Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim said his side are “nowhere near” where they need to be after an “embarrassing” 1-0 home defeat to 10-man Everton.
Everton played with 10 men for more than 75 minutes following Idrissa Gueye’s red card for striking team-mate Michael Keane, yet United could not break down a side that had managed only one away win all season (against Wolves). It was the first time United have lost a Premier League home game after the opposition received a red card; United had previously won 36 of 46 such matches. The result also gave David Moyes his first win at Old Trafford as an opposing manager at the 18th attempt.
The loss marked a poor anniversary for Amorim, who has now been in charge for one year. “We are not there, not even near the point that we should be to fight for the best positions,” he said. “We have a lot to do. We have to be perfect to win games, we were not perfect today.
“When we see the results of the weekend, we should get onto the pitch with a different excitement. Old Trafford was there saying ‘we are all here for a big step up’. And we were not ready.
“These five weeks, everyone is praising our evolution. But I’m always saying the same things: we are nowhere near the moment we are meant to be in this club.”
Amorim admitted worry about slipping back to last season’s form, when United finished 15th with no trophies and missed European football. “I feel afraid of returning to this feeling of last season,” he said. “That is my biggest concern. We need to work together. The players are trying but we need to be better.”
Pundits were scathing. Gary Neville called United’s performance “an embarrassment” on his podcast, saying it “smelt of complacency” and was unacceptable from a club of United’s stature. He rejected injury excuses and praised Everton’s fight and spirit, noting the fans booed collectively at the final whistle. “You can lose football matches, but you can’t lose them like that. That’s nowhere near good enough,” he said.
Jamie Carragher also criticised Amorim’s tactics, questioning the decision to persist with a 3-4-2-1 setup and five defenders despite having a numerical advantage. “I don’t understand how you can stick with something so steadfastly in a situation like that,” Carragher said. “It’s one of those moments where I think a lot of people will really question the manager on the back of that defeat. They’ll look at the players, and we know the players should do better, but the manager will take a lot of the blame for tonight.”