Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim criticised his team’s mentality, describing them as “soft,” despite salvaging a 2-2 draw against Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday.
United appeared destined for a ninth defeat in 13 Premier League games when Beto and Abdoulaye Doucoure fired Everton into a deserved 2-0 lead before halftime.
However, captain Bruno Fernandes led the fightback, scoring with United’s first shot on target in the 72nd minute before Manuel Ugarte equalised moments later.
Despite the late comeback, Amorim was left frustrated by his side’s sloppy play and lack of intensity.
United, currently 15th in the table, remain 13 points clear of the relegation zone, but their struggles under Amorim—who has taken just 15 points from a possible 45 since taking charge in November—continue.
In contrast, David Moyes’ return to Everton has sparked a resurgence, with the Toffees climbing to 12th place after collecting 14 points from their last six games.
Moyes was frustrated at not securing all three points, particularly after a dominant first half where he felt Everton should have been further ahead. However, he credited Fernandes’ influence in the second half.
“We should have probably been three up; I think if we’d been three up, we wouldn’t be shamed by that at all,” said the Scot.
“To go 2-0 up was great, but 2-0 is always a dangerous position to be in as a manager. Manchester United have got nothing to lose but to come in and have a go.
“I don’t think it was as much as what we lacked; I thought Bruno played well. They dropped him deeper, and he got on the ball much more, and we found that a bit more difficult to deal with at the time.”
The match ended in controversy when Everton were denied a stoppage-time penalty after VAR overturned the referee’s initial decision to penalise Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt for pulling back Ashley Young.
The result leaves United searching for consistency, while Everton continue their climb away from danger under Moyes’ leadership.
