Our Everton jury have returned to have their say on the defeat to Manchester United and the upcoming Premier League game against Newcastle United
Jordan Pickford addresses the officials following Everton's defeat to Manchester United
Jordan Pickford addresses the officials following Everton's defeat to Manchester United(Image: (Peter Byrne/PA Wire))
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Everton’s poor home form continued on Monday night when they were beaten by Manchester United. Benjamin Sesko was United's super-sub for the second match running, as the Slovenian scored the only goal of the game midway through the second-half.
Monday’s defeat means Everton have now won just four of their 14 Premier League games at Hill Dickinson Stadium. And they haven’t tasted victory at home since they beat Nottingham Forest 3-0 at the start of December.
And with Monday's game and this weekend’s clash against Newcastle United in mind, our Everton jury have returned to have their say.
Mark McParlan
It’s torturous to write about Everton at the moment. It’s the same old boring story. We generally played OK and probably deserved a draw but lost at home, again.
Manchester United weren’t very good but still beat us because we are so slow and ponderous. If we aren’t scoring goals, or looking like scoring goals, then this will keep happening.
The lineup and formation were just bizarre – why has David Moyes randomly decided that Harrison Armstrong is a winger now? He’s good enough to play for us in midfield, but putting him on the wing for 70 minutes against United is just insane. He isn’t going to beat a man with pace and whip a cross in – he isn’t that player.
I cannot believe Moyes has now decided to replicate the centre-back-at-full-back experiment on the left as well. I despair at Vitalii Mykolenko, but he is undeniably a left-back.
Putting Jarrad Branthwaite there so that we can accommodate Michael Keane just doesn’t make sense. Going forward we’ve got to be seeing at least one of Branthwaite or Jake O’Brien at centre-back every time, not at full-back.
Jarrad Branthwaite heads the ball during the match between Everton and Manchester United at Hill Dickinson Stadium on February 23, 2026
Jarrad Branthwaite heads the ball during the match between Everton and Manchester United at Hill Dickinson Stadium on February 23, 2026(Image: Tony McArdle/Everton FC Official Photography Library/SmartFrame)
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The Gueye-Tim axis made it to almost eighty minutes – why? We have so many alternative options that there should be more rotation in-game. Merlin Rohl could have come on.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall or Harrison Armstrong could have dropped back into the ‘8’. Garner could have moved to midfield if Nathan Patterson came on. Only using two substitutions is just crazy – we have options now.
Monday wasn’t a terrible team performance, but this relentless home misery is just adding up now. We’re not a rubbish team, but now we’ve lost five (including Sunderland) and drawn two out of the last seven at home. It’s so frustrating and depressing. Such an open Premier League season, and we’ve thrown it away with our home results. It’s so hard to take.
And we still have to face Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea at home. If we don’t beat Newcastle or Burnley, then for the first time since his return, I might question whether Moyes is definitely the right man after the summer. That is something I hoped to never write and hope I don’t have to again.
James Kellett
Everton’s defeat against Manchester United was not a miserable game for the Blues, but one that has left some puzzled.
The game, on the whole, was cagey, and one could argue neither side deserved the win, but the visitors managed to create the only clear-cut chance of the game and, to their credit, sealed it clinically.
In recent matches at Hill Dickinson Stadium, whenever the Toffees have fallen behind, they have struggled to rediscover any rhythm and shown few signs of a fightback.
But almost immediately after Benjamin Sesko scored the eventual winner, the hosts were straight back into United’s third and applying pressure on their opponents.
It was refreshing to see an Everton side not be fazed by a setback, but the night still left supporters confused due to the odd setup by David Moyes.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 23: David Moyes, Manager of Everton, gestures during the Premier League match between Everton and Manchester United at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on February 23, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
David Moyes gestures during the Premier League match between Everton and Manchester United at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on February 23, 2026(Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images)
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The starting XI was filled with players out of position, including James Garner at right back, Jarrad Branthwaite at left back, and Harrison Armstrong on the left wing.
Focusing on these three individuals, they are all talented young players who excel in their favoured positions, and it seems bizarre to not play them where they have impressed in recent seasons.
Although the three Englishmen were by no means the reason for Everton’s defeat against Manchester United, the use of established full-backs and wingers would surely make more sense than trying to experiment the way Moyes did.
The introduction of Tyrique George in the 73rd minute spotlighted why a winger should be playing on the wing, as opposed to shoehorning a central midfielder on the left.
Moyes has been criticised for his tactics this season, and while it is admirable to try something new, using multiple players out of their position is not something that supporters will want to see continue.
With football being football, there will be weeks where the Scotsman is forced into creating makeshift lineups with injuries and suspensions likely to crop up again, but fielding a slightly more orthodox lineup when concerning positions could hold the key for Everton to finish the season with a bang.
Paul McParlan
Heading to Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday, I was quite optimistic about our chances. Apart from Jack Grealish and Charly Alcaraz, there was a full squad to choose from, and with not having played for nearly two weeks, we should have been well-prepped for this game. With a European place tantalisingly close, surely, we could grab our first home win of 2026 here?
When I saw the teamsheet, my balloon of optimism was swiftly punctured. Jarrad Branthwaite, our most skilful centre half, was shunted out to the left-back role. James Garner, our midfield dynamo, is covering at right back again. Harrison Armstrong, a central midfielder playing left wing, and a midfield pairing of Idrissa Gana Gueye and Tim Iroegbunam, who are hardly renowned for their creative spark. Meanwhile, we had three wingers and three full-backs on the bench! How radical an idea is it to actually pick players in their best positions?
To the team’s credit, they fought well and limited their opponents to a few chances. But you just knew we had to score the first goal, and with Thierno Barry looking as threatening as Bambi upfront and our inability to find a quick, decisive pass or cross, this was looking less and less likely. While David Moyes hesitated over making changes, United brought on Benjamin Sesko, their big-money buy from RB Leipzig, and just over 10 minutes later, he scored with his first chance. The goal was superbly crafted with a brilliant long-range pass from Cunha which found Bryan Mbeumo on the edge of our area to set up Sesko to smash the ball home. Game over.
Belatedly, the manager introduced Tyrique George, who showed what we had missed by not playing a genuine winger, but by then it was too late. The game petered out with a succession of corners, all predictably delivered and dealt with by Lammens. The lack of invention here was depressing to behold. Was there no Plan B for corners?
Iliman Ndiaye holds back Bruno Fernandes ahead of an Everton corner against Manchester United
Iliman Ndiaye holds back Bruno Fernandes ahead of an Everton corner against Manchester United(Image: (Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images))
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Another chance to push for Europe wasted and no win in our last seven home matches. When we beat Nottingham Forest on December 6, who would have thought that almost three months later, we would still be waiting for our next home win?
Our record at Hill Dickinson Stadium is appalling. Four wins in the league is an insult to those fans who have parted with their hard-earned cash for season tickets. David Moyes has shown that he can grind out results away from home, and he deserves credit for that, but he has yet to demonstrate that he can deliver entertaining, winning football at our stadium.
Fitting square pegs into round holes did not work on Monday. This is the best squad we have assembled in years. The manager needs to utilise the options he has at his disposal, including substitutes, and find a way of winning home games and entertaining our fans. No wins at Hill Dickinson Stadium in 2026 is unacceptable. Enough is enough! Something has to change!