Everton fans demand David Moyes ends ‘bizarre’ experiment after Man United defeat: ‘It’s not the answer’
Everton fans have demanded that David Moyes stop playing Harrison Armstrong out on the wing after their 1-0 defeat to Man United on Monday.
The Toffees’ European hopes suffered a massive blow at the Hill Dickinson Stadium as the Red Devils continued their form with a narrow victory.
It was a tight game, and Everton had plenty of chances to take three points, but a lack of clear chances up top ultimately cost Moyes’ side.
Much of this was down to the lack of threat posed by Armstrong, with the youngster shoehorned onto the left wing against Man United.
Now, many fans have seen enough and have called on Moyes to end this experiment.
FT. Blues fight to the finish but it ends in defeat.
— Everton (@Everton) February 23, 2026
[0-1] #EVEMUN pic.twitter.com/xEpaOBPxKa
Everton fans do not want to see Harrison Armstrong on the wing again
Since Jack Grealish’s injury, Moyes has struggled to find someone to replace the Man City loanee on the wing.
In an attempt to find a solution, the Scotsman has recently been opting to play Armstrong in this position, despite him being a natural central midfielder.
However, against Man United, it quickly became clear that this did not work, with the 19-year-old being pulled off after 73 minutes.
As a result, many Everton fans have called on Moyes not to repeat this, fearing it could cost them further points.
Game was there to be won at halftime. Who dares wins, and Carrick dared before Moyes.
— Royal Blue Mersey (@RBMersey) February 23, 2026
Persisted with Armstrong out wide when the game was begging for a change at halftime. #EFC
Moyes got everything wrong tonight.
— Matt Maloney (@Matt_EFC) February 23, 2026
Use the fullbacks in the squad and create width. Play a winger over Armstrong who isn’t a left winger, never has been never will be.
Just play to your strengths and have a go. It’s so negative at home all the time.
Harrison Armstrong just isn’t the answer as a winger right now, for me.
— Tactically Matt (@TacticallyMatt) February 23, 2026
Hes a decent player but not a winger
— paulallan (@James35266700) February 23, 2026
Of course he isn’t the answer for a winger, as he isn’t a winger. His manager should already know this.
— Cyborgseadogger (@cyborgseadogger) February 23, 2026
He was never even an option either, Moyes show horned him into a position we have other options. Bizarre
— Mark Mul (@mark82mul) February 23, 2026
He never was and never will be, he’s a centre mid, David Moyes is the only person on the planet that would play him as a winger
— TopBalcToffee (@balc_top) February 23, 2026
How bad was Armstrong vs Man United?
While Armstrong wasn’t terrible against the Red Devils, it was clear that he struggled in his role on the wing.
According to Fotmob on 23 February, he only created one chance, had just one shot and failed to make a single cross.
On top of this, he did not complete one dribble, and he only saw 81 per cent of his passes reach an Everton player.
| Harrison Armstrong’s stats vs Man United | |
| Minutes | 73 |
| Chances created | 1 |
| Shots | 1 |
| Crosses completed | 0 |
| Dribbles completed | 0 |
| Passing completion rate | 81% |
With players such as Tyrique George on the bench, Moyes should instead look to the natural attacker to create chances instead of Armstrong.
European football is still very much achievable for Everton this season, but it simply won’t happen if they continue to try risky experiments that clearly won’t come off.
Going forward, if Moyes wants to play Armstrong, he has to look to give him minutes as a central midfielder, instead of potentially damaging his development in the winger role.
To read further analysis of Everton’s defeat, look to our expert team on Goodison News.