Niall McVeigh 

Everton 1-1 Manchester United: Premier League – as it happened

Bruno Fernandes equalised for United after an early David de Gea error but there was controversy in injury time as Everton had a winner ruled out
  
  

Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti is sent to the stands by referee Chris Kavanagh.
Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti is sent to the stands by referee Chris Kavanagh. Photograph: Carl Recine/Action Images via Reuters

Right I think that’s about your lot. I’ll leave you with Andy Hunter’s report – but stay tuned for more reaction on our site. Thanks for joining me. It was fun. Cheerio!

Here’s Carlo Ancelotti: “I spoke with the referee, I’d like to keep that private. It was borderline, Gylfi was offside but we don’t think he interfered with the goalkeeper’s vision.

“He was on the floor, so De Gea’s vision was clear. But, it was offside. Everyone knows the referee’s decision is very difficult.”

Ancelotti says he doesn’t know if he will appeal. As it stands, he’ll miss Everton’s trip to his former club, Chelsea.

“Sigurdsson is almost directly between Calvert-Lewin and De Gea when Calvert-Lewin shoots, and before it deflected off Maguire,” says Graeme Thorn.

Entirely true, and that’s the reason it was ruled out. I think the goal being disallowed is fair enough; I don’t know if there would be outrage if it hadn’t been given.

My improptu poll below has it 60-40 in favour of giving the goal. Which shows how tough a call it was – but I’m still surprised VAR felt confident enough to overturn it.

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Ancelotti is apparently in the referee’s room, discussing the decision. Oh to be a fly on the wall, etc.

Here’s Nick Ames’ report from Tottenham, where Wolves flexed their Champions League muscles.

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Still waiting to see if Ancelotti is going to make an appearance, or whether he’s still lost in a cloud of steam in the home dressing room.

Here’s Ole Gunnar Solskjær: “First half, we were excellent after a very strange start. David was too slow there, he knows that.

“Second half, they threw everything at us. We had that late chance, but we’re pleased with the point. Fantastic save at the end there, [and] he’s said he got distracted by the boy in front of him there.”

Here’s Andy Hunter’s first take from Goodison. That last four minutes will have been rough on the press box:

In the studio, Souness and Keane say the goal shouldn’t have counted, and don’t miss an opportunity to lambast Sigurdsson for not putting the first chance away.

On De Gea’s save, Keane says “that’s his job”. Souness on Pickford: “He’s the England goalkeeper!” Keane follows up with: “Keepers train for that every day.”

The hardest working man in sports broadcasting, David Jones, eventually forces some praise out of them.

Here’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who says that goal should have stood: “Gylfi moves his legs out the way, the keeper’s never gonna save it ... he’s not in his line of sight”.

The official verdict from VAR is that Sigurdsson was in De Gea’s line of sight. Anyway, I’ll throw it over to you, readers:

VAR? Huh! What is it good for? Overturning late winners that probably shouldn’t have stood, in this case.

That goal was the type that would have been flagged before, an incorrect decision costing United a deserved point – and it would have been particularly harsh on Maguire, who was otherwise brilliant. I’m still a bit confused as to how interfering with play – an extremely subjective call – was so quickly overturned.

FT: Tottenham 2-3 Wolves What a result for Wolves, who fought back from 1-0 and 2-1 down to leapfrog Spurs and go sixth.

Carlo Ancelotti gets a red card!

Ancelotti is livid, and remonstrates at length with Chris Kavanagh, who shows him a red card! That’ll be a touchline ban for Carlo.

Carlo Ancelotti is shown a red card by referee Chris Kavanagh.
Carlo Ancelotti is shown a red card by referee Chris Kavanagh. Photograph: Carl Recine/Action Images via Reuters

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Full time! Everton 1-1 Man Utd

One more Everton corner after that drama, but Richarlison heads over. And with that, the boos ring out around Goodison.

