I saw Manchester United lose at home on Saturday, which was really embarrassing for us fans. We had an extra player for most the game but still fell 1-0 to Everton. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored a amazing goal that decided the match. David Moyes finally won at Old Trafford with another team, ending our five-game unbeaten run. This victory came exactly a year after Ruben Amorim first managed United.
Then in the first half, something strange happened when Idrissa Gueye got a red card for slapping his own teammate Michael Keane. It gave United a perfect chance to score, but we couldn’t get through Everton’s defense. Moyes said after, “I quite like his players fighting,” when talking about the incident and the argument he stopped.
Dewsbury-Hall’s brilliant strike from 20 yards was the key moment in the first half. That goal moved Everton up to 11th, now having 18 points same as United. It showed big problems in Amorim’s team. Joshua Zirkzee made Jordan Pickford make two great saves with headers late on, but United’s attack was mostly messy.
Amorim said the team needs to get much better if we want to reach the Champions League. He asked, “If you cannot beat an opponent with less players for so long – or at least, not lose – then how can any dreams of being contenders be taken serious?” He wants the team to be more consistent and work together better.
A year ago from Amorim’s first game – a 1-1 draw at Ipswich – his team today had six players from that starting lineup: Bruno Fernandes, Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, Diogo Dalot, Matthijs de Ligt and Casemiro. With Benjamin Sesko out hurt, Zirkzee started his first game this season. Moyes surprised everyone by playing 37-year-old Séamus Coleman, who was making his first league start since May.
Coleman had to go off injured after just 10 minutes, replaced by Jake O’Brien. Earlier, Diallo’s skills on the left wing caused problems for the older defender. Everton looked dangerous too, with Iliman Ndiaye troubling United’s defense. His cross almost led to a goal, but Leny Yoro cleared it away. Ndiaye later shot wide after another good move from Everton.
The big moment came when Gueye slapped Keane after Bryan Mbeumo lost the ball in the box and Fernandes shot wide. Referee Tony Harrington quickly gave a red card for violent conduct. Pickford had to hold Gueye back from going after Keane more.
Even with the extra man, United didn’t play well or take control. Everton stayed tight and organized at the back, stopping United from creating good chances. A long ball to Patrick Dorgu showed how disjointed United were, before Dewsbury-Hall’s great moment. He got past a sleeping Fernandes, confused Yoro, and blasted a shot past Senne Lammens.
Amorim put Mason Mount on at halftime, taking off Mazraoui and moving Diallo to right wing-back. United had most of the ball, but their attacks weren’t sharp. Mount had a shot blocked by James Tarkowski and then a header, but nothing worked. Casemiro got a yellow card and then was substituted for Kobbie Mainoo, which showed the frustration.
Amorim kept changing things, bringing Dalot on for Dorgu to try and attack more. Mbeumo and Zirkzee combined for a shot, and Mount then hit the ball just wide. Amorim pointed to his head, telling players to stay calm, but they didn’t listen. Mbeumo missed badly, and Fernandes shot over the bar several times, showing United’s lack of coolness in front of goal.
United not being able to score against 10-man Everton makes me doubt their chances this season. This performance isn’t what you expect from a team wanting the Champions League. The loss means Amorim has a tough job to fix the team’s issues and build belief. I left the Stretford End feeling shocked, our hopes for a top-five finish fading away.
