By STEVE DOUGLAS
Manchester United rallied from two goals down before benefitting from a last-gasp video-review call to draw 2-2 at Everton in the Premier League on Saturday.
Uruguay midfielder Manuel Ugarte grabbed the 80th-minute equalizer for United with his first goal at club level in four years, eight minutes after Bruno Fernandes started the visitors’ fightback at Goodison Park by curling in a free kick.
United had been on course to slip to a third straight loss — and ninth defeat in 15 league matches since Ruben Amorim took charge in November — after first-half goals by Beto and Abdoulaye Doucoure for resurgent Everton.
There was a late scare for United when Everton was awarded a penalty for what appeared to be a foul by Harry Maguire on Ashley Young, who fell to the ground dramatically under pressure from Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt in the third minute of stoppage time.
Following a video review, on-field referee Andrew Madley was advised to view the incident again on the pitchside monitor and he changed his initial decision.
“I think it was a soft penalty, it was clear,” Amorim said.
Everton faded halfway through the second half and United took advantage, though the comeback doesn’t mask the big problems facing Amorim as he looks to get the fallen English giant up the standings from its current embarrassing position of 15th place.
“We need to survive this season and then we can think ahead,” Amorim said.
Everton extended its unbeaten run under David Moyes, a former United manager who returned for a second spell at Goodison Park last month, to six league games.
Ugarte’s last club goal was for Portuguese team Famalicao in February 2021 so he was an unlikely scorer for United, which produced another largely inept display.
Beto drove in a shot that went into the ground and up into the net to put Everton ahead in the 19th minute after Doucoure headed the ball back into the area.
Doucoure then scored himself 14 minutes later, beating Maguire to a header from close range after United goalkeeper Andre Onana could only parry a shot from Jack Harrison high into the air.
Fernandes curled a free kick into the bottom corner in the 72nd to give United hope and Ugarte completed the fightback.
Second-place Arsenal hosts West Ham later in one of six other games and can trim the gap to Liverpool to five points with a win.
___
Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer