By Carl Markham, PA
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim focused on the positives of their comeback 2-2 draw at Everton after admitting his side “did not exist” in the first half.
The hosts were well worth their two goals from Beto and Abdoulaye Doucoure inside the opening 33 minutes as United’s fragile backline struggled to handle their opponents’ energy while further forward they failed to register a shot on target in the opening 45 minutes.
However, Bruno Fernandes’ 72nd-minute free-kicked changed the momentum before Manuel Ugarte drilled home the equaliser, although United were indebted to an intervention by VAR which led to referee Andy Madley to overturn his late decision to award a penalty to Everton for a foul on Ashley Young.
Amorim was unhappy his players failed to execute the plan they had worked on all week in training but was heartened by their powers of recovery.
“We just played one half and we managed to draw the game,” he said.
“We didn’t exist in the first half. Everything we did in the week I think the free man was there, I think the space was there, but I think we lost balls we cannot lose.
“Anyone that watches Everton know they will be really good on second balls and the two goals are second balls. That’s why you get disappointed.
“But let’s not just focus on the negatives. In the second half I said no matter what the result, we are going to do what we did during the week but with a little bit more energy.
“I think you saw it was not different in the positions it was different in the quality with which we played the game.”
"We had a 2-2 draw against Liverpool and it felt like a win. Today's 2-2 draw feels a little bit like a defeat. But it tells us how far we're coming that we're a bit disappointed."
David Moyes' #EVEMUN verdict: pic.twitter.com/aA0TcqOCuq
— Everton (@Everton) February 22, 2025
Everton boss David Moyes felt there was not enough in the penalty award for it to be over-ruled but he felt it should have stood for Matthijs de Ligt’s shirt-pull on Young and not the official Premier League reason of a subsequent foul by Harry Maguire.
The debate had continued in the tunnel with Maguire defending himself as he spoke to the likes of Jordan Pickford and James Tarkowski.
When told the decision had been made on the Maguire foul, Moyes said: “So did they look at the shirt pull? So they only mentioned the bit they needed to?
“It looked to me as though the shirt pull was enough. I can only tell you what I have seen. I didn’t know what you just told me.
“You shouldn’t be getting away with pulling jerseys.
“If it was absolutely clear and obvious that he should go to the screen I didn’t see that.
“I just thought the referee made the correct decision at the time and he should have stuck with it.”
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