10-man Everton Claim 1-0 Victory at Old Trafford

Everton beat Manchester United at Old Trafford for the first time in 13 years courtesy of a goal from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Despite being a man down for over 75 minutes and having only 3 shots the entire match to United’s 23, the Toffees showed fight and determination to gain the lead in the 29th minute and maintain it till full time.

Joshua Zirkzee got a surprise start for United due to Mattheus Cunha’s absence in the squad. Behind him were Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo in Amorim’s 3421. David Moyes’ men meanwhile lined up in a 4231 with Thierno Barry up top, flanked by Jack Grealish on the left and Illiman Ndiaye on the right, Dewsbury-Hall was the attacking midfielder.

From minute 1, the match didn’t look like it’d turn into the highly unusual and dramatic occasion it became, culminating in a 1-0 victory for the visitors, who played most of the game with ten men.

The match began quietly, with Everton registering the first effort on goal as Iliman Ndiaye’s miscued strike comfortably cleared Senne Lammens’ crossbar. The calmness was short-lived, as Everton were immediately forced into an early change in the 10th minute due to injury, with Jake O’Brien replacing captain Seamus Coleman, who walked straight down the tunnel.

The turning point of the entire match arrived abruptly in the 13th minute. Everton’s Idrissa Gueye was sent off with a red card for violent conduct after he slapped his teammate Michael Keane in the face following an angry confrontation over a misplaced pass. This decision, which was checked and confirmed by VAR, meant Everton faced 77 minutes of play with only ten men. Amidst the chaos of the red card incident, Bruno Fernandes had a shot that went wide for Manchester United.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, it was Everton who stunned the home crowd by taking the lead in the 29th minute. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored a superb opening goal. Receiving the ball in space, he beat both Bruno Fernandes and Leny Yoro before bending a rocket strike high into the net past the United keeper, Lammens.

Manchester United attempted to hit back immediately, but wasted a great chance in the 33rd minute when Patrick Dorgu took a rash shot from a tight angle that spooned wide. As the half progressed, United continued to apply pressure, with Amad Diallo stinging Jordan Pickford’s palms with a right-footed effort.

Just before the break, Everton keeper Jordan Pickford made a great save, stretching well to tip away a powerful mid-range shot from Bruno Fernandes for a corner. United’s Bryan Mbeumo received a Yellow Card for a foul in midfield just before the halftime whistle.

Ruben Amorim made an immediate change at halftime, bringing on Mason Mount to replace Noussair Mazraoui, clearly seeking a way to break down Everton’s ten-man defence. However, the cards continued to come out, with United’s Casemiro being cautioned with a Yellow Card for a foul in midfield in the 49th minute.

Everton’s defensive resilience was highlighted in the 57th minute when Michael Keane, the player who was involved in the red card incident, made a massive, lunging slide tackle in the box to poke the ball away from Bryan Mbeumo, preventing a clear chance. The crowd’s fervent calls for a penalty were dismissed after VAR confirmed the no-penalty call.

In a bid to intensify the attack, Manchester United made two more substitutions in the 58th minute: Kobbie Mainoo replaced Casemiro, and Diogo Dalot replaced Patrick Dorgu. The attacking substitutions immediately created chances, with Mason Mount having a strike across goal that curled agonisingly beyond the far-right corner , and Bryan Mbeumo forcing Jordan Pickford into a diving save.

The search for an equalizer led to a Big Miss by Bruno Fernandes in the 80th minute. Following a raking pass from Matthijs de Ligt, Mount cut the ball back to Fernandes, whose outside-of-the-boot strike from near the six-yard box went over the bar.

Everton then made their own defensive-minded substitutions in the 81st minute, with Tim Iroegbunam replacing Thierno Barry and Beto replacing Iliman Ndiaye.

The match’s final dramatic moment arrived in the 88th minute. Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford produced arguably his best save of the evening, brilliantly clawing away Joshua Zirkzee’s goalbound header. Everton finished the game with further substitutions, as Dwight McNeil replaced Jack Grealish, and Carlos Alcaraz replaced goal-scorer Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

In the closing minutes, Matthijs de Ligt, playing up front as an auxiliary forward, could only roll a tame shot into Pickford’s grateful grasp. The match concluded in the 97th minute with the final score Manchester United 0-1 Everton. Everton clinched a historic victory, becoming the first visiting team to win at Old Trafford with 10 men in 47 Premier League games.