Very little could compare with the magic of Goodison Park under the lights for a fixture against one of our fellow big clubs and, some time in the future, once the off-the-field gripes have been ironed out, Bramley-Moore Dock feels more like home, and Everton have a team worthy of the occasions, a night by the waterfront for a high-profile televised clash will surely stir the emotions in the same way.
Tonight was not that night, at least not by the end. Despite plenty of effort, running and graft, the Blues were found wanting in the final third and a David Moyes line-up that was seemingly designed to contain rejuvenated Manchester United ended up being picked off on the counter-attack in painfully ironic and familiar fashion while the manager’s first and belated attacking substitution was being prepared on the touchline.
In truth, Everton could still be playing now and it’s doubtful they would have scored. They pressed and harried United for most of the contest and tried to impose their will in the final third but lacked the guile, creativity and movement to open the visitors up. And when they had opportunities — 10 of them in all — to try and force home a goal from the more rudimentary route of a corner, Moyes’s men betrayed an embarrassing lack of imagination and variation.
The result was a sixth Premier League defeat at Hill Dickinson Stadium this season, one that ensures that the wait for the Blues’ sparkling new arena on the banks of the Royal Blue Mersey to experience its first great occasion and folklore-worthy victory since the opening day win over Brighton goes on. So, too, does the frustrating wait for a first home triumph of 2026.
Everton couldn’t have asked for more from their long-suffering supporters. Thanks to the stellar efforts of The 1878s, the team was welcomed onto the pitch by a sea of flags and banners in the South Stand and they were backed throughout by a raucous crowd that fed off the injustice of a catalogue of soft and uneven decisions from referee Darren England and his assistants and what was clear endeavour from the players.
The Toffees just weren’t able to reward the support coming from the stands with either a goal or a winner; instead, Benjamin Sesko stepped off the Red Devils’ bench to sweep the ball home at the end of a two-on-one counter-attack to settle the game in the 71st minute.
Despite Everton’s energy, the early signs were somewhat ominous after Thierno Barry had almost profited with less than 30 seconds gone when he charged down Senne Lammens’ clearance but the ball ricocheted away from goal.
On United’s first attack, Matheus Cunha was unfortunate to fire a goal-bound shot into his team-mate, Amad Diallo, and Jordan Pickford had to be at his best to get a hand to Bruno Fernandes’s follow-up effort before the prone James Tarkowski hooked the ball to safety.
Pickford was forced to push Diogo Dalot’s cross-cum-shot away from his goal shortly afterwards before the Portuguese full-back smashed a half-volley inches wide of the post and Bryan Mbeumo dragged an effort of his own past the same upright nine minutes before half-time.
Lammens was only called into action once in the first period when Idrissa Gueye was caught by Amad and James Garner tested the keeper with an accurate direct free-kick towards the top corner but overall the hosts created nothing by way of clear-cut chances before going in goalless at the interval.
The second half was more promising in the early going. Straight after the restart, a nice move involving Iliman Ndiaye and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall ended at the feet of Harrison Armstrong but the 19-year-old could only shoot straight the keeper from the edge of the box.
Mbeumo almost capitalised on Tarkowski’s inability to deal with an awkwardly-bouncing ball in his six yard box but, thankfully, the former Brentford man smashed his shot high over the bar before shots from Dewsbury-Hall and James Garner, deployed at right-back in place of the suspended Jake O’Brien while Jarrad Branthwaite played at left-back, were deflected behind for corners.
Despite the somewhat defensive and creatively-limited formation, Everton were enjoying their best spell of the match and had been readying Tyrique George to come on for a few minutes when United, having made their proactive change 13 minutes earlier, struck.
A cross from the right by Gueye was headed out to Sesko just outside his penalty area, Luke Shaw knocked his lay-off to Cunha who spotted Mbeumo racing towards the halfway line on the other side of the pitch. With Michael Keane caught on his heels, the Cameroon international galloped onto what was, admittedly, an excellent ball and into the the clear as Sesko did likewise, leaving Tarkowski labouring his wake, arriving in time to receive Mbeumo’s pass and bang it past Pickford from near the penalty spot.
To their credit, Everton battled manfully to find a way back into the game but despite a succession of corners, each one featuring the same ineffective strategy of packing the six-yard box full of bodies in an attempt to bundle something home from close range, they only came close to equalising through Keane.
The centre-half lined up a crisp left-footed shot from distance that Lammens had to palm over his bar while Gueye sliced horribly wide late on and George smacked a better strike too close to the goalie in stoppage time. Pickford, meanwhile, prevented United from doubling their lead with another counter-attack when he did superbly to foul Sesko.
The defeat leaves Everton clinging to ninth place in the table ahead of a trip to Newcastle at the weekend that will pit against each other two teams who are currently separated by a point. Similar circumstances to the Toffees’ last away win at Fulham earlier this month and if Europe is going to remain a realistic target, on the evidence of this evening Moyes is going to have to keep engineering wins away from Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Because who knows when the next home victory is going to come. You would think that a repeat of this kind of desire and intensity would be enough to overcome surely doomed Burnley early next month but there are no easy games in the current Premier League. A bit more adventure from the manager wouldn't go amiss...