NO GOAL! Everton 1-1 Man Utd

The replays show that Sigurdsson didn’t touch the ball, but lifted his legs to let it roll in. He’s a mile offside, and interfering with play – even if I’m not sure a wrong-footed De Gea would have stopped it anyway.

Have Everton just won it?! What utter, utter scenes. Richarlison finds himself in space, and lays the ball back to Sigurdsson, four yards out ... but now De Gea turns it away with his boot! Narrative.

But it’s turned back in by Calvert-Lewin, hits Maguire’s heel, trickles past Sigurdsson on the deck – and in! The place erupts, but this is going to a VAR check, post-haste ...

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90 mins: Pickford saves Everton! United come again, and Mata plays in Fernandes. He gets a looping shot away under pressure and Pickford gets a glove to it. It’s dropping right into Ighalo’s path though – but somehow, Pickford springs across goal and gets a boot to it!

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89 mins: At the other end, Sigurdsson gives away a cheap corner, but Mata’s low effort is risible, and Sidibe clears.

88 mins: Sidibe’s tired-looking cross is cleared by Maguire. From Everton’s 800th corner of the second half ... Maguire heads clear.

87 mins: Richarlison shimmies past Wan Bissaka and Fred down the left, but his cut back is turned behind by Lindelöf. The Swede also meets the corner, but the whistle goes for a push, by Davies on De Gea.

85 mins: Everton corner, and you guess which slab-shaped head gets to the ball first. Fernandes may get man of the match but Maguire has been fantastic. Two contrasting performances, in fairness.

83 mins: Another promising Everton free kick as Fred fouls Davies close to the byline. Maguire heads it clear again!

82 mins: Moise Kean is on for the final stages, replacing Andre Gomes, who has come through an 80-minute workout unscathed. Carlo’s going for the win!

81 mins: Sidibe has been booked for coming back on without the referee’s permission. He can’t quite get the hang of the whole “getting on the field” thing, can he?

80 mins: Fernandes finds space on the edge of the area, but his low shot lacks power and Pickford gathers.

79 mins: Carragher said Baines was lucky not to have scored an own goal there which seemed a) harsh and b) a bit rich, coming from him.

Team news is in from Wembley, where Phil Foden starts for City. Kevin De Bruyne is on the bench. Join Simon Burnton here:

77 mins: United break at speed, Fernandes absolutely roasting Gomes for pace, then firing a low cross towards Ighalo – but Baines gets back to cut it out! Superb work, stopping what looked a certain goal.

76 mins: Another Everton corner, this time taken by Baines from De Gea’s left – and it’s the best delivery so far, dipping right in front of goal, where Maguire thrusts a knee at it to clear.

Tottenham 2-3 Wolves: Raúl Jiménez has put Wolves ahead! As it stands, they’ll be going level on points with United ...

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72 mins: Two changes for United; Odion Ighalo and Juan Mata are on, Greenwood and McTominay off.

71 mins: Sigurdsson’s free kick is slammed into the United wall. Perhaps it’s for the best: Fred didn’t handle the ball, so we’d all have to talk about VAR again.

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70 mins: Maguire wins a couple of big headers to clear the danger, but Everton get a free kick right in the Sigurdsson zone from a Fred handball. He’s booked, then gives the referee a nudge, and Maguire has to make another timely intervention, dragging the midfielder away.

69 mins: Calvert-Lewin canters onto a Davies through-ball, but is shepherded wide by Maguire. He gets a low shot away, which De Gea saves with his feet.

68 mins: Halfway through the second half, and this game is very much up for grabs.

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66 mins: A couple of corners from Sigurdsson, but he can’t find that killer delivery.

64 mins: So much of Everton’s attacking play has involved the two strikers making a nuisance of themselves on the edge of the box. Here, Richarlison turns smartly but his shot is charged down by Maguire ...

