‘Ashley Young held back from De Ligt after full time of Everton v Man United’
Everton full-back Ashley Young was spotted being blocked from confronting Man United defender Mathijs De Ligt following the 2-2 draw between the two sides at Goodison Park.
David Moyes’ side produced an excellent performance in the first-half of that match on Saturday (22 February) to lead 2-0 at the break thanks to goals from Beto and Abdoulaye Doucoure.
However, Man United delivered a remarkable fightback of their own late on to pull the scoreline back to 2-2 through Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte.
That was enough to ensure both sides would settle for a point in that match, although Everton were denied a late chance to claim a dramatic win over Ruben Amorim’s side.
Everton denied stoppage time penalty in Man United draw
In the second minute of stoppage time in that game, a strike from Doucoure was parried back into the centre of the penalty area by Man United ‘keeper Andre Onana.
Young, who had earlier in the match come on as a substitute, looked as though he would be first to reach the loose ball, only to go down under pressure from De Ligt and Harry Maguire
Initially referee Andy Madely had pointed to the spot to award Everton a penalty that would have given them the chance to win the game.
But after being advised by VAR to conduct an on-field review of the incident, that decision was overturned, seemingly leaving Young furious after the game.
Liverpool Echo reporter Tony Scott posted a clip on X of the Everton man on the touchline as he headed off the pitch, turning to face back towards the pitch where he appeared to be expressing his anger at De Ligt.
A number of other players and officials from Man United, Young’s former club, seemingly appeared to step between the pair, in an attempt to calm the situation down.
Ashley Young has cause for frustration over penalty decision
Football Insider Verdict
You can understand why Young is so frustrated by the fact that the penalty awarded to him and his side was overturned here.
There seemed to be clear contact on the Everton man from both De Ligt and Maguire, that impeded his efforts to get to the ball.
| Everton in Premier League sinde David Moyes’ return | Result |
| Aston Villa (H) | Lost 1-0 |
| Tottenham (H) | Won 3-2 |
| Brighton (A) | Won 1-0 |
| Leicester (H) | Won 4-0 |
| Liverpool (H) | Drew 2-2 |
| Crystal Palace (A) | Won 2-1 |
| Man United (H) | Drew 2-2 |
As a result, he should surely have been awarded a penalty which would undoubtedly have left the Toffees with a huge chance to win the game with so little time remaining.
That would of course have seen Everton continue their excellent run since Moyes’ return, and allowed them to move even further clear of the relegation zone.
With that in mind it is not a huge shock to see Young aggravated by the penalty overturn, especially with the player he may believe should have been penalised over what happened.