Ruben offers view on penalty decision

Referee Andy Madley pointed to the spot in injury time, as Ashley Young fell under pressure from Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt, seemingly giving the Blues the chance to score a winner after United’s fightback from two goals down.

But the Video Assistant Referee intervened, directing Madley to the pitchside screen, where he viewed the incident again and opted to go back on his call.

Amorim didn’t get the best view of the ‘foul’ but, in his post-match press conference, which starts with his view on a difficult first half for the Reds, he was clear that the right decision had been made in the end…

Ruben, good afternoon. Could I just ask you for your reaction to that game, because at half-time you looked out of it?
“We just played one half and we managed to draw the game. We didn’t exist in the first half. Everything we did during the week… I think the free man was there, I think the space was there, I think there were balls we cannot lose. And then in the second half, and at half-time I think I said: ‘No matter the result, we are going to do what we did during the week but with a little bit more energy.’ I think you saw that it was not different in the positioning, it was different in the quality that we played the game.”

Were you worried that it took until half-time to get to that situation?
“I’m not worried about that. Every game has a history, so in that moment I just focused on trying to help my players. Now I’m going to be worried when I try to see the games and trying to prepare the next game. At half-time, you just focus on trying to help the team.”

What did you think of the penalty shout at the end?
“I think from what I saw… I didn’t see it quite well but it was a little bit [of a] soft touch and we are in England. So you guys enjoy a lot the physicality of the game, I think. But I think it was clear to overturn it.”

Did you fear the worst though Ruben when it was given? Did you fear it was going to be a penalty and not overturned?
“In that moment you just try to imagine if it’s a penalty then let’s go for the second ball but in that moment I’m just focused on trying to understand what is going to happen. Of course, after the recovery if it was a penalty it was tough on us.”

How do you explain what happened in the first half and what do you say in that moment to try and generate a response?
“I see what the players saw, they know, and what people see. We lost a lot of balls without any pressure. We have free men, sometimes we don’t respect the positioning and then we talk about anyone who watched a little bit of Everton in this spell know that they will be really good at second balls, and the two goals are from second balls. They are fighting and that’s why you get disappointed. We didn’t play first half but then it’s a good thing… let’s not just focus on the negatives… it’s a good thing in the second half… we are playing the same positioning and it's more energy, more quality and that makes the difference.”

Did you feel Bruno really turned the game round on his own and did you see any signs a comeback was coming before the first goal?
“Of course, I felt in the second half the way we started the game we were different. We won second balls, we pushed the opponent. We don’t let Beto control the ball alone. These small things I felt before. And then Bruno scored a free-kick and then we were the better team.”

Garnacho was the only change from the team last week and he looked quite disappointed when he came into the stadium. Is he almost a victim of his own success as a substitute, in that he can affect games coming on? It felt maybe a bit harsh he was benched when he’s the highest-scoring forward?
“There are some games that are different and we want different things in the same position, so that’s all. Garnacho will be ready for the next game and it’s a good thing to be disappointed. Like I’ve said, we have a lot of games and in modern football you don’t have a starting XI. It’s really hard, especially now. We have a squad that we have to rotate the players, so I imagine the game and then I imagine the characteristics of the players, to try to win the game. Today I thought the game in a different way to have Garnacho on the bench to change something.”

Do you think your players are sometimes better when they feel like they have to be, when all hope is lost and it just feels like one last effort? Given you’ve worked on it all week and they don’t seem to respond in the first half…
“You see the first plays, we lose some passes and some plays and lose the ball and you have transitions against us. When we are alone, in these small things it takes confidence to play us. In the second half we started the game in a different way, controlling the play, pushing the opponent and then the team feels a little bit more confident. Maybe it’s because they have nothing to lose, I don’t know, but we need to perform in a better way, especially in the first half.”

There’s been a lot of talk about Manchester United and the redevelopment of Old Trafford. This is the last time Manchester United will come to Goodison Park. Alex Ferguson says this was the hardest Premier League ground to come to, what are your thoughts on the stadium and the atmosphere?
“I think it’s amazing, the fans of Everton are amazing. They are in a good moment and I think it’s well-deserved that David Moyes is the coach that is going to start in the next stadium. I think that’s really good. For me, in this moment, every stadium is difficult, especially ours with our fans supporting all the time, so my goal is just to win the next game to give some happiness to our fans because they deserve it all.”