63 mins: Another Everton corner, as Matic continues an efficient afternoon by cutting out Baines’ cross. It’s cleared but the hosts come again, until Gomes’ aimless through ball rolls behind.

62 mins: Walcott, who’s been largely peripheral, is replaced by Bernard.

61 mins: Fernandes plays the corner short, takes it back, dances past two defenders and has a shot hurriedly closed down by Tom Davies. This guy is absolute box office.

60 mins: More magic from Fernandes, a clever dummy playing in Greenwood, who finds Martial to his left. His shot is closed down, deflecting behind for a corner.

59 mins: Lindelof gets the better of Calvert-Lewin this time, holding the striker off smartly.

Tottenham 2-2 Wolves: Diogo Jota has got Wolves level again against Spurs, turning in Doherty’s cross.

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56 mins: Everton hit the post! It’s Sigurdsson who takes it, from a fair way out wide – but he goes for goal, and curls a terrific effort onto the near post! De Gea wasn’t getting there – I reckon an inch to the right, and that’s pinging in.

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55 mins: Calvert-Lewin gets some change from the United defence, a quick switch of direction outfoxing Lindelof, who brings him down. Dangerous free kick ...

53 mins: It’s been a bit of a slow, scrappy start to the second half.

51 mins: Fernandes tries to set Martial free down the left with the outside of his boot, but Sidibe gets back to clear, and the corner is dealt with.

50 mins: United look to break from an Everton corner, but Fred’s pass is mishit and the hosts scurry back. Gomes draws a foul to give them some breathing space.

As many, many people are pointing out on Twitter, it’s been a very good afternoon for Manchester United and England’s Dean Henderson so far.

47 mins: Scott McTominay wins a foul after muscling past Gylfi Sigurdsson. Bruno Fernandes lifts it towards Harry Maguire but he’s in “double coverage”, to borrow an NFL expression.

Peep!

We’re back under way. We’ve had goalkeeping errors, big-money signings impressing, and a few dodgy tackles. A solid 8 on the Barclays-o-meter so far.

“With Bruno in the team, all the United players seem more confident in possession and in their movements off the ball. Plus he’s absolute mustard isn’t he?” writes Duncan Edwards, who was always going to a United fan.

Tottenham 2-1 Wolves: It won’t be level at the break in the other top-flight game. Serge Aurier’s stunner has put Spurs back in front!

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Half time! Everton 1-1 Manchester United

After a nightmare start, United were much the better side, and were good value for their equaliser – even if it came after more iffy goalkeeping. Things then turned scrappy and spiky, with both teams in need of the break to clear their heads.

46 mins: Oof! This is Everton’s best chance since the first five minutes. Baines whips in a tempting outswinger from near the corner flag and Richarlison flings himself at it – but just can’t connect with the header!

44 mins: Maguire goes in the book for a foul on Calvert-Lewin. Four yellow cards in the last five minutes.

“That was a lovely goal by Bruno. He has single-handedly saved Ole’s job,” says Mary Waltz. I don’t know about single-handed – players like Fred have improved immensely, too – but he’s been quite the January signing.

42 mins: Davies does go in the book now, for a ragged tackle on Matic. He got a let-off, and he wasted it.

40 mins: Things are getting a bit spicy all of a sudden, with Calvert-Lewin upending Shaw, and Tom Davies then getting involved. It’s all threatening to boil over, with Ancelotti and Duncan Ferguson (!) trying to drag Davies away. Calvert-Lewin is booked, and Shaw gets a yellow for his reaction.

39 mins: Everton fans are unhappy as United fail to return possession from the throw-in. Richarlison is still on but moving awkwardly – and now takes another knock from Maguire ...

37 mins: It’s the second time Richarlison has spent time on the deck in this half, and he’s looking fragile. He goes down again soon after play restarts, and may have to come off ...

Tottenham 1-1 Wolves: A leveller at Spurs too, as Matt Doherty gets Wolves on terms.

