An overview of how the national media reported on Everton's 1-0 win at Manchester United
David Moyes celebrates following victory in the Premier League match between Manchester United and Everton. Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images
David Moyes celebrates following victory in the Premier League match between Manchester United and Everton. Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images
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Everton’s stunning win at Manchester United came in a turbulent match that left reports on the game bursting with drama. The national media predictably focused on the startling scenes that ended with Idrissa Gueye being sent off for raising his hands to Michael Keane.
But they typically concluded by praising David Moyes’ side for overcoming that setback to deliver a telling blow at Old Trafford.
Richard Jolly provided the best line on the night with this poignant introduction in the Independent: “A slap in the face from Idrissa Gueye became a kick in the teeth for Ruben Amorim. The stinging blow was not the one that brought perhaps the season’s strangest sending off.
“Not as Manchester United’s unbeaten run came to an abrupt, abject end. If ignominy seemed to belong to Everton when Gueye was shown the red card, theirs was a defiant glory. The team that fought each other beat the team that had no fight.”
In the Times, Paul Hirst pointed to a valiant Blues rearguard action led by the defender at the centre of the earlier chaos. He wrote: “Everton defended heroically to record their first win at Old Trafford since 2013 when Moyes was in the home dugout.
“The Scot punched the air on the sound of the final whistle while booing was heard from the home fans who had watched their team flop to a defeat that ended their five-match unbeaten run in the most deflating circumstances.
“Keane, it must be said, regained his composure after the incident and put on a lion-hearted display while (Jordan) Pickford also impressed.”
Jason Burt honed in on that pair and others as the praise for Everton’s resilience continued in the Telegraph: “It was not just their former manager who came back to haunt United. Defender Michael Keane – who had been struck by Gueye – was a colossus at the back and James Garner was relentless in midfield. Both were on United’s books.
“Goalscorer Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was also outstanding as was goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and Jack Grealish who showed another side of his game as he worked incredibly hard to fight for the ball.
“But then every Everton player did - and those five are all English and with Thomas Tuchel in the directors’ box.”
In the Guardian, Jamie Jackson described the red card incident as “bedlam” and was scathing of the hosts’ inability to overcome the Blues, asking: “If you cannot beat an opponent reduced in numbers for so long – or at least, not lose – then how can any pretensions of being contenders be taken seriously?”
On the BBC, Simon Stone labelled the night one of “glory” for Blues boss Moyes, concluding: “Ten-man Everton held on for a rare and quite amazing Old Trafford victory… Everton's joyous fans did not care about [the red card] as they 'sang the blues' long after the players had left the scene of battle. In every sense, this was an 'I was there' night'.”
And in the ECHO, the focus was on those incredible celebrations on the final whistle: "There is no doubting this win was a seismic one in a monumental season of transition at Everton.
“The hugs among those of his players still on the pitch when the final whistle came highlighted the significance of this win to his players. The way Moyes and his staff embraced tightly on the touchline revealed just how much it meant to them.
"And in the stands, well, the number of away supporters who stayed late into the night to make their voices heard was the most poignant symbol of progress at a club that has yearned for better days for too long. They feel one step closer after that.”