Rúben Amorim gave his honest opinion on Everton’s controversial early red card after suffering a shock 1-0 defeat to the Merseyside club.
Manchester United fell to their first Premier League defeat in six matches as Everton earned a gritty 1–0 win at Old Trafford on Monday night. United saw plenty of the ball early on, but Everton looked more dangerous, despite going down to ten men inside 15 minutes when Idrissa Gana Gueye accidentally collided with teammate Michael Keane.
Despite the numerical advantage, Rúben Amorim’s side lacked imagination, and a superb finish from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall gave David Moyes’ men the lead. United attempted to lift their tempo after falling behind, but the score remained in Everton’s favour at the break.
Mason Mount was introduced after half-time, followed shortly by Kobbie Mainoo and Diogo Dalot, yet Everton stayed disciplined and difficult to break down.
n the final 20 minutes, Bryan Mbeumo, Bruno Fernandes, and United’s attacking options pushed forward with greater urgency, and Joshua Zirkzee drew an excellent save from Jordan Pickford.
As the match moved into added time, Everton handled the pressure with impressive composure, seeing out the contest to claim a valuable and well-deserved three points.
Amorim’s verdict on the red card
In what should have been a pivotal moment for United, Everton were reduced to 10 men just 13 minutes into the game, but they failed to capitalise on the man advantage, failing to find the net despite having a number of chances.
Speaking after the game, Amorim reflected on the controversial decision, offering his opinion on whether it was the correct decision and how his team should react when they lose the ball.
“Fighting not a bad thing, doesn’t mean they don’t like each other. I don’t agree with sending off, we can fight teammates.
“I hope my players, when they lose the ball, fight each other. Cannot be sent off, but my players show many games we can do it. Today we didn’t.”
Man Utd need to bounce back quickly
There is no denying that this is nothing short of an embarrassing result for Manchester United, losing their first-ever game at Old Trafford when facing ten men.
While on paper it may look like Man United’s slip down to tenth in the league could be a sign that their bid for a top-four finish is over, they still find themselves just three points behind fourth-place Aston Villa.
Read More: Player Ratings: Manchester United 0-1 Everton (Premier League)
In the run-up to facing Manchester City on the 17th of January, United won’t face any traditional top six sides, with a favourable run of fixtures going into the new year.
Out of those games, six of them come against opposition in the bottom half of the table, giving Amorim’s men the opportunity to right the wrongs against Everton and build momentum as they look to revive their bid for Champions League football.
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