Everton 2-2 Manchester United: Late Penalty Overturned After Ashley Young Goes Down in the Box
Everton were denied a stoppage-time winner against Manchester United after the referee initially pointed to the spot when Ashley Young went down in the box, only for the penalty to be overturned following a review at Goodison Park.
Everton 2-2 Manchester United: Late Penalty Overturned After Ashley Young Goes Down in the Box
Everton were denied a stoppage-time winner against Manchester United after the referee initially pointed to the spot when Ashley Young went down in the box, only for the penalty to be overturned following a review at Goodison Park.
The 2-2 draw, in which Everton led 2-0 through Beto and Abdoulaye Doucoure before Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte dragged United level, leaves both sides with mixed feelings at the international break. The Athletic's Our League column characterised the club as "fracturing, splintering" — yet on the pitch, the Toffees twice came from behind to lead, and nearly grabbed all three points at the death.
Goodison Park, still restless amid the internal strain that has followed the recent change in ownership, had threatened an uncomfortable afternoon for the visitors. United were slow out of the blocks and disjointed in possession throughout the first half, with Everton pressing high and forcing hurried clearances. Beto opened the scoring midway through the opening period, finishing a low cross from the right to send the home support into raptures. Doucoure doubled the lead shortly afterwards, the Mali international capitalising on slack United defending to finish a sweeping move. The two-goal advantage held until midway through the second half and looked enough to see Everton home.
Fernandes, though, dragged United back into the contest with a trademark free-kick that left Jordan Pickford rooted, bending the ball over the wall and into the top corner. From there, United's urgency visibly increased, and Ugarte's strike from the edge of the box completed the comeback with twelve minutes to play. For ten minutes, Everton looked beaten — the pattern of recent seasons at Goodison repeating itself in microcosm.
The real theatre, however, was reserved for the closing seconds. With Goodison Park in full voice and Everton surging forward, Young went down in the area. The referee pointed to the spot. According to Sky Sports, the award was then overturned after a review, with replays suggesting Young had initiated the contact rather than being impeded. The decision sparked furious protests from the home support, who had been minutes from celebrating a famous victory.
For David Moyes, the result underscores a familiar tension at Everton: a squad that continues to compete on the pitch while the club's ownership questions remain unresolved. The Athletic characterised the club as "fracturing, splintering" — and the late drama, in which Everton were a video review away from three points, will only sharpen that diagnosis. Yet his side recovered from a 2-0 deficit to lead again, and the post-match debate will turn less on the result than on the late call that denied them a winner.
For United, the point offers a measure of resilience after another disjointed performance. Fernandes's set-piece quality remains a constant, and Ugarte's late strike suggests the Uruguayan is finding his feet. But Erik ten Hag will know that coming from behind twice to claim a draw at Goodison Park — historically one of the more hostile venues for visiting sides — is the bare minimum his team can expect, particularly with a fixture list that does not soften on the other side of the break. The question for ten Hag is whether the same fragility that allowed Everton to lead 2-0 will persist once the international break's rhythm of returning internationals disrupts his preferred XI.
Both managers have decisions to make when the international break ends. Moyes will weigh whether the late rally's near-miss gives his side a platform; ten Hag will assess a first hour in which his team were second-best to a side with less individual talent but greater collective purpose.