Bruno Fernandes lays down gauntlet for Man Utd teammates | OneFootball

Bruno Fernandes says Manchester United's players must demand more from themselves after dropping more points against Everton at Goodison Park.

Were it not for the Portuguese's exquisite free-kick, which left Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford flat-footed, United would likely have been condemned to a 13th Premier League defeat of the season after going into the half-time interval two goals down.

Fernandes' effort got United back into the match with 18 minutes remaining, and that was followed up a smartly taken goal from Manuel Ugarte, who volleyed home with his weaker left foot after Everton failed to clear their lines.

United were perhaps fortunate that a late VAR intervention overturned a late penalty awarded to the Toffees, but it's now full focus for Fernandes in improving performances – a rise in standards what the 30-year-old wants to see his teammates demand of themselves.

"I think in the second half, obviously you're 2-0 down, you have more freedom because you are already losing, so you have nothing to lose more," Fernandes said post-match. "I think you get more of a try to do something else, and that's why we get the result.

"Every point now is massive for us because we are in a position that is very tough for us. Every point counts for us at the moment. We need to be aware that the position we're in is not the best, it's not where the club needs to be.

"We need to demand more from ourselves."

Amorim: Man Utd didn't exist in first half

Ruben Amorim was left to rue United's slow start / Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/GettyImages

Fernandes was echoed by head coach Ruben Amorim, who is still looking to piece together a very complicated United puzzle that usually sees his side start games slowly before waking up later on.

"We just played one half and we managed to draw the game. We didn't exist in the first half," Amorim bluntly told reporters.

"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."

"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."