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35 mins: Richarlison is down after a stray boot from Fred catches him on the knee.

Fernandes collected Matic’s short pass in midfield, was given time and space 20 yards out, and fired a low, swerving shot towards the near post. It was certainly moving, but Pickford will be disappointed. He gets down to it, but the ball zips under his arm and in!

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GOAL! Everton 1-1 Manchester United (Fernandes 31')

Bruno Fernandes strikes again, and United are deservedly level!

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30 mins: United win a corner, which Fernandes whips in. Holgate’s looping header has Pickford back tracking, before Maguire is penalised for a foul ...

28 mins: Gareth Southgate is here, principally to keep tabs on Jordan Pickford. Surely Calvert-Lewin has earned a shot with England, particularly given their injuries up front?

27 mins: Seamus Coleman is going off, having taken a knock to his ankle. Djibril Sidibe has his socks on, and comes on to replace him at right-back.

25 mins: Calvert-Lewin finds Richarlison on the edge of the area, and he controls well before sending it left to Sigurdsson. It’s a touch overhit though, and the move fizzles out.

24 mins: Free kick wide left for Everton, with Baines and Sigurdsson over it. It’s the latter who whips it in, and it drops into an awkward area for United, but it’s scrambled clear before Calvert-Lewin can react.

22 mins: Fernandes with a cheeky nutmeg for the YouTube compilation, then a low cross that only troubles the side netting.

20 mins: More attacking intent from United, Fernandes linking things up nicely before Shaw’s curious cross-shot goes nowhere. 62% possession so far.

“As a Everton fan I will take the goal as credit even though it was due to De Gea’s brain cramp,” says Mary Waltz. Hey, they all count.

18 mins: Gomes gets the better of compatriot Bruno Fernandes, shrugging him off and proceeding into the box, where his shot is blocked. An Everton fan screams “second ball!!” loud enough for everyone in the ground to hear.

17 mins: Fred is making useful inroads on the left of that diamond; his cross is perfect for Mason Greenwood, who should probably have done better with a free header from 10 yards, which he puts over the bar.

Tottenham 1-0 Wolves: Over in North London, Steven Bergwijn has fired Spurs ahead, following up after Dele Alli’s effort was saved.

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14 mins: Everton haven’t been able to build on that early gift; they’re sitting deep and struggling to build attacks just now.

12 mins: United fans appeal for a penalty as Fred’s powerful shot is charged down by Richarlison, standing about six inches away. It struck his arm, but thankfully we’re not seeing those given these days.

11 mins: Although to be fair, they’ve responded really well – and Matic tests Pickford with another rocket from the edge of the box. He gets down well to turn it away.

Well, quite. There was absolutely zero danger when De Gea got the ball; they’ve basically given Everton a goal start ...

9 mins: Shaw gets upfield and picks out Martial with a pass to feet. The striker turns, but scuffs his shot well wide.

6 mins: United hit the bar! This game is being played at a fair old whip, with United getting forward at pace. Fred cuts in from the left and cuts back to Matic, whose effort from 20 yards crashes off the crossbar!

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5 mins: Calvert-Lewin almost adds a second! A long ball upfield puts him in behind, but De Gea begins making up for that error with a fine, low save to his left.

What was that about making a good start? United play the ball around at the back, and De Gea lines up a hoof downfield – but he takes too long, Calvert-Lewin closes him down – and the ricochet flies into the net!

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GOAL! Everton 1-0 Manchester United (Calvert-Lewin 3')

OH. MY. WORD. What a mistake from David de Gea!

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1 min: Everton charge forward and Richarlison is felled by a firm, but fair challenge from Lindelöf. He stays down for a moment or two, but is OK to carry on.

Peep!

Here we go!

