A late fightback does not camouflage the extent of Manchester United’s frailties or reprieve at Goodison Park. It was a fightback that could have been rendered redundant but for referee Andrew Madley overturning his decision to award Everton a 96th-minute penalty. The video assistant referee did not show the full offence on the pitchside monitor. No wonder Alejandro Garnacho patted the match official on the back afterwards.
Ruben Amorim’s team produced a dire first-half performance. Beto and Abdoulaye Doucouré took advantage to set Everton on course for a fifth win in seven league games under David Moyes. The hosts remained comfortable until United captain Bruno Fernandes curled in a 72nd-minute free-kick. Amorim’s side, improved by the introductions of Garnacho and Chidozie Obi, suddenly sensed an escape and levelled through Manuel Ugarte’s first goal for the club.
The real escape came in stoppage time when André Onana parried Idrissa Gueye’s shot and Ashley Young was prevented from reaching the rebound by Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire. De Ligt pulled the former United man’s shirt before he theatrically dived to the ground. Maguire grabbed him too. Madley pointed to the spot but was advised to review the decision by VAR. Only the Maguire incident was shown on repeat and Madley deemed that no foul had been committed. The shirt pull by De Ligt was not shown, much to Moyes’s bewilderment.
“So they only mentioned the bit they needed to mention and not the shirt pull?” asked the Everton manager when informed of Professional Game Match Officials Limited’s official version of events. “You shouldn’t be getting away with pulling jerseys. The referee made the correct decision at the time and should have stuck with it.” Amorim had a different take, unsurprisingly. “It was a soft touch and I think it was clear to overturn the decision,” the United manager said.
Not up for debate was Amorim’s admission that United “didn’t exist” in the first half. The visitors were woeful, showing no attacking intent, no ideas, no energy, no spirit and little defensive cohesion. The central midfield pairing of Casemiro and Ugarte were comfortably outplayed by their opposite numbers Gueye and James Garner, a former United academy graduate, and Everton dictated proceedings for almost 70 minutes. Moyes’s bigger regret was not establishing a three-goal cushion in that time.
Everton took the lead when United failed with five attempts to clear a Jack Harrison corner. Beto swept Doucouré’s header beyond Onana from close range and after a VAR check lasting three minutes, for offside against the striker and Jesper Lindstrøm, the goal eventually stood. It was Beto’s fifth goal in four games, as many as Rasmus Højlund and Joshua Zirkzee have scored all season. The United forwards appeared out of their depth at Goodison.
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Doucouré nodded home Everton’s second after Lindstrøm and Beto combined to carve open United. Harrison stepped inside Maguire and, though his shot was pushed skywards by Onana, Doucouré reacted quicker than the United defender to score from two yards out. An excellent Everton move but still a dreadful goal to concede.
United’s xG was a pitiful 0.04 for a first half in which an Ugarte shot that drifted harmlessly wide and a Zirkzee header, also off target, were the sum total of their attacking endeavours. From that base level the only way was up. Garnacho and Obi injected overdue urgency into the United performance but the quality required of a club with high ambitions remained absent.
Everything changed when Fernandes reduced the arrears. The United captain struck one free-kick into the Everton wall – Doucouré’s raised arm to be exact – after Gueye was penalised for a foul on Garnacho. Fernandes curled the second, closer attempt, into Jordan Pickford’s left-hand corner with the Everton goalkeeper rooted.
Goodison was suddenly consumed by nerves when United took possession. The fear of throwing away a comfortable lead was justified eight minutes later when the visitors scored from another set piece. A Fernandes free-kick was again the source, this time floated in from deep for Beto to head clear to Ugarte. The midfielder had time on the edge of the penalty area to control with his chest and volley beyond Pickford from 18 yards. Pickford saved superbly to deny Fernandes in the final minute before United were saved themselves by VAR and Madley.
