LIVERPOOL, England — A contentious decision made by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) may have kept Manchester United from suffering yet another defeat in their Premier League match against Everton. United manager Ruben Amorim expressed disappointment, noting that his players were virtually absent in the first half.
The match at Goodison Park finished in a 2-2 draw after United made a strong comeback, overturning a two-goal deficit. The drama unfolded late in the game during the third minute of stoppage time when referee Andrew Madley initially awarded a penalty to Everton after Harry Maguire was deemed to have fouled Ashley Young. Young appeared to dramatically fall under a challenge from both Maguire and teammate Matthijs de Ligt.
However, the VAR intervened, prompting Madley to reassess the incident on the pitchside monitor, leading him to reconsider his original ruling. This decision puzzled Everton’s manager, David Moyes, who felt that the referee did not adequately assess a clear shirt-pulling incident involving De Ligt when he reviewed the footage.
Moyes voiced his frustration, stating, “Did they look at the shirt pull? So they only mentioned the part they needed to?” He further commented, “It seemed to me that the shirt pull was significant… you should not be able to escape being penalized for pulling jerseys. I think the referee’s initial decision was right, and he should have maintained it.”
United found an equalizer in the 80th minute thanks to Manuel Ugarte, marking his first club goal in nearly four years. This came after Bruno Fernandes ignited the comeback by converting a free kick only eight minutes earlier. Prior to their resurgence, United seemed destined for a third consecutive loss—and a ninth defeat in 15 league matches since Amorim took over in November—following early strikes from Beto and Abdoulaye Doucoure for an improving Everton side.
In a pre-comeback analysis on British broadcaster TNT Sports, former United defender Rio Ferdinand criticized the team’s performance as “embarrassing” and “unforgivable.” Amorim echoed these sentiments, recognizing that the squad had only played effectively for one half and miraculously secured the draw.
“We didn’t exist in the first half,” he remarked. “It felt like there was space available, but we unfortunately lost possession in critical situations.”
Despite the draw, the challenges facing Amorim remain significant as he works to lift the storied club from its lowly 15th place in the standings. “Our priority now is to survive this season, and only then can we plan for the future,” Amorim concluded.
