Rúben Amorim says Manchester United deserved their Everton defeat, criticising his team’s poor display despite a man advantage

Manchester United manager Rúben Amorim on Tuesday in Manchester delivered a stark verdict on his side’s lacklustre display, insisting that Manchester United “deserved to lose” their Premier League match against Everton despite playing with a numerical advantage for more than 70 minutes.

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Speaking to BBC Sport after the defeat at Old Trafford, Amorim said Everton outperformed United in every department, even after Idrissa Gueye was sent off for slapping teammate Michael Keane in the 13th minute.

Everton went on to win 1-0 through a superb strike by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

Amorim said the level of performance fell far short of expectations for a club of United’s stature.

He acknowledged that the dismissal should have provided a decisive turning point but instead revealed deeper shortcomings in the team’s readiness and mentality.

“They were the better team. We deserved to lose,” Amorim said. “Twenty minutes in the game, red card for the opponent. We need to win this game no matter what.”

He added that the atmosphere at Old Trafford had offered a powerful opportunity for progress, yet the players failed to respond.

“Old Trafford was there saying ‘we are all here to give a big step up’ and I felt that we were not ready,” he said.

The manager highlighted that praise over recent weeks had masked persistent gaps in performance.

He described the last month as a reminder that Manchester United remain far from the standards expected at the club, despite a significant £250m summer outlay aimed at revitalising the squad after finishing 15th the previous season.

Manchester United now sit 10th in the Premier League table, part of a tightly packed group that includes Tottenham, Everton and Liverpool, and remain only three points off the top four.