Everton
Moyes: United Have Drifted From Ferguson’s Values, Leaving Managers Little Time
David Moyes: United moved away from Sir Alex Ferguson’s values, leaving managers little time. widely
David Moyes has renewed criticism of Manchester United’s post‑Ferguson era, saying the club’s culture has changed and managers now receive far less patience. The former United manager, now preparing to face the Red Devils with former club Everton, argued that the values established under Sir Alex Ferguson have eroded and that the environment that once favoured long-term planning is gone.
“The history of Manchester United was not [one of change],” Moyes reflected, more than a decade after his appointment. “Manchester United had a great culture. They stuck with their managers, they brought through their own academy boys. They actually had some of the best characteristics of what you would want your club to have; good values.
“Sir Alex had great values at Manchester United and, over the years, those values he established needed some time to come through as well. It was always a club with brilliant values with an understanding about bringing their young players through and developing them in the right way.”
Moyes said the lack of time given to managers has been decisive. He recalled inheriting an ageing United squad after Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, with senior figures such as Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidić, Patrice Evra and Michael Carrick all over 30, Robin van Persie approaching 30 and Ryan Giggs near 40. The club also lost long-term stability at the executive level when David Gill planned to move on.
Recruitment difficulties compounded the challenge. Marouane Fellaini was the only new signing recorded in that window, arriving amid a missed release clause deadline, and moves that had been in motion before Ferguson left — including efforts involving Cristiano Ronaldo and interest in Gareth Bale, Cesc Fàbregas and Toni Kroos — did not come to fruition.
“I always thought when I took the job that it wouldn’t be able to be fixed quickly. I saw not long after I went in that it was going to take a bit of time,” Moyes said. He also noted the rising strength of rivals: “I think also you have to remember that it was not just to do with the strength of United. It was to do with the strength of other teams; Manchester City , Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal were all incredibly strong. They were all rebuilding and bringing in more all the time. I think those clubs played as big a part in it as anyone else, that their quality had risen or was rising all the time.”
Moyes has repeatedly argued that he was not afforded the time needed to rebuild. “I believe I had nothing but support from Sir Alex during my short period as manager,” he explained. “It was unfortunate I wasn’t given more time to succeed. It could well be that gone are the days of long-term planning at United.” He later added: “Do I feel I should have been given more time? Of course I do. To go to a club like Manchester United and follow someone like Sir Alex after the time he had been there, to stay for 10 months … ]
Aston Villa
Matchday 8: A Weekend of Rain, Errors and Narrow Margins Across the Premier League
Stormy conditions, missed chances and decisive errors shaped a Matchday 8 full of fine margins.
There was little sunshine to be found on Matchday 8, as Storm Boelo lashed English grounds with rain and wind. For all the bad weather, only one fixture finished goalless, and the round still produced a sharp series of swings in tone, quality and consequence.
Manchester United’s latest setback stood out for all the wrong reasons. Without Bruno Fernandes, they looked short of attacking life again, while Bournemouth made the most of what they created in a 3-0 win. Elsewhere, Tottenham Hotspur earned a notable victory at Stamford Bridge after Mike Penders handed them the opening goal, with Cole Palmer adding to Chelsea’s problems by picking up two unnecessary yellow cards.
Several matches were defined more by frustration than fluency. Fulham struggled to trouble Coventry, managing just two shots on target, while Crystal Palace surrendered control against Newcastle after leading the shot count at the break. Everton were pushed back by Arsenal and rarely threatened after falling behind early. Ipswich and Nottingham Forest finished level after a match in which neither side found much rhythm, even if the visitors were able to make more of the contest than their hosts.
Brentford’s draw away to newly promoted opposition drew a blunt response from Keith Andrews and Michael Kayode, who both said, “We have to be better.” Sunderland also shared the points in a contest shaped by the conditions, with Régis Le Bris pleased enough to say, “We were Sunderland today.” At the Stadium of Light, the wind played a major role in a game where both teams completed only 73% of their passes.
