Manchester United concluded their U.S. preseason tour on a high note by drawing Everton 2-2 on Sunday, a result that sealed their position atop the Premier League Summer Series with seven points from three matches.
United, under the helm of Ruben Amorim, had earlier defeated West Ham 2-1 and Bournemouth 4-1 in the round-robin exhibition tournament hosted across various U.S. cities. The final match in Atlanta saw Bruno Fernandes shine once again, both as a scorer and a creator.
Fernandes opened the scoring in the 19th minute after winning and converting a penalty drawn by Amad Diallo, who was fouled in the box by Everton defender James Tarkowski.
“It’s improving,” Fernandes said about the state of the team. “I think the club is doing the best that they can. We needed more competition for the players that were here. We needed more quality to get everyone to step up a little bit more… I think that’s what the club is trying to do, the manager, and hopefully we can get one or two players more to help with that.”
Everton responded with an equalizer just before halftime as Senegal’s Idrissa Gana Gueye set up Iliman Ndiaye, who finished neatly to make it 1-1.
Ten minutes into the second half, substitute Mason Mount restored United’s lead by curling a precise shot past Everton keeper Jordan Pickford, assisted by Fernandes again. But Everton drew level once more in the 75th minute when an attempted clearance by Diallo deflected off Ayden Heaven into United’s own net.
Fernandes, who has long been vocal about his desire for improvement at the club, reiterated his vision for a cultural revival.
“It’s every detail. Every small thing matters,” he said. “At this football club, you can’t do anything wrong on the pitch and off the pitch because it’s too big worldwide. The culture of this club was winning. It was there. And we need to bring back that.”
okay.ng reports that United endured a disastrous 2024/25 league season, finishing 15th—their lowest placement since their relegation in the 1973–74 season.
Meanwhile, West Ham United managed a 2-0 victory over Bournemouth in an earlier match. El Hadji Malick Diouf was the architect of both goals, providing assists for Niclas Fullkrug and Jarrod Bowen.
Bowen praised the Senegalese fullback’s immediate impact: “Both goals are down to him, the quality that he’s got, you can see that. He’s humble. He’s a brilliant guy for the group and he’s obviously a brilliant footballer as well.”
