Everton 2 – 2 Manchester United
It was a fantastic game of football for the neutral but the late reversal of an obvious penalty call by the referee for Everton after he reviewed the VAR footage will forever blight the memory of this game after a tremendous first half that saw Everton go into what should have been an unassailable 2-0 lead at half-time.
David Moyes was still heavily restricted in terms of team selection, with 8 players still unavailable.
Abdoulaye Doucoure returned from suspension with Carlos Alcaraz losing his place in the side, and it was a fantastic atmosphere in Goodison Park — looking anything but old and decrepit in the gorgeous spring sunshine, with a fantastic display of fans and banners in the Gwladys Street stand.
The visitors in red got things underway for their very last visit to Goodison Park, with Everton getting an early free-kick wide left but it was a ballooned floater from Garner that drew Tarkowski to lean on Mazaroui, both players landing awkwardly and needing treatment.
Everton did a great high press, Doucoure stealing the ball and Beto powering a decent header, but straight at Onana. Another ballooned deep cross forced the first corner but it was overhit too far beyond the far post. United tried to respond but the Everton players were in like tigers, Gana stealing the ball this time. Still, with possession, they tried to build more deliberately, albeit rather over-reliant on the long ball.
De Ligt bodychecked Beto with impunity and no sanction from Referee Madley, allowing Everton to play their own physical game, Beto almost getting the ball but tripping over his own feet. That allowed Man Utd to mount their first attack, a good cross from Dorku allowing Hojlund to challenge Pickford, who saved well with his foot.
Beto forced the ball off De Ligt but then he needlessly passed it out of play. Dorku put in another cross from the left that Pickford collected. Garner fought for the ball high up, falling over then seemingly fouled but not given.
Gueye forced a great turnover and Doucoure advanced but Lindstrom’s cross was not good enough. However, from the corner, a tremendous game of head tennis in the United area saw the final ball pushed through by Doucoure for Beto to power the ball home. Offside? Not the final strike… Queue another utterly ridiculous VAR check taking over 3 minutes before they finally let it stand. Everton into a brilliant lead, 1-0!!!
If the atmosphere early was febrile, it now reached fever pitch, with every foul loudly claimed by the highly charged Blues fans, Beto upended, and Harrison putting in a much better low delivery but it was cleared. However, Everton reprocessed the ball smartly and tried to put pressure on Man Utd.
But the visitors did well to build an attack, again down Everton’s right, winning a corner, that was crucially headed clear by Branthwaite. Everton worked hard in midfield but Lindstrom again was the weak link, getting sandbagged and committing the foul.
But Everton forced it forward through Doucoure and a great ball to Lindstrom was crossed not quite hard enough for Harrison but he still did brilliantly to fashion a fierce shot that Onana could only parry high up into the spring sunshine — in powered Doucoure to beat him to the dropping ball with a brilliant final headeer glanced into the bottom corner. What a goal from sheer determination! Excellent stuff from a rampant Everton!!!
Mykolenko had his foot trodden on hard by Maguire. Man Utd won a corner but played it short and made a good mess of it. Garner did superbly to drive forward but Beto didn’t hit it first time and the chance evaporated, the ball coming back to Lindstrom whose cross in the circumstances was utterly criminal, drifted to no-one, way past the far post.
Great pressing from Everton again forced a turnover, with great work from O’Brien, and Gana Gueye pulling all the strings and working like a trojan in midfield, with 6 minutes of added time before the break.
Hojlund advanced but Everton dropped back in perfect formation to stall him and then Doucoure did a great disruption job. Man Utd won a corner but then put it wide. O’Brien put his arm briefly across Dorku and was called both for the foul and a yellow card. Fernandes fired in the free-kick but the Blue shirts repelled it en masse.
Gueye again won the ball brilliantly and released Docucoure but this time he had no support. The Blues did get forward again, Docucoure getting a gift and crossing to Beto but Mazraoui was alert and blocked the path to Beto who was lurking with intent. The corner came to nothing and the first half finally ended with the Blues having performed superbly to dominate their illustrious visitors and deny them the freedom of Goodison Park.
Everton started the second half by winning a corner with Onana forced to make the save from Branthwaite’s header. This encouraged United to have a go but Everton’s defence was solid. O’Brien thought he had saved the corner, which led to a foul by Dalot. But United came back, Tarkowski having to deny Hojlund at the expense of a corner that Pickford gathered.
