Old Trafford's Bitter Pill: United's 1-0 Stumble Against 10-Man Everton Fuels Internal Firestorm

The Theatre of Dreams morphed into a cauldron of recriminations on November 24, 2025, as Manchester United squandered a golden opportunity, falling 1-0 to a defiant Everton reduced to 10 men for 77 minutes in a Premier League clash that laid bare the fragility of Ruben Amorim's fledgling reign. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's opportunistic 20-yard strike handed David Moyes his first Old Trafford triumph as a visiting boss, but the real headlines brewed in the tunnel: Amorim's pointed plea for his players to "fight each other" like the Toffees, amid whispers of dressing-room discord that threaten to engulf a side already teetering in mid-table mediocrity.

Red Card Roulette: Gueye's Slap Turns Tide in Everton's Favor

The drama ignited in the 13th minute, a bizarre self-inflicted wound that gifted United numerical superiority yet somehow boomeranged into their undoing. Idrissa Gueye, Everton's midfield enforcer, clashed with his own center-back Michael Keane in the aftermath of a botched clearance on a Bruno Fernandes thunderbolt. What started as heated words escalated into slaps—Gueye's open hand connecting with Keane's cheek—prompting referee Michael Oliver to brandish a straight red. It was the first Premier League dismissal for intra-team fisticuffs since Stoke's Ricardo Fuller decked his captain in 2008, leaving Moyes' men a man light and United with 77 minutes to feast.

Everton, however, refused to fold. Moments later, from a United corner, Iliman Ndiaye sparked a lightning counter, feeding Dewsbury-Hall whose curling effort from distance kissed the post on its way past Andre Onana—a goal that silenced 75,000 at Old Trafford and etched Moyes' name into Goodison lore. United, for all their 74% possession and 18 shots, mustered just four on target, their siege reduced to futile headers from Joshua Zirkzee and a lasered Fernandes free-kick that sailed over. Jordan Pickford, Everton's wall between the sticks, clawed away a Zirkzee nod, but the visitors' resilience turned the script.

Amorim's Wake-Up Call: "I Hope They Fight Each Other"

Post-whistle, the inquest was savage. Ruben Amorim, marking a year since his Sporting Lisbon unveiling with this gut-punch, didn't mince words in his Sky Sports debrief: "I hope my players, when they lose the ball, fight each other. It is not a bad thing." The Portuguese's barb, laced with envy for Gueye's passion, cut deep—a veiled indictment of United's lethargy amid reports of training-ground spats and cliques fracturing the squad. "We are nowhere near the moment we are meant to be," he added, his voice heavy with the weight of four defeats in 12 league games, a regression from October's Manager of the Month glow.

Virgil van Dijk's absence through injury amplified the chaos, with Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire pairing a backline that leaked space like a sieve. Bruno Fernandes, the talisman, lashed out at midfield malaise: "We had everything and gave them nothing," he fumed to MUTV, his frustration boiling over in a half-time tunnel altercation with Kobbie Mainoo, per club insiders. Whispers of egos—Casemiro's sulks, Rashford's form slump—have simmered since Amorim's arrival, but this capitulation, echoing last season's Everton whitewash, has fanned them into flames.

Moyes' Mischief: "I Like My Players Fighting"

Across the divide, David Moyes savored poetic justice. Returning to the club he steered to the 2013 title flirtation, the Scot defended his brawlers with a grin: "I quite like it when players fight each other, when they get annoyed." Gueye's slap, he joked, stemmed from "passion," not petulance, and his troops' second-half steel—despite the numerical deficit—delivered a first Old Trafford win in 32 years. Dewsbury-Hall, the match-winner, embodied the grit: "We showed character when it mattered."

For Everton, it's a lifeline—eighth and breathing, three points clear of the drop zone. Moyes, whose side had mustered just one prior victory here since 1992, hailed the "resilience" that turned red-card roulette into redemption.

Mid-Table Mayhem: United's Slide and the Storm Ahead

The table mocks United's pretensions: 12th with 15 points from 12, four defeats already matching last season's tally, and a goal difference teetering on the brink. Amorim's "3-4-3" experiment, once lauded, now reeks of rigidity—seven points from the top four, but perilously close to the trapdoor. Pundit Gary Neville, no stranger to Old Trafford's glare, labeled it "not acceptable," sniffing "complacency" in a display that squandered superiority like confetti.

The in-fighting ripples beyond the pitch. Reports swirl of boardroom rifts—INEOS' Sir Jim Ratcliffe clashing with executive veep Omar Berrada over January transfers—and fan fury boiling into "Amorim Out" banners at the Stretford End. Rashford's bench exile, Garnacho's tantrums: the squad's soul-searching feels overdue.

Echoes of Eras Past: From Glory to Gloom

This wasn't mere misfortune; it was a microcosm of United's malaise—a team blessed with talent yet cursed by cohesion, echoing the post-Fergie fog. As Everton departed with spoils, Moyes quipped on the "fight" he craves, unwittingly highlighting United's void. Amorim's honeymoon, barely begun, now demands miracles: a Champions League redemption against Porto looms, but the real battle rages within.

In the Theatre's dimming lights, the ghosts of Cantona and Ronaldo stir uneasily. United's faithful deserve fire, not farce. Will Amorim ignite it, or watch the flames consume him? The dressing room's powder keg ticks louder than ever.