Everton’s impressive attacking resurgence under Moyes continues in crazy 2-2 draw with Man Utd
Since returning as Everton manager, David Moyes will ultimately manage 16 Premier League games. While this is a small sample size, his turnaround at Goodison Park should warrant nomination for Manager of the Season.
It’s noteworthy where both Everton and today’s guest, Manchester United, currently stand. Just a few months ago, it was unthinkable that people would favour the Merseyside club, especially when they were struggling for goals under Sean Dyche, ultimately leading to his exit and Moyes’s comeback.
FT: Everton 2-2 Man Utd
Manchester United come back from 2-0 down as the Toffees are denied a penalty in stoppage time. #EVEMUN pic.twitter.com/FuiRlsphEt
— Squawka Live (@Squawka_Live) February 22, 2025
Before kick-off, only one point separated Everton and United, who were positioned in 14th and 15th place, respectively. However, this ranking does not reflect the full story. Everton are on the rise, while United are in decline. A glance at the form table, before kick-off, shows that since Moyes’s first game back, Everton ranks third, just one point behind Arsenal and Liverpool, with four wins and one loss from five matches. In contrast, United sits in 14th place, with only two wins and three losses.
United also parted ways with the manager who started the 2024/25 season with them. Unlike Everton, they have yet to find their rhythm under Ruben Amorim, who had no answers as his team fell 2-0 behind, prior to staging a dramatic late comeback resulting in a 2-2 draw.
As mentioned, Everton struggled offensively under Dyche, ranking second to last in shot conversion rate, ahead of only Southampton (6.42) with a rate of 6.94. Since Moyes took over, only Manchester City (28) has achieved a better shot conversion rate than Everton (20.59). In terms of actual goals scored, they managed 15 goals before Moyes, with only Southampton scoring fewer at 12. Since re-taking charge, they are now on par with the league’s best, Liverpool and City, having recorded 14 goals.
Beto, once again leading Everton’s forward line, has undergone a remarkable transformation. Previously criticised, he opened the scoring by netting his fifth goal in his last four Premier League games—more than he achieved in his previous 44 appearances in the competition (one goal). He has now scored in each of his last four Premier League matches, making him the first Everton player to do so since Richarlison in March 2021. Additionally, he is the first to accomplish this for the Toffees under David Moyes since Mikel Arteta in April 2010.
Beto also became the fourth Everton player to score the opening goal in three consecutive Premier League matches, following in the footsteps of Francis Jeffers in September 2000, Nikica Jelavic in April 2012, and Richarlison in March 2021. His goal came from a corner, leading to the fact that United has conceded 11 goals from corners in the Premier League this season, the joint-most of any team alongside Wolves. Seven of those occurred during Amorim’s tenure.
Abdoulaye Doucouré quickly extended Everton’s lead, spotlighting United’s much-maligned goalkeeper André Onana, who remained stationary as Doucouré scored with a close-range header. Onana’s counterpart, Jordan Pickford was rarely tested during the first 45 minutes.
It highlights a concerning trend for United, as they have only scored one first-half goal in their last 11 Premier League matches. That solitary goal came from a Bruno Fernandes penalty against Brighton in January. This marks the longest stretch in the club’s history without scoring a non-penalty goal in the first half, surpassing the previous record of nine matches from February to May 2021.
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If anyone was going to bring United back into this game, it was Fernandes. His stunning second-half free-kick lifted the visitors’ spirits, making the final quarter-hour an enthralling affair. Eight minutes later, Manuel Ugarte, who previously worked under Amorim at Sporting CP, scored his second-ever goal in top-flight football, leaving the Goodison Park crowd in shock and the travelling United supporters ecstatic. This season, United scored 12 goals in the last 15 minutes of the second half, with only Bournemouth (17) and Fulham (13) netting more in the Premier League.
A late penalty drama occurred when former United winger-turned-full-back Ashley Young believed he had won a spot kick. However, on-field referee Andrew Madley overturned the decision after a review by VAR. As a result, the game ended with Everton feeling they had dropped two points, while United felt they had earned a point—something that seemed unlikely after the first 70 minutes of play.
“Goals change games,” stated United legend Rio Ferdinand during his post-match thoughts on TNT Sports.
“They cannot continue like this, they have got to start games like they mean it. The substitutions were big. Alejandro Garnacho changed things, Bruno Fernandes dropping deep, but there’s so many things to pick this performance apart. They were positive at the end and that’s where you’ve got to look.”
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