Everton and Manchester United drew 1-1 at Goodison Park in the Premier League on Sunday in an enthralling game which concluded with late VAR scene and home manager Carlo Ancelotti sent off.
A superb 31st-minute strike from United midfielder Bruno Fernandes had replied to Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s early opener and the Everton striker thought he had grabbed the three points in stoppage time with a low shot that diverted Harry Maguire but his effort was ruled out by VAR.
Everton’s Gylfi Sigurdsson was lying on the floor, after having had his initial shot saved by David De Gea. After referee Chris Kavanagh had consulted with his linesman, VAR ruled out the goal for offside, given that Sigurdsson was in De Gea’s line of sight.
The judgment provoked Everton and their manager Carlo Ancelotti was handed a red card for his protests after the final whistle.
“It’s not the first time I have been sent off and it won’t be the last,” joked Ancelotti, who, having calmed down after the game, admitted it was a “difficult” decision for the referee.
That last-gasp drama came moments after Everton keeper Jordan Pickford had produced a magnificent double save to keep out an initial Fernandes effort and then, with his feet, one from backup Odion Ighalo.
United stay at 5th after Everton draw
A draw was a fair result however and leaves United in fifth place, three points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, while Everton is 11th.
A terrible trip from De Gea gifted Everton a third-minute opener — the Spaniard loafed on the ball after a pass-back from Maguire and his strived clearance was imposed down by Calvert-Lewin and flew off the Everton striker into the net.
Calvert-Lewin should have doubled the lead shortly afterwards when he broke free of the United defence but shot just wide of De Gea’s right-hand post.
United responded well to the early setback though with Nemanja Matic hitting the cross-bar with a long-range effort and then forcing Pickford into a diving save with another well-struck drive.
January signing Fernandes, the Portuguese midfielder who has brought some much-needed creativity to the United side, put the visitors level with a superb low shot from outside the box in the 31st minute.
Djibril Sidibe had given the ball away to Matic, who set up Fernandes for his pinpoint effort, although Pickford procured he had been “half a yard out of position”.
Sigurdsson hit the post with a curling free-kick 12 minutes after the interval and the home side were the more robust during the second half as United struggled to maintain their best first-half level of performance.
“One point each, is what both teams deserve, we had the first half and they had the second,” said United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, while Ancelotti also thumped a positive tone.
“We played well, I’m happy about this, we have to continue, no complaints, and we have to look forward. The performance was really good against a really good team and we were competitive all the time,” said the Italian.
