“Embarrassing:” Gary Neville blames one culprit in particular for United’s frustrating home loss to Everton

Manchester United were back to their worst as they fell to a 1-0 loss to Everton at home. To make their defeat in front of the Old Trafford crowd all the more painful, Man United failed to make the most of their numerical advantage, with the visitors going down to ten men after just 13 minutes. But while there were many aspects of the game where the hosts could have been deemed to have fallen short of expectations, former United star Gary Neville has laid the blame squarely on one man’s shoulders. A bizarre tale This was one match where the score did not tell the full story. While unable to find the back of the net, it was United who were firmly in the driver’s seat for the majority of the match. The hosts got a colossal 25 shots on goal, compared to just three attempts for the visitors. Despite taking so few shots and retaining a mere 30% possession, the visitors overcame the odds to snatch an unlikely victory. Although many onlookers might be scratching their heads after such a defeat, Neville seems to know exactly what caused this monumental upset, according to his experience. The man to blame The former United skipper laid the blame squarely on the shoulders of manager Ruben Amorim. More specifically, he took issue with the gaffer’s insistence on using his 3-4-2-1 formation no matter the circumstance. “You have five at the back, why?” Neville said, taking note of United’s one-man advantage. “They still don’t win the first ball or second ball. Embarrassing.” Still, the formation wasn’t the only thing that bothered Neville. He also took issue with Amorim’s substitutes. “The subs have taken him down a cul-de-sac. There’s no agility or flexibility, firstly from the coach, but also the players,” he explained. Sadly, this seems to be a story that United fans have become all too familiar with. Hopefully, Amorim can learn from this defeat and use his newfound knowledge to turn the ship around, especially as he looks to convince the United fan base that he is the right man to take the club forward. Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Mathew Cohen A faithful Manchester United supporter, Mathew has worked as a football writer and analyst for SB Nation, FanSided, and now The Peoples Person. Mathew’s heroes include David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Sir Alex Ferguson, all of whom played their part in creating some special childhood memories.