Manchester United’s illogical comeback can’t hide an alarming trend | OneFootball

David Moyes and Ruben Amorim can testify to the difficulties of walking in Sir Alex Ferguson’s footsteps. The most famous comment made by Manchester United’s most decorated manager came after his most celebrated comeback. Football, bloody hell? As two of his successors met, this seemed another case of it, a fightback that, like Ferguson’s against Bayern Munich in 1999, was remarkable in part because it felt inexplicable, because United were out of sorts, outclassed, seemingly out for the count.

After 70 minutes of their final visit to Goodison Park, there was a temptation to say this was a new low for United; yet another one. Their xG was 0.04, meaning that – statistically – they would have had to play for more than 29 hours to create chances equivalent to one goal. The performance was ponderous. Casemiro had seemed to cover less ground on the pitch than Kevin Sheedy did when inducted into Everton’s Hall of Fame at half time. Amorim had picked the wrong team, omitting Alejandro Garnacho, Moyes was justifying his United counterpart’s pre-match assertion that the Scot was doing the better job.

Which, in the broader scheme of things, is still very true. Much of Everton’s display was testament to Moyes’s transformative effect. Much of United’s was atrocious. They nevertheless emerged with a point apiece. It was thanks in part to the catalytic prowess of Bruno Fernandes and his refusal to accept a defeat that his teammates seemed resigned to.

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Bruno Fernandes sparked an unlikely comeback (Getty)

“In the first half, we didn’t exist,” said Amorim. “The free man was there, I think the space was there, we lose balls we cannot lose.” He detected slight improvement thereafter but, with 20 minutes remaining, their xG was still 0.04. Then a Fernandes free kick flew past a static Jordan Pickford. “The free kick changes the momentum,” lamented Moyes. Then a second free kick from the United captain was headed away by Beto, but only as far as Manuel Ugarte. He took one touch on his chest. The second was volleyed past Pickford for his first United goal. Out of nothing, they were level.

Almost ahead, too, when Fernandes had a curler tipped over by Pickford. They were almost beaten in injury time, however. The former United captain Ashley Young took a spectacular tumble when reacting after Idrissa Gueye’s shot was parried by Andre Onana. Referee Andrew Madley initially pointed to the spot and then overturned his initial decision. “It was a soft touch from what I saw,” said Amorim. “I think it was a soft penalty.”

Which was not the same as saying there was no offence. “I was surprised that the referee was sent to VAR,” said Moyes. “Ashley Young’s jersey is undoubtedly pulled. I thought the referee made the correct decision at the time and he should stick with it.” And yet, there was an element of confusion: Young’s shirt was tugged by Matthijs de Ligt but the Premier League’s official reasoning was that there was no foul by Harry Maguire, who also tangled with the veteran.

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Fernandes led the appeals after Young went to ground (Action Images/Reuters)

Everton had relished the late drama on their previous Merseyside outing; not this time. “We played here and drew 2-2 against Liverpool and it felt like a win,” said Moyes. “Today’s 2-2 felt not like a defeat but close to it.” This was very different to the derby even if one common denominator was a melee after the final whistle.

Another constant lies in Beto’s goals. A seeming misfit has become the poster boy for the new regime. Moyes imbued Everton with belief, injecting attacking intent. They powered into a 2-0 lead: before Fernandes scored United’s belated first league goal of February, Beto had his fifth. Abdoulaye Doucoure, sent off against Liverpool and criticised by Moyes, was restored to the team after a ban and had a goal and an assist. Everton were on course for a fifth win in six league games which, as Amorim still only has four victories in his time at Old Trafford, would have represented another indictment of one of Moyes’s successors.

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Doucoure’s header doubled Everton’s lead (Getty)

More of United’s problems were laid bare. A slow team are slow starters. Minus Garnacho for an hour, their 3-4-3 was lopsided and short of dynamism, with the admirable exception of Patrick Dorgu.

They remain dreadful at defending set pieces, which Amorim has delegated to his assistant Carlos Fernandes. The opener was comically bad defending as United made five attempts to clear Jack Harrison’s corner. None succeeded and Doucoure headed the ball into the path of Beto, who hooked in his fifth goal in four games; it is as many as the United duo of Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee have between them all season.

Everton scored again with a move started and finished by Doucoure. After Jesper Lindstrom released Beto, the striker squared for Harrison. His rising shot was parried by Onana but, with Maguire strangely statuesque, Doucoure leapt to head in the loose ball. “We played really well,” said Moyes. “When we were 2-0 up we should have gone 3-0 up.”

It would have felt a fair scoreline. But football retains a capacity to be illogical. Moyes, who sometimes felt an unlucky United manager, was unfortunate against them. And for Amorim, it was an escape when his team had been awful. Even in dark days, Manchester United can still spring the odd comeback. And this was a very odd one.