Bruno Fernandes’ worrying Manchester United admission vs Everton points to alarming trend Rúben Amorim must stop

Bruno Fernandes has made a worrying admission about Manchester United’s recent draw against Everton, which raises an alarming point about their recent form.

Manchester United battled back from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw against Everton, with second-half strikes from Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte securing a point for Rúben Amorim’s side at Goodison Park.

Everton started with intensity, pressing United high and forcing errors. Their pressure paid off after 20 minutes when Beto pounced on poor defending to fire home his fifth goal in four matches.

Just ten minutes later, Abdoulaye Doucouré doubled the lead, overpowering Harry Maguire to slot in a rebound after André Onana’s save, leaving United in deep trouble at half-time.

United showed more composure after the break but struggled to break Everton down. With 20 minutes remaining, Bruno Fernandes provided a lifeline, curling a superb free kick into the top corner. Minutes later, Manuel Ugarte struck a brilliant effort from distance to bring United level, setting up a tense finale.

Late drama ensued when Matthijs de Ligt brought down Ashley Young in the box, seemingly handing Everton a last-minute penalty. However, after a VAR review, the decision was overturned, ensuring United escaped with a hard-earned point.

Fernandes’ admission after the Everton draw

Fernandes was handed the Player of the Match award following his second-half display that catalysed United’s comeback, and he assessed the fixture while speaking to MUTV after the game.

“When you are in the dressing room at half-time after a game like this, you just have to focus on yourself and try to lift your standard and your game to try to get something from the game,” he explained when asked about his second-half performance.

“Obviously, it was very tough for us in the first half because we were trying to do the things but it wasn’t working out in the way that we wanted.”

Continuing, he said: “I think in the second half, obviously you’re 2-0 down, you have more freedom because you are already losing, so you have nothing to lose more.

“I think you get more of a try to do something else, and that’s why we get the result.”

This points to a worrying trend

It feels every week like United are having to claw back from losing positions to scrape draws and wins, and have felt just four victories in 15 Premier League fixtures under Amorim.

Read More: Alan Shearer rips into Premier League statement on Manchester United decision vs Everton

United’s last first-half goal was against Brighton last month, which was a Fernandes penalty, while their last goal from open play in the first-half came against Nottingham Forest on 7 December.

Fernandes spoke about how United had more freedom to play once they were losing, and it’s alarming just how often the players do not kick into gear until the game is within it’s final 30 minutes and the side are already losing.

This United team should be playing with freedom regardless of the scoreline, but far too often they lack intensity from the opening moments, which has been their undoing many times.

Amorim must find a way to add intensity to this team without seeing the club fall a goal or two behind, or United may be in for a shocking end to the campaign.

Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is released every Wednesday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.