Ian Darke: Everton torn apart in Premier League clash v Manchester United
Everton were “torn apart” during a passage of play in their Premier League clash against Manchester United, according to BT Sport commentator Ian Darke.
The Toffees were under the cosh after Anthony’s equaliser for the Red Devils and faced a number of shots on their goal in quick succession.
Christian Eriksen’s 20th-minute shot was saved by Jordan Pickford before Anthony also had a shot blocked.
Not long after in the 22nd minute Anthony Martial had two shots denied by Amadou Onana and Jordan Pickford. Darke didn’t hold back in his assessment of proceedings.
“Everton are being torn apart here, that’s twice in two minutes,” said the BT Sport commentator [19:22, 9 October].
Must improve
United looked good in the first half and the Toffees can count themselves quite lucky to have gone in only one goal down at the interval. It was a shock to see Everton give away so many clear-cut chances, particularly after being so solid and resolute during the early part of the season.
It could well be a combination of Manchester United playing quite well on the night and Everton potentially having a slightly below-par evening. Nonetheless, the Toffees’ backline has been imperious this season and there shouldn’t be any knee-jerk reactions.
It’s crucial that Frank Lampard restores confidence in his backline after conceding and shows faith in the philosophy that has worked well for him in the early part of the 2022/23 season.
The Toffees do now face a trickier run of fixtures with Tottenham and Newcastle to come in their next two matches. If Everton want to challenge in and around the top half this season then picking up the odd point against these sides is a must.