There were also decisive moments at Anfield and Villa Park. Liverpool saw Brighton’s recent momentum halted as early goals changed the shape of the match, while Villa took control through Nicolas Jackson’s sharp finishing and a commanding display from Zion Suzuki, who produced six saves and 12 line-breaking passes. In another tight contest, Hull and their opponents could not be separated, and Sergej Jakirović called it “a fair result.”
The weekend’s final judgement was not about one storyline alone, but about a league round where weather, missed chances and single moments repeatedly decided the outcome.
Arsenal
Villa’s Win Over City Triggers Another Opta Refresh
Villa beat City, Arsenal stay close, and Opta updates the title, Europe and relegation outlooks.
Aston Villa have delivered the Premier League’s first defeat of Manchester City this season, and they are also the first side to take points from them. Unai Emery’s team earned that landmark result at Villa Park, where City were below their best and paid for it. Gianluigi Donnarumma and Marc Guéhi were both singled out for especially poor showings, Nicolas Jackson struck on loan to make the difference, and Zion Suzuki contributed six saves across the 90 minutes.
City remain top of the current Premier League standings, but the performance offered the first domestic indication that they are not untouchable. Arsenal followed by matching them on points after beating Everton, leaving the title race level at the summit and Arsenal second only on goal difference.
That Arsenal victory came with Bukayo Saka unavailable and possibly out until Christmas. The Gunners were short of natural creativity, but they compensated by rediscovering the set-piece strength that served them so well last season.
With those results, and two others on Saturday, Opta’s supercomputer updated its predictions again.
The title model now has Arsenal first with 79.55 predicted points and a 53.82% chance of finishing champions. Manchester City are second on 76.11 points and 34.39%. Brighton remain the only other side above 5%, while Liverpool are at 3.29% and Chelsea at 1.42%.
The Champions League outlook keeps Arsenal and City well clear, with both above 90% to qualify. Brighton stand at 58.37%, Liverpool at 46.70%, Chelsea at 31.28% and Aston Villa at 21.66%. Brentford, Leeds and Everton are further back, and Manchester United’s five-match winless run has left them below 6%.
At the lower end, Tottenham have made a notable move in the right direction. Two wins in a row have cut their relegation chance to 14%, and the model now projects them to finish 13th. That is not especially strong, but it is a considerable improvement on consecutive 17th-place finishes in the last two seasons.
Arsenal
Arsenal grind past Everton to stay level at the top
Arsenal beat Everton 2-0 as Gabriel and White settled a flat but controlled home display.
Arsenal resumed Premier League duty with a 2-0 victory over Everton, a result that keeps them level with leaders Manchester City after City’s surprise defeat to Aston Villa earlier in the day.
It was not a smooth performance, and for long spells it felt like Arsenal were working harder than they were shining. Everton reacted well after falling behind and twice came close to levelling through Tyrique George and Thierno Barry, only for last-ditch defending to preserve the lead. At the other end, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze both had chances to justify their roles while Bukayo Saka’s new injury leaves a gap Arsenal still need to manage. James Tarkowski also stood firm in Everton’s defence, but Jordan Pickford was rarely forced into serious action.
The visitors should have been level before the interval. Ben White’s attempt to play the ball back to David Raya was intercepted by Barry, and the Arsenal goalkeeper had to produce a crucial save to avoid a costly error. After the break, Arsenal’s answer was control. With open-play creativity still limited, they leaned on possession to deny Everton any rhythm and eventually found a breakthrough.
Gabriel headed in White’s cross from close range after Arsenal worked the ball into position for a chance. The defender had looked in some discomfort earlier, but he stayed on and delivered the decisive moment. Everton still had one late opening, when Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall headed wide, but by then the match was drifting away from them.
Arsenal’s second goal came with more complexity, though the route to it still carried the logic of a set-piece situation. Declan Rice’s corner was only partially cleared, the ball was recycled, and White eventually clipped in a delivery that Gabriel met at the far post. It was Arsenal’s first set-piece goal of the season, and perhaps the clearest sign that when the game becomes stubborn, familiar methods still matter.
That was especially notable given how reliant Arsenal were from dead-ball situations last season, when they scored 35 times from set pieces across all competitions in 2025-26, 29% of their total output. Here, the margin for error was smaller, but the outcome was secure enough.
