Everton manager David Moyes singled out Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes for praise after a thrilling 2-2 draw at Goodison Park.
United looked destined for another disappointing defeat as Everton raced to a two-goal lead. Beto capitalized on United’s poor defending to net his fifth goal in five games, and Abdoulaye Doucoure doubled the advantage with a well-placed header.
However, Fernandes sparked a comeback in the 72nd minute with a stunning free-kick, shifting momentum in United’s favor. Ten minutes later, Manuel Ugarte found the equalizer, setting up a frantic finish.
Both teams had late chances to snatch victory, but the biggest controversy came in stoppage time when Everton were initially awarded a penalty.
Referee Andrew Madley pointed to the spot after Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt appeared to drag Ashley Young down. Yet, after a VAR review, the decision was overturned much to the frustration of the Everton players and fans.
Speaking to TNT Sports, Moyes admitted he was surprised by the VAR intervention but was pleased with his team’s overall performance.
“I’ve seen the replay, and there’s no doubt Ashley’s jersey was pulled,” Moyes said. “The on-field decision looked correct, so I was surprised it went to VAR. But once it does, you rarely get the decision your way. We won’t complain too much, but it didn’t go in our favor.”
Despite dropping points from a winning position, Moyes was quick to credit Fernandes for changing the game.
“In the second half, Bruno played really well,” he said. “He dropped deeper, got on the ball more, and we found that hard to deal with. His goal gave United momentum.
We had chances to make it 3-0, and that might have been enough, but United are a quality side. A draw isn’t the worst result, but it’s disappointing after being 2-0 up.”
Everton have climbed to 12th place under Moyes, surpassing Manchester United in the table, but the manager insists their survival is not yet secured.
“We still need more points,” he added. “Our recent results have been great, and today was another solid performance, but we have to keep pushing.”
With the season heating up, Everton will look to continue their strong form, while United must find consistency to salvage their campaign.