Manchester United were built up ahead of the Monday night showdown with Everton, and fell flat.
It was the loss Manchester United fans should have seen coming.
With a chance to move into the Champions League places up for grabs, Ruben Amorim’s men blew the big opportunity.
A 1-0 home loss to Everton was a humiliating loss, with the Toffees playing with 10 men for the majority of the game after a 13th minute red card.
There were not any winners in the Manchester United squad from a drab performance like that, except for those who were absent through injury.
Frustratingly, Manchester United’s captain did little to turn the tide.
Manchester United v Everton - Premier League
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Who was the most DISAPPOINTING Man Utd player vs Everton?
Bruno Fernandes talked up, and failed to deliver
In the Sky Sports studio ahead of the game, Bruno Fernandes‘ Portugal manager Roberto Martinez was the special guest.
More United News
Martinez, a former Everton boss, had high praise for Manchester United’s number eight, and boldly claimed that he could play in any team in the club’s history.
Martinez told Sky Sports: “He is the king of the assist, he can see players in front of him. If you use him as a No 6, he’s the decisive player. If you use him as a No 10, his goalscoring ratio increases a lot.
“He’s the first person who can play. There’s a Man Utd with Bruno and a different Man Utd without Bruno.
“He understands the game, so he can be used by the coach in different positions. Delays the attack when he needs to, play the hardest ball which is in front of the centre halves.
“He’s a player who could have played in any of the top Manchester United teams in their history.”
Gary Neville’s instant reaction to Man Utd defeat vs Everton
“For Manchester United, it’s an understatement to say that was a bad one.”
Gary Neville
We would politely argue that he is wrong, with Fernandes a rung below the truly elite stars in United’s history.
Everybody is allowed an off night, even the greats, but you would like to think that United’s best ever players would be able to break down a 10 man Everton side.
Fernandes struggled to get close, restricted to long range attempts from distance for the most part.
Have your say on Man Utd vs Everton in our TalkingPoints match feed
How would you rate Bruno Fernandes’ performance vs Everton from 1-10?
Let us know… is it time to end the Bruno Fernandes experiment in central midfield?!
Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Everton at Old Trafford in 2025 in Manchester, England.
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Bruno Fernandes was… not great
Idrissa Gueye’s sending off came seconds after Bruno Fernandes had flashed a shot wide of Jordan Pickford’s post.
Fernandes‘ miss was forgotten by the furore between the Everton players, with one sent off for slapping another.
The Manchester United midfielder wasted a great opportunity, failing to land his shot on target.
Fernandes went on to attempt four more shots, but only tested Jordan Pickford with one of them.
Roberto Martinez talked up Fernandes as the ‘king of the assist’, but he only created two chances against 10-man Everton.
After the big build-up, and a track record of success, are we wrong for expecting more from Fernandes?
United needed to get him in and around the box, just like he was when he scored his 100th goal for the club against Chelsea in September.
He has not scored a goal for United since.