A round-up of how the national media covered Everton’s 4-0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford
Everton’s daunting looking December started in awful fashion as their players made a series of individual mistakes in a 4-0 thrashing against Manchester United at Old Trafford. The defeat on Sunday means the Blues remain two points above third-from-bottom Wolves, who make the trip to Goodison Park on Wednesday.
It feels a ‘must-win’ because after that, Everton host table-topping neighbours Liverpool on Saturday before a testing run of fixtures that sees them face second-placed Arsenal (A), third-placed Chelsea (H) and fifth-placed defending champions Manchester City (A).
And they will go into those games on the back of a chastening loss to United. And here’s how the national media reported on proceedings.
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Dyche must have stood there and wondered why he was bothering
Ian Ladyman wrote in the Daily Mail: “Come to the Premier League, they said to Ruben Amorim. Come to the Premier League, the toughest competition in European football. Come to the Premier League where there is never an easy game. And so he did come. He came from Portugal where his Sporting Lisbon team used to win every week and braced himself for something much different. And then he ran into Everton at Old Trafford and maybe started to wonder what on earth all that talk had been about.
“All football teams make mistakes. All players fail from time to time. Rarely like this, however. Rarely as fecklessly as this. This is the type of episode that gets managers into trouble and at times here Everton’s Sean Dyche must have stood there and wondered why he was bothering.
“Amorim’s United, given the opportunity, were ruthless and clinical and hungry. The two goals scored by Marcus Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee may well be seen to carry an importance beyond the winning of this game. Both players have been short on confidence and maybe a little love too. Zirkzee, the young Dutch forward, scored his first goals since August and also provided the pass of the game for Rashford to score the game’s third in the first minute of the second half. That, though, was the only one of the goals Everton didn’t toss away on the back of individual carelessness.
“The visiting team were impressive for half an hour. They were on the front foot and playing well and with confidence of their own. They perhaps sensed opportunity here and a hint of anxiety hung in the air at Old Trafford.
“And then they tossed it all away. Jarrad Branthwaite – the young Everton defender that United would like to buy – had his fingerprints on the goals scored by Rashford and then Zirkzee in 34th and 41st minutes. Rashford scored again just after the break and then, in the 64th minute, James Tarkowski joined in the chaos, giving the ball away in his own half and opening the door wide open to Zirkzee once again.”
A large proportion of the Everton fans had seen enough and headed for the exit; who could blame them
Charlotte Duncker wrote in the Times: “If this is a work in progress Manchester United side then Ruben Amorin can start to look forward to what his team are capable of once they are fully adapted to his methods after their convincing win against Everton. For the opening third United looked like they didn’t know what was being asked of them or where they needed to be and if Everton had more quality in the final third they would have been ahead as they threatened on the counter attack.
“Beto wasted a glorious opportunity when Abdoulaye Doucoure pulled it back for him only for the 26-year-old to nearly hit the corner flag with his effort before Dwight McNeil played him in again with a lovely through ball but Matthijs de Ligt blocked his angled effort.
“But after United took the lead in the 34th minute things started to click into place for the hosts. It was a cleverly worked set piece routine from Bruno Fernandes who played the ball to the edge of the area for the onrushing Marcus Rashford whose first-time finish was deflected off Jarrad Branthwaite past Jordan Pickford.
“United had two bids rejected for the Everton centre-half in the summer and based on his performance they will be grateful they never reached an agreement. If he was unlucky for the first he wasn’t for the second. Amad Diallo was rewarded for his constant pressing and tenacity as he robbed Branthwaite of the ball, played it to Fernandes who squared to Joshua Zirkzee for a tap-in for his second goal of the season.
“If Sean Dyche had been hoping for an early reaction in the second half from his struggling side then he was rudely mistaken. Only 20 seconds after the restart and Pickford was picking the ball out of his net. Zirkzee was involved again as he held up the ball in the middle of the pitch and played it out to Diallo. The winger, who is thriving in this new system, found Rashford who beat Vitalli Mykolenko and finished past Pickford at his near post. Amorim, who had barely celebrated the first two goals, even managed a smile as the pieces of his plan started to click together.
“And they weren’t done. Diallo pressed James Tarkowski to win the ball, ran into the box and squared to Zirkzee for his second of the game.
“A large proportion of the Everton fans had seen enough and headed for the exit; who could blame them. Even when United were struggling to get to grips with their new system in the first half they didn’t do enough to punish their mistakes and went on to gift them goal after goal.
“Dyche turned to his bench making a triple change, but it was too little too late and with a tough run of fixtures coming up over the festive period they risk getting dragged into the relegation fight if they don’t start improving soon.”
United would never have envisaged Branthwaite having such an impact for them
Mike McGrath wrote in the Daily Telegraph: “Marcus Rashford’s future was questioned when he jetted to America during Ruben Amorim’s first days in charge at Manchester United. Yet in his first matches under the new head coach, with three goals in two games, Rashford looks in it for the long haul.
