Two Manchester United stars must be praised for their performances against Everton despite Bruno Fernandes grabbing the headlines on Saturday afternoon.
Manchester United fought back from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 draw against Everton, with second-half strikes from Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte rescuing a point for Rúben Amorim’s side at Goodison Park.
Everton started aggressively, pressing United high up the pitch, and their pressure paid off after 20 minutes when Beto capitalised on poor defending to score his fifth goal in four games. Just ten minutes later, Abdoulaye Doucouré doubled the lead, overpowering Harry Maguire to slot home after André Onana’s initial save, leaving United in deep trouble at the break.
United returned for the second half with more stability but still struggled to match Everton’s intensity. However, with 20 minutes to play, Bruno Fernandes produced a moment of brilliance, curling a superb free-kick into the net to spark hope.
That hope turned into an equaliser soon after, as Manuel Ugarte struck a fantastic effort to bring United level and set up a thrilling finale.
Late drama ensued when Matthijs de Ligt clumsily brought down Ashley Young in the box, seemingly handing Everton a chance to win it from the spot. However, VAR intervened to overturn the decision, ensuring United escaped with a hard-earned point.
Fernandes was amazing in the second half
Speaking in his post-match press conference, head coach Amorim said, “We didn’t exist in the first half,” which is a pretty honest assessment of the first 45 minutes after Everton stormed through United like a train through paper.
However, it was when the 40-year-old chose to drop Fernandes back into the deeper midfield positions that United really kicked into gear, with the added pressure of a two-goal deficit spurring the players on.
Even aside from his fantastic goal, Fernandes’ was brilliant in the final half an hour as he dictated play, made sure United played with more intensity, and helped force Everton further and further back toward his own goal.
As has been the case so often in the last five years, Fernandes’ sheer footballing quality has saved United once again, and he will get his much-needed credit after picking up the Player of the Match award.
Two other unsung heroes vs Everton
However, Fernandes was not the only United player who must be applauded for their efforts.
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In the first half, it was almost unanimous that the only player who deserved to hold his head high was Patrick Dorgu. The Denmark international was fantastic as the left wing-back.
He was one of the few players actually looking to get forward and play intense football while the others seemed lethargic and play with little energy, and although he trailed off in the second half, he deserves plaudits for his eprformance.
On the polar opposite, Manuel Ugarte are was quiet in the opening 45 minutes as he was paired with Casemiro, but in the second half he grew into the attacking side of the game.
He would often pop up on the right-hand side and be eager to put crosses in and dart into the box when he didn’t have the ball, and his goal to equalise the score was fantastic.
Ugarte has been criticised a lot for his performances with the ball at his feet, but against Everton, he proved many wrong.
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