Rio Ferdinand expressed surprise that Everton were not awarded a late penalty in their 2-2 draw with Manchester United, contradicting Ruben Amorim's assessment that the decision was a 'soft touch'. The TNT Sports pundit believed Harry Maguire's challenge on Ashley Young was enough to concede a spot-kick, and he expected VAR to uphold the initial call.
Ferdinand described United's overall performance as 'embarrassing', questioning the team's fight and desire. 'I don't know if I've seen a United team this bad,' he said. 'It's been embarrassing in all facets of the game.' He added that while goals changed the game, the side must start matches on the front foot rather than relying on second-half comebacks.
In contrast, former Everton winger Theo Walcott sided with the referee's decision to overturn the penalty, arguing that Young's fall did not match the nature of the challenge. 'Naturally you don't fall that way,' Walcott noted.
United recovered from two goals down through Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte, but Ferdinand warned such a pattern is unsustainable. Despite the fightback, he remained critical of the overall performance and called for improvement.
