Young, Alcaraz, Iroegbunam, Sherif, Dixon, Heath.
Manchester United: Onana, Dalot, Mazraoui, De Ligt, Maguire, Dorgu, Casemiro, Ugarte, Fernandes, Hojlund, Zirkzee.
Subs: Graczyk, Harrison, Heaven, Lindelof, Yoro, Eriksen, Kone, Garnacho, Obi.
Early team news
Both teams have plenty of absentees to not choose from, although Everton midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure is available for selection after serving a one-match ban for the red card brandished his way following the stramash that followed Everton’s recent draw with Liverpool.
Dwight McNeil, Orel Mangala, Seamus Coleman, Nathan Patterson, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Armando Broja and Youssef Chermiti all remain sidelined for the hosts.
Forced to name a bench with Victor Lindelof and eight untried teenagers on it last weekend, Manchester United number Amad Diallo, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, Mason Mount, Toby Collier and Johnny Evans among the lame and halt clogging up their physio room, but should have Christian Eriksen, Leny Yoro and Manuel Ugarte available after spells out.
Premier League: Everton v Manchester United
At a time when being a season ticket-holder at Goodison Park finally seems like fun again, Everton welcome a Manchester United side whose supporters have increasingly little to be enthused about to their stadium for the final time.
Since bringing David Moyes back to Merseyside six weeks ago, Everton have won four and drawn one of the six top flight games they’ve played and will fancy their chances of beating a team who have beaten them in each of their past five meetings.
United have lost eight of the 12 league games they’ve played since beating Everton in the corresponding fixture at Old Trafford and will be hoping to make it three wins on the spin at Goodison Park. Kick-off on Merseyside is at 12.30pm (GMT) but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.
