Michael Owen could not believe “awful” moment he saw from “anonymous” Manchester United star vs Everton

Michael Owen has explained he could not believe an “awful” moment he saw from one Manchester United player during the 2-2 draw with Everton.

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

Everton started brightly, pressing aggressively and forcing United into mistakes. Their dominance was rewarded after 20 minutes when Beto capitalised on poor defending to fire home his fifth goal in four matches.

The hosts doubled their advantage just ten minutes later as Abdoulaye Doucouré muscled past Harry Maguire to slot in a rebound after André Onana’s save, leaving United with a mountain to climb at the break.

United showed more resilience in the second half but still struggled to impose themselves. However, with 20 minutes remaining, Bruno Fernandes provided a moment of inspiration, curling a stunning free kick into the top corner. Moments later, Manuel Ugarte struck a brilliant effort to complete the comeback and set up a tense finish.

The drama reached its peak when Matthijs de Ligt brought down Ashley Young in the penalty area in the dying moments. Everton appeared to have a golden chance to snatch victory, but VAR intervened to overturn the decision, ensuring United held on for a battling draw.

Owen reacts to Beto’s goal vs United

Former United striker Michael Owen was on duty with Premier League Productions as a pundit, and spent full time reviewing the key highlights of the match.

The most embarrassing moment for United was no doubt Everton’s opening goal, where the whole team failed to clear the ball despite multiple attempts before Beto capitalised to strike past Onana.

While many have slammed United’s defenders for failing to do their job, Owen has chosen to zero in on Rasmus Højlund for not even attempting to head the ball moments prior to Beto’s goal.

“A couple of them [United players] were lacking bravery and courage. This is awful, heading the ball into the danger zone. Højlund doesn’t even attempt to head it,” Owen said.

United were non-existant in the first half

While Højlund had another poor game as a striker, with the player branded “anonymous” for his performance on Merseyside, every play bar Patrick Dorgu looked very far off the pace – something Amorim recognised.

Read More: Manchester United “exploring” potential Marcus Rashford swap deal with phenomenal 20yo

“We just played one half and we managed to draw the game,” Amorim told the media in his post-match press conference.

“We didn’t exist in the first half. Everything we did during the week… I think the free man was there, I think the space was there, I think there were balls we cannot lose.

“And then in the second half, and at half-time I think I said: ‘No matter the result, we are going to do what we did during the week but with a little bit more energy.’

“I think you saw that it was not different in the positioning, it was different in the quality that we played the game.”

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.