Pundit tells way Man Utd players were 'pathetic' in Everton draw

Alan Shearer has slammed Manchester United’s "hopeless" and "pathetic" performance against Everton, singling out Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes for particularly harsh criticism.

United were woeful in the first half at Goodison Park on Saturday, conceding twice within 33 minutes after a series of defensive lapses.

Ruben Amorim’s side looked disjointed and passive, with Shearer left stunned by their lack of intensity when pressing the opposition.

Although United salvaged a draw with second-half goals from Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte, Shearer was scathing in his assessment, accusing Dalot of showing no urgency in closing down Everton players and calling out Fernandes for his lackluster defensive efforts.

"Watch Man United, this is pathetic, it really is," Shearer said on Match of the Day. "You’ve got players who are walking. There’s no point pressing in ones and twos—look at the space Everton have to play in. Look at [Jack] Harrison, look at [James] Garner.

"Both of them want the ball, and if they get it, Dalot is eight yards off. Why aren’t you one yard off and putting in a crunching tackle? Then Garner runs at will, completely unchallenged.

"All of a sudden, they’re through your backline. Again, the ball goes from left to right—two touches, three touches, pick your head up, pick a pass—because it's just too easy. No one is working."

Shearer was even more critical of United’s defensive approach in Everton’s second goal.

"I’m not sure they even know what they’re doing in there. Look at the effort—or lack of it. Everton’s second goal was the worst of the lot.

"Watch Bruno Fernandes when Doucoure gets the ball. Seriously, is that the best you can do to close him down? For 72 minutes, Manchester United were hopeless. Some of these players look completely lost when it comes to what the manager wants and needs."

Amorim himself didn’t hold back in his post-match assessment, admitting United were non-existent for much of the game.

"We managed to recover in the second half, but we didn’t exist in the first," Amorim said. "The feeling is disappointment. Not with the point, not with the recovery, but we need to play both halves properly if we want to compete, because right now, we need to win."