Everton were disappointing at Old Trafford and, while Amadou Onana and Ellis Simms had good chances with the game goalless, the final score could have been far worse than 2-0.
Perspective is crucial as Sean Dyche’s unbeaten run came to an end. The season will not be defined by this trip to Manchester United, Jordan Pickford was sensational and Dyche may have found out some more useful lessons about his squad as he was forced into experimentation.
It would be difficult to use this match to say he found the answer to his most pressing question - how to deal without the suspended Abdoulaye Doucoure. But through Pickford's resilience and the away support's inspirational relentlessness, this trip did make clear there were at least two important factors he could count on.
VERDICT FROM OLD TRAFFORD: Sean Dyche faces an urgent Everton problem and failed to find answer at Man United
EVERTON ANALYSIS: Amadou Onana need clear as ex-pros share damning verdict in press lounge
As we discuss in the moments you might have missed...
Away end a credit once again on another disappointing road trip
Everton’s travelling support was in good form from the start at Old Trafford. While it was a much-reduced away end in comparison to the FA Cup visit in January - when 9,000 Blues took advantage of the bigger ticket allocation - those in attendance still made their voices heard on Saturday. On Match of the Day it was notable how, in the footage showing the players leaving the tunnel for the start of the game, it was the away support whose voices can be heard on the footage.
The dedication of the travelling Blues cannot be questioned - they keep trekking across the country despite having witnessed just one win on the road in 17. That victory in the sunshine at Southampton feels like a long time ago. Trips to Crystal Palace, Brighton, Leicester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers await.
'We are the famous EFC'
Out on the pitch, Everton’s players were backed - as ever - by that travelling fanbase. There was also a nod to the club’s history and size in the bowels of Old Trafford, too. When the players arrived at the ground they were greeted by a flag pinned to the entrance of the away dressing room and visible to all from the approach down the tunnel. It read: We are the famous EFC’.
The attempt to inspire follows a trend that has continued for a while, with fan flags often hung in view of the players before games - previous examples include the ‘Everton the Gear’ banner that has travelled the world with the Blues.
Defence overrun as tactical switch leaves Jordan Pickford exposed
For all the attempts at inspiration, this was a difficult 90 minutes for Everton. Manchester United accrued 29 shots across the match, 21 of which were in the opening 45 minutes. That half-time haul was remarkable and perhaps the most worrying indictment of the problems created by the changes made by Dyche.
Dyche was forced into alterations - Doucoure’s suspension left him unable to start the same XI for the fifth consecutive game. Everton were unbeaten in the previous four. It also left him feeling the need to switch formation for the first time in what was his 10th game as Blues boss, 4-5-1 moving to 4-4-2 as Ellis Simms came in for Doucoure and Demarai Gray stayed up top.
Why it did not work is open to debate - Dyche putting it down to too many basic errors and his players not being fully on top of their game, as well as the strength of the opposition. All are valid points but it was a system that, combined with a high press that failed to trap Man United deep in their own territory, allowed Bruno Fernandes the freedom to pick out Marcus Rashford and Antony at will from his deeper-lying ‘quarter back’ role.
A sense of perspective when attempting to analyse this game is crucial - it was always going to be difficult and Dyche was forced into change. With Doucoure absent for two more matches though, there was little evidence to suggest he found the template for life without the Mali international at Old Trafford.
Everton hero looks up for the challenge
Of those 29 shots, 11 were on target. Pickford was unable to do much about either goal - Scott McTominay’s opener may have been at his near post but the way in which the hosts overwhelmed the Everton defence left him exposed, as he had been for much of the first half.
Pickford made a total of nine saves on Saturday, including two one-on-one stops against Rashford and a flying effort after Anthony found too much space on the cusp of half-time. This was an important performance at a time when his club needed it, and it is not Pickford’s fault it was not enough to secure at least a valuable point.
Pickford’s heroics were crucial to Everton’s survival last season - late performances against Chelsea and Leicester bordering on the superhuman. He is in form and up for the challenge once again and it is a significant boost to Dyche that he can call on England’s number one as a last line of defence.
Dyche may have learned enough for trip to Old Trafford not to have been completely wasted
While he has a squad with limited depth to call upon, Dyche tends to keep his substitutions to a minimum. This changed on Saturday with the Blues boss making five changes - the most he has made in his 10 games as Everton boss. This included his joint-earliest - Ben Godfrey making way for Vitalii Mykolenko at half-time, as Idrissa Gueye did for Mason Holgate at Arsenal.
With the return of Nathan Patterson and James Garner to fitness, Dyche’s squad is the deepest it has been since his appointment and with Doucoure’s absence forcing a big change, this game did take on an experimental hue.
It has to be remembered that Dyche has still had relatively little time with these players and every game has been played under immense pressure. Most of Dyche’s alterations were made with his side still in the game - four came before Anthony Martial’s second goal in the 71st minute. The final change saw Patterson play for the first time under Dyche.
While the result and performance was disappointing, having changed formation and made so many substitutions, Dyche may have taken some important lessons from the trip down the East Lancs that could be useful for the eight remaining games, or at least the next two for which Doucoure remains absent.
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