ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE : Manchester United went winless for the third straight Premier League game, against Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday.
For 72 minutes, United were totally outclassed at Goodison Park and well on their way to a 13th Premier League defeat of the season. With no shots on goal and 2-0 down as the minutes ticked over, they were almost dead and buried.
Football always has the capacity to surprise and Bruno Fernandes' superb free kick sparked the unlikeliest of comebacks from Ruben Amorim's side as Manuel Ugarte struck an equalizer with only their second shot on goal.
Both teams then threatened to find a winner -- and United had VAR to thank for overturning a late penalty given for a shirt pull on Ashley Young -- before the spoils were shared in a breathless 2-2 draw.
Ahead of the match, Amorim conceded that Everton boss David Moyes -- who spent 10 months in charge at Old Trafford following Sir Alex Ferguson's departure in 2013 -- had done a "better job" of reversing his team's fortunes after joining the club midseason.
Before Saturday, United had won just four of their 14 league games under Amorim, who replaced Erik ten Hag at the helm back in November.
Moyes, meanwhile, has excelled in his second spell at Goodison (having previously managed the club for more than a decade between 2002 and '13), winning four of his first six games in charge following Sean Dyche's dismissal last month.
And, for well over an hour on Saturday, Moyes looked set to bolster that impressive record further with another victory against United.
From the outset on Merseyside, it was clear to see which was the in-form team, with blue shirts quickly swarming the United players as they tried to play out from the back.
Everton were rewarded for their dynamic start when Beto drilled the ball past goalkeeper André Onana inside 19 minutes after United spurned a number of opportunities to clear their lines from a corner.
It was a fifth goal in four games for the once-maligned Beto, who had managed just four goals in 44 appearances before Moyes' arrival.
His transformation from also-ran to one of the Premier League's most prolific finishers is just one example of how Everton, to a man, have stood up to be counted in times of adversity.
United, by contrast, have wilted under the pressure of the past few months. They looked set to continue that trend when Everton doubled their advantage through Abdoulaye Doucouré, who outjumped Harry Maguire to nod the ball home after Onana had made a decent save from Jack Harrison.
It was more of the same after the break, and Everton came close to making it 3-0 when Doucoure's fine half-volley was tipped to safety by Onana. Surely there was no way back from one of the club's worst performances of the season.
Fernandes' desire, though, helped drag United back into the game late on. The club captain set an example for his teammates in the middle of the park and, after bending an excellent strike past the rooted Jordan Pickford, he began to pull the strings in an increasingly edgy contest as United drove forward.
When defensive midfielder Manuel Ugarte equalised with a stunning drive from the edge of the area 10 minutes from time, it was hard to argue that it hadn't been coming. United even looked like they could go on and win it, with substitute Alejandro Garnacho causing plenty of problems for the tiring Everton defence.
But the football gods decreed that it was the hosts who nearly had the final say, as referee Andrew Madley awarded a stoppage-time penalty for a perceived foul by Harry Maguire on Young as Onana pushed the ball out. After a VAR intervention, however, Madley was sent to the pitchside monitor and reversed his decision, with Moyes describing the call to deny his team a spot-kick as "surprising."
With United still languishing in 15th place -- just 13 points clear of the relegation zone, a point against Everton hardly constitutes a transformational result for the 20-time league champions.
The club must end their winless league run when they host Ipswich Town on Wednesday evening.
In a different Fixture, Chelsea's lackluster performance continued as the Blues faced Aston Villa at the Villa Park.
Chelsea took the lead with Pedro Neto, who shined in the first half, setting up Enzo Fernandez to open the scoring with just nine minutes on the clock just after Trevoh Chalobah was forced off early-on with injury.
Marcus Rashford, a Manchester United loanee, was introduced at half-time and provided both assists for Asensio’s brace as Unai Emery’s men secured all three points in a thrilling encounter in the Midlands.
Paris-Saint Germain loanee Asensio levelled things up for Villa just before the hour mark with the goal initially ruled out for offside before VAR overturned it.
Asensio popped up again right at the death after a howler from Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen to mark Chelsea’s third defeat in a row across all competitions as the pressure continues to grow on Enzo Maresca.
Elsewhere, Arsenal fell to a West Ham side who executed the perfect snatch-and-grab in what could be a title-ending blow for the gunners.
Jarrod Bowen struck against Arsenal again, finishing off a counter-attacking move heading past David Raya after an Aaron Wan-Bissaka cross.
Makeshift striker Mikel Merino was unable to repeat the impact of his decisive double at Leicester last weekend, with Bowen instead pouncing on the counter-attack to head in Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s cross in front of a stunned Emirates crowd.
Arsenal were blunt ahead the break and they faced an uphill task to avoid defeat when Myles Lewis-Skelly was sent off for denying a goalscoring opportunity. The left back dragged Mohammed Kudus down on the halfway line as the forward was through on goal.
It means Arsenal missed the opportunity to cut Liverpool’s lead in the title race, and the Reds remain eight points clear ahead of their trip to Manchester City today.
Arsenal visit Nottingham Forest in midweek, with Liverpool hosting Newcastle.
Full-time : EPL Results.
Aston Villa 2 - 1 Chelsea
Everton 2 - 2 Manchester United
Arsenal 0 - 1 West Ham United
Bournemouth 0 - 1 Wolves
Fulham 0 - 2 Crystal Palace
Ipswich 1 - 4 Tottenham
Southampton 0 - 4 Brighton
