Manchester United played out an entertaining 2-2 draw away from home against Everton on Saturday afternoon, in their final Premier League trip to Goodison Park, one of English football’s most historic stadiums.
For about 70 minutes, the Red Devils were poor. Everton went into the halftime break 2-0 up, thanks to goals from Beto and Abdoulaye Doucoure. The Toffees striker scored after a messy clearance from a corner by United gifted him the ball in space. It was a well-controlled finish from the 27-year-old.
Doucoure also scored from a bad bit of defending from United. He outjumped Harry Maguire, following a parry from Andre Onana, to nod over the Cameroonian goalkeeper and double the Toffees’ lead.
United started the second half just as poorly, but, the introduction of Alejandro Garnacho and young striker Chido Obi changed the game. They seemed much more fluid and three-dimensional in attack.
Captain Bruno Fernandes got his side back into the game, scoring a well-directed freekick. Just moments later, Manuel Ugarte picked up a loose ball on the edge of the box, and, after bringing it down on his chest, slammed home to equalise.
Everton were perhaps unlucky not to have a penalty at the death. Former Red Devils captain Ashley Young went down under pressure, but after initially being given on the pitch, the decision was overturned.
United’s standout player was, as usual, Fernandes.
Fernandes’ performance vs. Everton
Over the years, no matter how dire the circumstances, there has always been one player United can rely on. It is none other than their “Portuguese Magnifico”, Fernandes. Against Everton, it was no different.
The Red Devils skipper scored a brilliant freekick to kickstart his side’s comeback at Goodison Park. From 20 or so yards out, shooting from the left-hand corner of the box, Fernandes directed his effort into the far corner, with Jordan Pickford rooted to the spot. It was a smart finish.
Samuel Luckhurst, a journalist for The Manchester Evening News gave Fernandes a 7/10 for his efforts. He praised the United skipper for the way he ‘galvanised the team’ in the final throes of the game.
Indeed, Fernandes’ stats on Sofascore show just how influential he was on the game for United. Their number eight had 109 touches, created two chances and won seven out of 13 duels. His all-round contribution was vital, and he had more touches, and the second-most number of touches across all players.
Stat
Leader
Most touches
Fernandes – 109
Most accurate passes
Fernandes – 64
Most key passes
Harrison – 3
Most tackles
Gueye – 11
Most successful dribbles
Fernandes – 3
Most duels won
Gueye, Mazraoui – 11
Possession lost
Fernandes – 29x
On the whole, though, it was a poor performance from the rest of United’s side. In particular, the defenders struggled against the Everton attackers.
The United defender who struggled vs Everton
It was a tough day at the office for several Red Devils defenders. Noussair Mazraoui played well but was substituted after seemingly picking up a slight knock. Maguire did not have his best game after a spell of good form
However, Matthijs de Ligt was someone who really struggled. He arguably looked out of his depth against the fantastic Beto and was one of the culprits for bringing down Young in the overturned penalty decision.
Luckhurst gave him a 2/10 for his efforts, a scathing review. The journalist said he looked ‘overwhelmed’ and was ‘easy prey’ against the Toffees attackers, who really got the better of him across the game.
He did not place very highly in many of the key stats from the game, as per the table above. Defensively, he only won five from nine duels, less than 11 players on the pitch, and only managed one tackle. He played a backpass out of play, too.
Incredibly, the Dutchman was not a player United wanted to bring in last summer. According to ESPN’s Mark Ogden, the Red Devils, and their new ownership group, INEOS, “didn’t want” to sign the defender from Bayern Munich, in a deal that cost them £38.5m up front and £4.3m in add-ons.
It certainly makes you question, will the Dutchman be a long-term option for Ruben Amorim? If United’s board didn’t want to bring him in, there is no saying that De Ligt is someone the Portuguese manager might view as a long-term fit for his system.
After performances like that against Everton, it could well be the case that he is not someone who is a long-term option for the club.
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