“More than a few eyebrows were raised when Rashford used his days off to watch the New York Knicks basketball team, with time to spare in the international break having failed to earn an England recall. Even Amorim suggested rules allowing players to fly thousands of miles during days off needed looking at.
“But Rashford has returned from his trip to the US with form not seen since his stunning campaign, two seasons ago, when he hit the 30-goal mark as he chased a new contract. There are signs of a return to that type of goalscoring now Amorim is at Old Trafford and players are scrapping for their futures in his new system.
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“Rashford scored against Ipswich in Amorim’s first match in charge and edged United in front by volleying from the edge of the area direct from Bruno Fernandes’s cross, although it was helped by a wicked deflection courtesy of Jarrad Branthwaite.
“Branthwaite was the subject of a rejected £50million bid in the summer and United, after moving on to Matthijs de Ligt as a target, would never have envisaged the England centre-back having such an impact for them. He lost the ball that led to Zirkzee scoring his first goal.
“Everton had kicked off the second half but conceded within 20 seconds after Jordan Pickford’s punt forward came straight back to them. Amad Diallo slipped through Rashford, who netted between the England goalkeeper’s legs.
“Zirkzee had not scored since the opening day of the season but got his second of the day when he finished coolly past Pickford when United broke, having been defending a corner a few seconds earlier.”
Branthwaite twice the patsy as Everton were bogged down in the middle third
Jamie Jackson wrote in the Guardian: “Amorim, Ruben Amorim, nananananananaaa,” the jubilant Manchester United fans chorused after the impressive Joshua Zirkzee’s second goal. Sung to the melody of KC and the Sunshine Band’s Give It Up, this was the last thing the new manager’s players did: fail to go after any apparent lost cause in case gold could be mined.
“It was how Zirkzee struck United’s fourth. From deep in his area, the substitute Luke Shaw headed out. The ball came to Amad Diallo, who rolled it along the right wing into space.
“Over thundered Marcus Rashford, who failed to connect but, when the ball was passed back to James Tarkowski, there was Diallo harrying. Everton’s captain dawdled, the right wing‑back pilfered possession, sprinted ahead, squared left to United’s centre-forward and he rammed home.
“Everton were bogged down in the middle third as red shirts would crowd around, nick the ball and launch another raid. This was the pattern when Bruno Fernandes received on the left and struck a pass with the outside of his right boot. In ran Rashford whose attempted chip of an onrushing Pickford failed.
ABSOLUTE MESS: Joe Thomas’ video verdict “Matthijs de Ligt also failed in an attempt at stopping the pacy Beto as he latched on to Dwight McNeil’s threaded pass. So the centre-back continued on, made himself a nuisance as Beto tried to round André Onana, and United escaped.
“Everton did not when Fernandes swung in a corner. A training ground routine, the ball was floated to Rashford, whose half‑volley appeared to be goalward before Jarrad Branthwaite stuck out a leg and deflected it past Pickford.
“Zirkzee’s second goal for the club was a product of what might be named the ‘Amorim press’– Branthwaite, again, the patsy. This time he hesitated, Diallo rushed him, nabbed the ball, Fernandes took over and, entering Everton’s area, fed Zirkzee: the 6ft 4in striker surged forward to smash in a left-footed finish.
“The same urgency was evident in United’s third that came after the second-half kick-off. The ball was played to Pickford, who hoofed upfield and Amorim’s men took over. Zirkzee collected and swivelled and passed to Diallo who rushed forward and fed the overlapping Rashford: an instant hit beat Pickford and that was his first double in United colours since February 2023.”
Frustration is starting to give way to anger but more than anything this is a fanbase overcome with exhaustion
And the ECHO’s Joe Thomas wrote: “On the final whistle Sean Dyche turned to the away end, lifted his hands above his head and clapped. His applause was greeted by a sea of empty red seats. Everton’s loyal away following had long abandoned hope at Old Trafford.
“Most had already left midway through the second half after watching a dismal collapse that added fuel to the fears their side is heading into another fight for survival. The early departures were a poignant act. Frustration is starting to give way to anger but more than anything this is a fanbase overcome with exhaustion.
“The message from inside Everton since The Friedkin Group agreed a deal to buy the club from Farhad Moshiri is that stability is prized above anything else while paperwork, contracts and regulatory hurdles are completed.
“That is a stance that is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain after another chastening day for a club that is limping towards the new era that is so close yet, somehow, feels a long way off.
“Dyche was keen to point to his side having lost just once in eight Premier League games heading into this match. It was a run that masked worrying signs, however, from the two wins in 13 fixtures to the failures in front of goal – the Blues have not scored since October and their run is set to become harder, not easier. The cracks are becoming harder to paper over.
“If Everton cannot score goals then they cannot afford to lose their stubbornness at the back, or the resilience that has been key to the team’s best times under Dyche, who has led the club through adversity against the odds before. On Sunday afternoon, it lost both.”
