Andy Gray retorted that Sean Dyche, the manager, might have purposefully subdued the emotion because he was concerned about his players acting irresponsibly.
Following the final whistle, Keys stated, “We’re in this together, and we are up for it,” in reference to the cards that showed their discontent with the Premier League if they had been more front-footish, if you know what I mean.
You could just sense it was negative.
Gray replied, The performance? I don’t know; you could tell the atmosphere was up and the fans were up. There was an intensity about them.
I’m guessing in a lot of ways Sean might have been a tad worried that the players got wrapped up in that and came out and were reckless.
Keys continued: Yeah, just, we’re after you; anything to say, we are as one.
He would have been conscious, Richard. Gray responded, “You can’t play with ill-discipline; you can’t just go out there and run about and chase everywhere.
Watching a different game
Keys’ criticism might have been unwarranted if the Toffees players had produced a flat performance in the face of the fans roaring them on and loudly booing the Premier League over their 10-point deduction.
But the home side were well on top for most of the first half, even after the stunning, third-minute Alejandro Garnacho goal that, in other circumstances, could put a dampener on everything from the off.
Led by Dominic Calvert-Lewin up front, Everton dominated up until the break, and it was only Andre Onana and some wayward finishing that prevented them from finding the net multiple times in response.
Gray’s case also falters when it is shown that Ashley Young’s carelessness undermined the actual fight, as he gave up a penalty after the half to potentially win the game after making a hasty challenge that resulted in a booking in the first half.
It was probably fortunate for him that neither the foul—which was originally called a dive until a VAR review—nor his attempts to argue with referee John Brooks resulted in a second yellow card.
It was a disappointing performance in yet another important game at Liverpool, where they were sent off for two lunges in the first half.
Even though the final scoreline and quality were undoubtedly low, a memorable goal, a careless penalty given away, and a breakaway goal scored while trailing the game all contributed to the pleasing outcome.
It was otherwise a pretty good performance, which was undercut by some recklessness by Young, so if Dyche had been worried, his warnings clearly didn’t work.
The “barely believable” thing Everton did against Manchester United surprised a Sky Sports pundit.
On Sunday, Everton had plenty of opportunities to score against Manchester United.
After a Marcus Rashford penalty, goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Anthony Martial condemned Everton to a 3-0 loss at Goodison Park on Sunday night.
Garnacho’s incredible overhead kick gave the Toffees an early lead that Jordan Pickford was powerless to reverse. If the hosts had been able to convert any of the numerous first-half opportunities they produced, the rest of the match might have gone quite differently.
Before the half, the Red Devils faced significant pressure for a considerable period of time.Sean Dyche’s team was playing with purpose and quickness, and they were getting opportunities to score goals as a result.
Poor finishing costs Everton again
Abdoulaye Doucoure, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Dwight McNeil, and Idrissa Gana Gueye all had excellent opportunities that ultimately fell through.
It wasn’t that Andre Onana was unbeatable either; rather, it was a case of careless and inconsistent finishing.
The Merseyside team lost the match because, once again, they lacked clinical instincts and poised themselves too soon.
Dyche will be really irritated by this since Everton had a genuine chance to win this game if they had just been able to capitalize when the game was trending in their favor.
While covering the match from Goodison Park, journalist Adam Bate remarked, Everton is so wasteful, in reference to the team’s poor finishing.
Barely believable that the equaliser has not yet come,” as quoted by the Sky Sports (26/11/2023, 17:15) live match text commentary.
Even though Everton has shown indications of improving recently, this is undoubtedly an area in which they need to improve.
Sean Dyche has reasons for optimism
But Dyche may also look at the bright side. The fact that his team was able to generate as many obvious opportunities as they did against Manchester United will no doubt please him.
To create these gaps, the Toffees used some deft passing maneuvers and astute movement. The management will have faith that several objectives will undoubtedly follow if they continue in that manner on a regular basis.
In light of the club’s recent setback of losing Premier League points, Dyche should have been pleased with his team’s aggressive and confident play in this match.
Even if Everton supporters were disappointed with the outcome, this team still has a lot to fight for.
It was a heartbreaking moment for Evertonians.
It was up there with Gareth Bale against Liverpool in the 2018 Champions League final. It was better than Cristiano Ronaldo—his idol—also for Real Madrid against Juventus, and it was even superior to Wayne Rooney’s arresting strike in the Manchester derby 12 years ago.