Everton tried to get forward, Beto doing well with a high ball, Everton then winning a corner but Lindstrom was forced to make way for Ashley Young. Harrison put in a really good corner that just evaded Beto’s head. United broke forward at pace, Mykolenko forced to commit a foul. Maguire was unhappy on the free-kick but he was well off the track of the ball in that Pickford claimed.
The exchanges since the break had been threatening from both sides. In the next. Young got to put in a cross that flew over Beto, Harrison’s shot blocked. Everton tried their hand at possession play from the back, but it was scrappy. United adavnced but a great piece of play by Branthwaite saved a corner.
Garner picked up a yellow card for stepping across. Everton then were gifted a corner from a bad backpass, Harrison’s ball in intercepted. A great pattern of play saw O’Brien drive past the defender and pick out Beto whose difficult half-volley was just a little too close to Onana.
Wonderful work by Branthwaite was followed by a very poor foul by Maguire on Beto — but still no yellow card… shockingly poor refereeing! Pickford pumped the ball forward and it was crossed in with pace but Harrison could not reach it.
Doucoure was really up for it, tackling at either end of the pitch, and catching Grarnacho. Fernandes blasted his free-kick into the wall, Docucoure punished for raising his hand as he turned away from the ball. Fernandes tried again from closer, and drove it through the wall where Zirkzee had ducked, and past a static Pickford into the Everton net.
United had done better in the second half and now had their reward, with Everton perhaps tiring after the effort put in to this point and very little to bring on by way of replacements. Everton tried to get forward but O’Brien’s header was too far in front of Beto.
The visitors now had the bit between their teeth, Everton struggling to steal the ball back as the Reds laid siege to the Everton end, the despicable Maguire trying to fake a penalty. Young’s clumsy tackle on Garnacho earned a yellow card.
From the free-kick, Beto cleared with a header but it fell perfectly for Ugarte who chested the ball and volleyed an unstoppable shot to silence the Blues. David Moyes immediately made some changes, but too late to prevent Manchester United getting right back into this game.
Tarkowski was forced to foul and Dorku almost got around Branthwaite at the expense of a corner. Fernandes swung in the corner, Zirkzee’s header hitting Branthwaite in the face, and he needed treatment.
With 5 minutes left plus added time, it required Everton to dig really deep to prevent a hugely embarrassing defeat as Man Utd mounted another attack. But the Blues repelled it and Everton mounted an attack of their own, Young swinging in a tremendous cross but Beto only able to head it directly at Onana.
Everton were denied a free-kick in their next attack, Fernandes forcing a vital finger-tip save from Pickford. Obi was booked. Another Red Devils move threatend, Zirkzee powering a shot at Pickford. At the other end, Young forced an Everton corner as the game moved into 5 added minutes, A brilliant delivery by Harrison but it was defended clear and the Reds surged forward again, Garnacho thwarted cleverly by Tarkwoski.
Back up the other end and Gana pulled out a fantastic shot, parried by Onana with Young clearly floored by De Ligt and Maguire, denied access to the rebound, and the referee immediately pointing to the penalty spot. But VAR forced the referee to go and review. Incredibly, he rescinded his decision! Absolutely shocking!
Manchester United attacked again, hearts in mouths as Everton hung on desperately. O’Brien could not prevent a very late corner that saw the full-time whistle and a hugely frustrating end to a match Everton should have won, a huge round of boos for the cheating referee.
Everton: Pickford, Mykolenko, Branthwaite, Tarkowski, O’Brien [Y:45+3′], J Harrison, Doucoure (81′ Alcaraz), Gueye [Y:90+9′], Garner [Y:63′] (81′ Iroegbunam), Lindstrom (54′ Young [Y:79′]), Beto.
Subs not Used: Begoic, Virginia, Keane, Sherif, Dixon, Heath.
Manchester Utd: Onana, Mazraoui (70′ Yoro), Maguire, De Ligt; Dalot, Casemiro (62′ Garnacho), Ugarte, Dorgu; Fernandes, Zirkzee, Hojlund (70′ Obi [Y:90]).
Subs not Used: Graczyk, E Harrison, Heaven, Lindelof, Eriksen, Kone,.
Attendance: 39,290