Controversial VAR call helps Man United avoid another loss as Amorim says his team ‘didn’t exist’

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — A controversial, last-gasp VAR call might have spared Manchester United another loss in a Premier League game against Everton in which manager Ruben Amorim said his players “didn’t exist” in the first half.

United rallied from two goals down before benefitting from an overturned decision following a video review to draw 2-2 at Goodison Park on Saturday.

In the third minute of stoppage time, Everton was awarded a penalty by on-field referee Andrew Madley for a foul by Harry Maguire on Ashley Young, who fell to the ground dramatically under pressure from Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt.

The Video Assistant Referee advised Madley to view the incident again on the pitchside monitor, suggesting the referee might have made the wrong call, and Madley wound up changing his mind.

The final decision bemused Everton manager David Moyes, who couldn’t understand why Madley wasn’t shown a clear view of an apparent pull on Young’s shirt by De Ligt when he looked at the monitor.

When told the decision was reversed after reviewing the challenge by Maguire, Moyes said: “So did they look at the shirt pull? So they only mentioned the bit they needed to?

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“It looked to me as though the shirt pull was enough. ... You shouldn’t be getting away with pulling jerseys. ... I just thought the referee made the correct decision at the time and he should have stuck with it.”

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 Amorim took charge in November — after first-half goals by Beto and Abdoulaye Doucoure for resurgent Everton.

Speaking on British broadcaster TNT Sports shortly before Fernandes sparked the comeback, former United defender Rio Ferdinand described the team’s display as “embarrassing” and “unforgivable.”

Amorim said United’s players “just played one half and we managed to draw the game.”

“We didn’t exist in the first half,” he said. “I think the free man was there, I think the space was there, but I think we lost balls we cannot lose.”

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.

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