Manchester United's Tactical Failure Exposed
Manchester United suffered a shocking 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford on Monday night against an Everton side that played with ten men for over 75 minutes. The loss ended the Red Devils' five-match unbeaten run in a performance that Wayne Rooney described as having a 'big problem' with their approach.
Everton's Red Card and United's Missed Opportunity
The match took a dramatic turn after just 13 minutes when Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye was shown a straight red card for slapping his own teammate, Michael Keane. Despite this enormous advantage, United failed to capitalise and fell behind to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's superb 29th-minute strike.
The home side dominated possession from that point forward, producing 25 shots throughout the game, but created remarkably few genuine scoring opportunities. United's persistent tactic of launching crosses into the box proved particularly ineffective against Everton's physically imposing defence.
Rooney and De Ligt Agree on Fundamental Flaw
Manchester United defender Matthijs de Ligt was quick to identify the tactical issue after the final whistle. 'It's always difficult against 10 men, they drop a little bit more,' the Dutch international noted. 'They have four guys who are two metres at the back, so crosses are going to be difficult.'
De Ligt emphasised that the team lacked the patience to play between the lines and opted for too many hopeful crosses rather than working the ball on the ground. Former United and Everton striker Wayne Rooney echoed this assessment during his analysis.
'I think, as De Ligt just said there, they forced too many balls, they were crossing the balls at times when they didn't need to cross it,' Rooney stated. 'If they'd stayed a bit more patient and pulled Everton out of position... that was a big problem for them tonight.'
Rooney also criticised manager Ruben Amorim's failure to adapt the system after Everton went down to ten men. The United legend suggested that replacing one of the three centre-backs with a creative midfielder in their natural position could have made the crucial difference.
Gary Neville's Scathing Assessment
Sky Sports commentator and former United defender Gary Neville was particularly unimpressed with the efforts of Luke Shaw and Leny Yoro when they attempted to step into midfield positions. 'Shaw is starting to move forward a little bit, but he's ambling forward, let's be clear,' Neville observed. 'He's been bugging me for the last 20 minutes.'
Neville added that Shaw 'shouldn't be playing there' and described the tactical adjustment as 'a waste of time' that wasn't convincing anyone watching the match.
A Step Backwards for United
The overwhelming sentiment from players and pundits alike was that this performance represented a significant regression for Manchester United. De Ligt captured the mood perfectly, stating: 'I think in all aspects today it felt like a step back.'
The Dutch defender expanded on this, noting deficiencies in 'the intensity, the focus, the way we were fighting for each other, suffering for each other' compared to their recent improved performances.
The result leaves Manchester United facing tough questions about their tactical flexibility and ability to break down organised defences, even when holding a significant numerical advantage.
