Manchester, England–where to start Manchester United,
This has been a chance to prove that they are making real progress and have moved into the top four of the Premier League with a win on the road. everton The team that had won only once at Old Trafford in the last 33 years inexplicably managed to slip into a calamitous situation 1-0 defeat. Everton then tried to sweeten the deal by playing with 10 men for 77 minutes Idrissa Gueye‘S funny red card to slap a partner Michael Keane,
United coach Ruben Amorim has been careful to say his side have turned a corner while going unbeaten in five consecutive games. After a devilish performance filled with unforgivable errors, you can see why.
There was a moment late in the game, when United were chasing an equaliser, that Amad Diallo raced to take a throw-in and was penalized for failing to realize that he was still standing on the pitch. It says something when a team gets a red card because their own players fight each other on the pitch, it’s not the most ridiculous thing that has happened during the game. It was one of those nights that will live long in the memory of the United fans, who booed loudly at the whistle throughout – just for all the wrong reasons.
“The feeling is despair,” Amorim said. “Disappointed with the way we played the game. I think they were the better team. With 11, they defended really well. With 10 men, 70 minutes. So I think we deserved to lose. We didn’t play well. We didn’t play with the right intensity. That’s all.”
There have been some sad days at Old Trafford since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. However, it was just there.
Even before Gueye’s red card, United were in a poor position. Everton began the season without an away win since August, and yet for the first 10 minutes they outclassed Amorim’s team, making 14 successful passes in the final third compared to United’s one. The early period of superiority should have been the highlight of Everton’s night.
Just when Everton coach David Moyes was beginning to look likely to secure a first win at Old Trafford as an away manager in 18 attempts, he noticed a miscommunication between Gueye and Keane in the Everton penalty area. bruno fernandes Taking a shot on goal. When Fernandes appealed for a corner, Gueye charged towards Keane and appeared to slap his teammate in the face during the collision.
Referee Tony Harrington had no hesitation in showing a red card as Gueye had to be restrained. Jordan Pickford And iliman riversGueye later posted an apology on social media, That’s actually what should have happened, but somehow United got worse,
1:06
Berbatov: I wanted to fight with my teammates in every game
Dimitar Berbatov has reacted to Idrissa Gueye’s bizarre red card after slapping his own teammate Michael Keane.
Just before the half-hour mark, the Everton midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall Moved forward and fended off two weak challenges from Fernandes with ease Leni YoroThis encouraged the midfielder to almost shoot, and he did so with a wonderful effort that beat the goalkeeper, sene lamens And in the top corner.
Nevertheless, Everton’s victory seemed impossible. However, to their credit, Ndiaye and Jack Grealish Worked like a Trojan on the sides. Keane and james tarkovsky Went towards cross after cross. thierno barry Troubled himself coming forward and Pickford was sent through on goal. Amorim’s team finally started to create clear chances in the last 10 minutes England The stopper was able to defend perfectly to keep out two joshua zirczy header
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United’s night ended in the 92nd minute when the ball reached Matthijs de Ligt in the box, but he could only muster an effort which rolled harmlessly into the arms of Pickford. He finished the match with 25 shots but only six on target.
“It has been difficult to win here in the last few years,” Moyes said. “If you said tonight we would get a result of 10 [players] I would say it would be really hard. It was a great performance by the players.
“I was a little angry about [Gueye and Keane] Challenging each other, but I was also a little happy that they were fighting each other because it showed me that they cared. If we hadn’t had that fight or that resiliency, they would never have been successful in that game.”
It was telling that in his own postmatch press conference, Amorim seemed almost jealous of the fight shown by Everton – even if it was phrased incorrectly. “Fighting isn’t a bad thing,” he said. “Fighting doesn’t mean they don’t like each other. Fighting means you lose the ball, I’ll fight you because we’ll lose a goal. That’s what I felt when I saw it.”
With the game falling on the one-year anniversary of Amorim’s first match in charge at Ipswich Town, his message to fans at the event was one of optimism. “We have a real opportunity to start making real progress in our season,” he wrote.
His words at the end of the night couldn’t have been more different. “We are not even close to the point where we should be fighting for the best positions in the league,” Amorim said. “Everyone has been praising our development in these five weeks. I’m always saying the same things. We’re not even close to the moment we should have had at this club.
“Today, we are really disappointed. We are going to be better in the future.”
And so, another opportunity for United to show that they are taking meaningful steps forward, and another opportunity missed. Where to start with United, a club that always seems to be starting again?
