United fight back to earn a draw at Everton
Everton 2 - 2 Manchester United
Manchester United mounted a late fightback before being rescued by VAR, avoiding a deeper crisis with a dramatic draw against Everton at Goodison Park.
Everton, revitalised under returning manager David Moyes, looked set to continue their resurgence as they dominated the first half, deservedly taking a two-goal lead.
United were exposed time and again in those opening 45 minutes. Beto capitalised on a goalmouth scramble to score his fifth goal under Moyes in the 19th minute, before Abdoulaye Doucoure doubled the lead with a towering header.
The second goal was one to forget for Harry Maguire. The United defender reacted sluggishly after André Onana had parried Jack Harrison’s shot, allowing Doucoure to rise above him and nod the ball into the net.
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Everton remained in control until the 72nd minute when Bruno Fernandes curled in a free-kick to spark hopes of a comeback. Eight minutes later, Manuel Ugarte struck powerfully to level the score.
United then had a late escape when referee Andrew Madley awarded Everton a penalty after Ashley Young went down under Maguire’s challenge, with Matthijs de Ligt also tugging at the veteran full-back. However, after a VAR review, the decision was overturned.
It was an unexpected turnaround given Everton’s earlier dominance, but United’s fightback spared manager Rúben Amorim what would have been a damaging ninth league defeat in 13 games.
A closer look at what happened on a dramatic afternoon at Goodison Park
United deserve recognition for their improvement in the second half, but it’s hard to overlook the mediocrity of the squad that head coach Amorim currently has at his disposal.
Fernandes and Ugarte played key roles in the team's rally, but for the first 72 minutes, the performance was disappointing, marked by a lack of desire and creativity.
For Everton fans, the conversation will be quite different. They will feel bitterly disappointed after failing to secure a win in a game they dominated for most of the match, only for Fernandes to give Manchester United a lifeline with his clever free-kick.
This frustration is further intensified by the fact that they were denied a late penalty following a VAR review, in which it appeared that Maguire had manhandled former United player Young while chasing a loose ball in the penalty area. It's a testament to their improvement under Moyes that they will view a draw as unsatisfactory, but they ultimately ran out of steam as United began to apply pressure in the closing moments.