The teams are in the tunnel, the sirens from “Z-Cars” warming things up outside. This could be a cracker; let’s hope for some more thrikers like these:

Souness and Keane, football’s own Statler and Waldorf, are at it again while talking about André Gomes: “takes too long on the ball”; “unbelievably slow”. “I like him,” Souey adds, somewhat unconvincingly.

Solskjær has had a quick pre-match chat with MUTV. He says Dan James is out as a “precaution” but should be back next week. “This is a tough place to play, if you don’t get off to a good start,” he adds.

There’s another 2pm kick-off in the Premier League today, with Spurs facing Wolves. Defeat for United here would allow the winner of that game to jump into fifth. Here’s a bit of team news, and I’ll do my best to keep you abreast of any goals there.

Tottenham: Gazzaniga; Aurier, Sanchez, Tanganga, Davies; Dier, Winks; Bergwijn, Alli, Lo Celso; Lucas Moura.
Subs: Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Vorm, Ndombele, Skipp, Fernandes, Parrott.

Wolves: Rui Patricio; Boly, Coady, Saiss; Doherty, Neves, Joao Moutinho, Ruben Vinagre; Traore, Jimenez, Jota.
Subs: Pedro Neto, Daniel Podence, Gibbs-White, Ruddy, Dendoncker, Kilman, Rasmussen.

It’s a Manchester United game, televised by Sky, so time for Graeme Souness to have a pop at Paul Pogba. “The cynic in me wonders if he’ll be back playing again when the Euros come around. We’ve seen him dancing at a wedding, shooting hoops ...”

Roy Keane is slightly more measured, instead suggesting United are no longer missing Pogba’s presence on the field. It would be fun to see him linking up with Fernandes though, surely.

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Only four of United’s starting XI started that 4-0 defeat at Goodison: David de Gea, Victor Lindelöf, Nemanja Matic and Fred. There are six Everton players in today’s line-up that started back in April: Pickford, Coleman, Keane, Sigurdsson, Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin.

So, Andre Gomes makes his first start since that awful ankle injury he suffered against Spurs. Carlo Ancelotti is ringing the changes from the 3-2 defeat at Arsenal, with Michael Keane, Séamus Coleman, Theo Walcott and Tom Davies also coming in.

For United, Anthony Martial is ruled fit enough to start the game, in what looks like a possible diamond formation, with Bruno Fernandes tucked in behind Martial and Mason Greenwood. Interesting ...

Team news

Everton: Pickford; Coleman, Keane, Holgate, Baines; Walcott, Gomes, Davies, Sigurdsson; Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison.
Subs: Delph, Mina, Iwobi, Sidibe, Bernard, Kean, Virginia.

Manchester United: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw; Matic, McTominay, Fred, Bruno Fernandes; Greenwood, Martial.
Subs: Bailly, Mata, Lingard, Pereira, Romero, Ighalo, Williams.

Referee: Chris Kavanagh (Lancashire)

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Preamble

Goodison Park used to hold happy memories for Ole Gunnar Solskjær. As a Manchester United player, he won five matches here, scoring a couple of goals to boot. Just look at this slice of vintage Barclays from 1997. Lovely stuff.

That all changed last April when United got thrashed 4-0 here, a rare highlight in Marco Silva’s deeply underwhelming tenure. “That performance is difficult to describe because it was so bad,” Solskjær said afterwards. Our own Andy Hunter came up with a few suggestions: shambles, humiliation, pathetic, spineless.

It’s been a long road back, but United now finally appear to have upward momentum. They’re unbeaten in seven since losing to Burnley last month, and have signed a potential superstar in Bruno Fernandes. Win today, and they’ll be a point behind Chelsea.

The trouble is, Everton have got better too. Under Carlo Ancelotti’s steady hand, they are rebuilding the identity that became so muddled under Ronald Koeman, Sam Allardyce and Silva. A home win would put Everton two points behind United, a raised eyebrow firmly in Ole’s rear-view mirror.

Kick-off is at 2pm (GMT). Team news and buildup to come.

 

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