Manuel Ugarte’s first Manchester United goal finished off a comeback to salvage a 2-2 draw against Everton at Goodison Park.
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The Uruguayan’s 80th-minute volley ensured United avoided a third consecutive defeat in the Premier League.
It had looked like a comfortable afternoon for the Toffees. Beto had fired them in front early in the first half before Abdoulaye Doucoure doubled their lead shortly after with a close-range header.
Bruno Fernandes pulled one back with a stunning free-kick in the second half, and almost scored a late winner, though he was denied by Jordan Pickford. Everton, meanwhile, saw a stoppage-time penalty decision overturned by the referee following a VAR review.
Everton move up to 12th in the table, though remain one point above United, who stay 15th on 30 points.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 |
Spurs
TOT
|
26 | +15 | 33 |
| 13 |
Crystal Palace
CRY
|
26 | -1 | 33 |
| 14 |
Everton
EVE
|
26 | -4 | 31 |
| 15 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
26 | -7 | 30 |
| 16 |
West Ham
WHU
|
26 | -17 | 30 |
| 17 |
Wolves
WOL
|
26 | -18 | 22 |
| 18 |
Ipswich
IPS
|
26 | -30 | 17 |
| 19 |
Leicester
LEI
|
26 | -34 | 17 |
How the match unfolded
The hosts started strongly and, after firing a tame header at Andre Onana, Beto got his goal in the 19th minute, latching onto Doucoure’s nod down to fire a bouncing volley over the goalkeeper.
Doucoure then scored in the 33rd minute. Jack Harrison’s low drive was parried into the air by Onana, and the Malian followed in to nod it over the line.
Everton kept pushing in the second half and should have scored a third as Jake O’Brien clipped a cross into Beto, but his sweetly-hit volley was superbly saved by a stretching Onana.
Fernandes gave United hope late on. Having seen a first free-kick blocked by Doucoure, he curled his second through a gap to pick out the bottom-right corner.
It took just eight more minutes for the visitors to flip the script, with Fernandes’ free-kick only headed as far as Ugarte, and his half-volley was just out of Pickford’s reach.
Fernandes saw a long-range effort tipped over the bar shortly before Everton were awarded a stoppage-time penalty for a tug on Ashley Young by Harry Maguire but, after a VAR review, the on-field decision was overturned by referee Andy Madley.
Everton falter late on
Everton’s resurgence under David Moyes has certainly impressed, and it looked set to continue with a win over his former club.
However, while the Toffees enjoyed a late comeback against rivals Liverpool earlier this month, they found themselves on the wrong end of one this time. But the draw does mean they have extended their unbeaten streak to six Premier League games.
It looked so comfortable in the first half. Beto, who made life difficult for Onana with his finish, will claim a lot of plaudits once again after becoming the first Everton player to score in four consecutive top-flight games since Richarlison in 2021.
He helped orchestrate the second goal too. His driving run in behind cut open the United defence before he picked out Harrison, who might feel disappointed after hitting his shot straight at Onana.
For 70 minutes, Everton were in cruise control. Beto and Harrison both had more chances to score, with the former’s volley their best chance of the second half, but they struggled to take advantage of United’s defence.
The Everton fans were clearly aggrieved with the late penalty decision, with it deemed there was not enough contact on Young. They will have to quickly put the disappointment behind them with a trip to Brentford next up.
United leave it late
Ruben Amorim has endured a torrid run in recent weeks, though given the fight United showed, he will take positives from this result having avoided a third consecutive Premier League defeat.
Amorim’s first league win in charge of United was a 4-0 thrashing of Everton – then under Sean Dyche – but much of their final trip to Goodison Park could not have been further from that showing.
It was a familiar story in the first half as United once again failed to score or register a shot on target – the last time they netted an open-play goal before half-time was in December.
The Red Devils were more threatening in the second half, powering forward with more intent. They needed a moment of magic to get back into the game, with Fernandes’ free-kick leaving Pickford static on his line.
The captain was at the heart of the comeback, having also delivered the free-kick that led to Ugarte’s superb finish, while his looping effort in the 89th minute was just tipped over the bar by Pickford.
It was not the win that Amorim needed, but it is something to build on, with relegation-threatened Ipswich Town up next.
Club reports
Everton report | Man Utd report
What the managers said
David Moyes: "I think it should have been more. When we were 2-0 up, we had chances to make it 3-0. We were up against a good side, I know they are not in a good place in the table. We did as well as we could do."
Ruben Amorim: "We need to win three points and we need to win the whole game. The worst part is that we are losing the ball without pressure and we are not doing what we need to do. We were soft."
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
Everton have now failed to win 22 Premier League games in which they’ve had a 2+ goal lead (D16 L6), only Southampton (25) have failed to win more games in the competition’s history.
Manchester United have avoided defeat in a Premier League game in which they’ve trailed by two or more goals for the first time since a 3-2 win against Aston Villa in December 2023, while it’s their first time away from home in the competition since November 2020 at Southampton (3-2).
This is the sixth time in the Premier League that a side has avoided defeat after being two or more goals down in a game between Everton and Man Utd, the joint-most in the competition’s history along with Leicester City v Southampton and Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur.
Manchester United have conceded the joint-most goals from corners in the Premier League this season along with Wolves (11), while it’s their joint-most in a Premier League campaign along with 2023/24.