The stunning overhead kick executed by Alejandro Garnacho, precisely 136 seconds into this victory over Everton, was a stop-the-clocks moment. It was a finish to already end the goal of the season contest, with Erik ten Hag readily agreeing with that. Crucially, it was a goal that quietened the din at a mutinous Goodison Park, and it earned Manchester United an unexpected three points.
It was the 10 points that Everton were docked by the independent Premier League commission, which had dominated the build-up, fuelled a sense of injustice, and led to the expectation that the occasion would simply prove too much for a United side as apparently fragile as this.
Instead, they won, and eventually they won well. And what a goal it was that set them off! A goal like this has to silence the crowd, said United captain Bruno Fernandes, and it did just that. The air was simply taken out of Everton, and they never quite recovered. “A worldie,” Sean Dyche said. A lifetime goal.
Sir Alex Ferguson had described Rooney’s bicycle kick against City in 2011 as the best goal he had seen at Old Trafford, but Garnacho’s was better.
For sure, he was under less pressure from defenders than Rooney, who was sandwiched between Vincent Kompany and Micah Richards, and maybe it did not mean as much.
But in terms of technique, the Argentine was further out; he was running away from goal, and he executed a sweeter connection.
Another factor to consider was the high quality of the build-up that led to Diogo Dalot’s precise cross.
Don’t compare, Ten Hag naturally cautioned. “It’s not right. They all have their own identities, but he definitely has the potential to do amazing things. If you want to be a player like Rooney or Ronaldo, you have to score 25 goals in the Premier League and go into areas where it hurts. But he has potential.
As Garnacho wheeled away in celebration, he performed the Ronaldo ‘Siu’ celebration, and the 19-year-old winger, along with 18-year-old midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, was the star of the show for United, with Marcus Rashford scoring from a penalty and Anthony Martial adding a third to compound Everton’s pain. It meant that, having scored only one goal from a forward all season in the league, all three of their starts across the front line did so.
Garnacho will claim the headlines. He will spark the debate. He will earn the replays. But Mainoo was outstanding and composed on his first Premier League start and actually exerted a greater overall influence. Like Garnacho, he is an academy product, although one closer to home, from Stockport, and he caught the eye in pre-season but then suffered an injury setback. This was some involvement, not least because of the circumstances.
“For me, man of the match,” Ten Hag said, and credit to him, in the stands as he served a touchline ban, for putting the teenager in here at the start of what will be a crucial week for the club.
United fly to Istanbul ahead of their must-win Champions League tie against Galatasaray on Wednesday before facing Newcastle United away on Saturday, while Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s investment and control of football matters should finally be ratified and announced in the coming days.
It made this result even more important, and, remarkably, United are the form team in terms of results, are now just six points off the top of the table, and have won as many league games as Liverpool. Find some logic in that.
Maybe with Ratcliffe and with youngsters like Garnacho and Mainoo, there is also a brighter future? Even so, the travelling fans still sang their disapproval of the Glazers. It still feels a long way back.
Everton failed to take chance after chance
As with their Premier League punishment, Everton will feel hard done by. After Garnacho’s goal, the opportunities fell to them. By half-time, they should have been ahead. Maybe even comfortably ahead. They failed to take chance after chance—four in four minutes in one frantic spell—with some poor misses from Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Abdoulaye Doucoure, and Idrissa Gana Gueye, a fine save by Andre Onana, and a goal-line clearance from Mainoo.
There was, dare it be said, a further sense of injustice with a penalty award to Martial following a Var intervention when he was caught by Ashley Young. Initially, Martial was cautioned for a dive by referee John Brooks, but that was overturned, although the argument continued over whether the United forward had initiated the contact.
Dyche did not hold back in his criticism. with Fernandes allowing Rashford the spot-kick. “Because Marcus needed a bit of confidence, he needed his goal,” Fernandes said. But what would have been Ten Hag’s reaction had he missed? As Rashford scored, he hailed Fernandes’ “great captaincy
.
United went further ahead through a smart team move, with Fernandes threading a pass through to Martial, who smartly dinked the ball beyond Pickford. It was over. Vitalii Mykolenko struck the crossbar, but there was no way back for Everton, in this game at least, and long before the end, their fans had streamed away.
Garnacho’s goal will only compound their feeling that their luck is out. For now at least.
