Man Utd (h) People are Strange
He loves a shake up does Don Carlo, 5 from the Arsenal game. Mina rested, Digne still missing, Gylfi (somehow) retaining his place. But the headline was Andre Gomes back, what a sight it was and what a reception from the faithful.
It was a poor first half, we were second best even being ahead for the best part of 30 minutes. The both sides of Jordan Pickford reared it’s bipolar head once again, criminally poor for Fernandes’s goal and then redeemed himself in the last minute of the 90. Frustrating to say the least, so much quality, haunted by horrible moments of misjudgment. Strange!! DCL looking the part of an Everton number 9 chased down a casual DeGea and charged his attempted clearance on 3 minutes. Amazingly it wasn’t ruled out for a high boot and we were 1-0 up. Strong, confident start quickly followed by almost all Man Utd. Matic hit the crossbar from outside the box, for all those who remember him from his Chelsea days, you’ll remember when he scored at the Gwladys from a shot he hit from the car park. Coleman replaced by Sidibe. We had given up so much space on the right already, this wasn’t going to change!!
I’ll admit that I thought Fernandes was a bit of a panic buy, a proper Football Manager player, fantastic stats in a shallow league, seems the real deal though. He ran the anonymous Gylfi, lacklustre Davies and returning Gomes ragged in a free role that eventually found him 25 yards out from goal staring down at Pickford’s near post. An awful ball by Sidibe which was equally awfully miss-controlled by Walcott broke to Fernandes and he smashed it low to Pickford’s right and the ball arrowed under him to equalise. Could have and should have done much better, just like the Palace game. HT 1-1 and lucky to be level.
No further changes at halftime, but there was a change in attitude and aptitude from Everton. DCL and the routinely fouled Richarlison were starting to find space in behind, Gomes started to find areas to receive the ball deep and release Davies to break forward. There was always the threat of being countered by Greenwood and the nemesis Martial, but in the main we had control and were set on going for the win.
Walcott off, Bernard on and where we were asking no questions in centre midfield first half, now Bernard was cutting in and making Luke Shaw follow him. Wave after wave of corners, it would appear that for this game contractually all of the ones Gylfi took, had to go straight to Maguire...it wasn’t just me was it?
Gylfi hit a free kick against the post from the agle of the 18 yard box, Richarlison just missed the rebound. Utd still dangerous on the break, Mata and Igalho on for the last few minutes.
Andre was replaced by Kean, 80 minutes under his belt after 30 minutes at Arsenal for the bionic man.
Carlo was going for the win, Everton continued to push forward. Finally a Utd break looked like it was going to pay off, Fernandes crossing with the outside of his boot from the just outside the box, about to be tapped in by Igalho, and heroically from out of nowhere the magnificent, imperious Leighton Baines, defying his maturing years had sprinted from the halfway line to intercept. I love him. Genuinely love him.
So now we get to injury time.
Fernandes who’d taken over Martial as Everton’s chief tormentor ghosts into the box, lifts the ball over the last defender, Pickford gets a hand to it and it fell to Igalho who’s shot was somehow saved by the keepers legs and over the crossbar. From the ridiculous to the sublime. What are we going to do with him??
It wouldn’t be an Everton game without VAR trying to relieve us of a win, and in the 93rd minute it had its opportunity. Richarlison on the edge of the D squares the ball to the onrushing Gylfi, who’s shot is saved by the legs of DeGea. Before we get to DCL, VAR should have awarded a penalty because Gylfi was wiped out by Wan-Bissaka, nailed on. DCL’s shot that deflected off Maguire and into the goal, that wrong footed DeGea, that he had clear sight of, should have stood. Regardless of whether Gylfi was in an offside position, he did not touch the goal. If that was a Utd goal at Old Trafford, or an LFC goal at Anfield, it’s given, no doubt. The disparity in who gets decisions using this technology is bordering on contempt.
But in this instance the rabbit in the headlights Kris Kavanagh, thats Kris Kavanagh from Manchester by the way, referred to the modern day Clive Thomas, namely Jon Moss. Now, not to question the officials motives or competence, this the Jon Moss that gave Utd a penalty at Old Trafford last season when Gana clearly won the ball and Martial elected to just fall over, with Mr Moss being 40 yards away because he was unable to keep up with play... The outcome of the referral was never in doubt. No goal, FT 1-1.
Notable mentions for Holgate and Keane, both excellent today!
Our manager got sent off for having the audacity to question the decision to rule out the goal at the end of the game. The officiating in this league is fast becoming as scripted and imaginary as the WWE.
We move on to Chelsea an another shot at breaking a long overdue winless run the Bridge.
UTFT, COYB 💙