EPL game reviews – 2025-11-25

Premier League Matchday Review: Tight Margins and Set-Piece Drama

It was a cagey night of Premier League action with Everton edging Manchester United in a low-scoring affair that hinged on one moment of real quality in front of goal. While the scoreboard stayed tight, the underlying numbers tell a story of a United side that racked up shots and corners, only to be undone by Everton’s efficiency and organisation.

From a betting point of view, this is exactly the kind of match that reminds punters how important it is to look beyond the headline result. Corners, shots on target, and player props all offered angles that played out very differently to the final 1–0 scoreline.

Everton vs Manchester United: Toffees Grind Out a 1–0 Away Win

According to the final stats, Everton came away from Old Trafford (or United’s home ground equivalent) with a 1–0 victory, despite being second best in a lot of the underlying metrics. The away side’s solitary goal, combined with a huge defensive effort, was enough to take all three points.

Final Score and Goal Details

The standard full-time metric shows:

Home (Manchester United): 0 goals
Away (Everton): 1 goal

Breaking it down by half, the timeline is clear:

First half – Home: 0, Away: 1
Second half – Home: 0, Away: 0

So the match was effectively decided before the break, with Everton grabbing the only goal in the first half and then hanging on.

The scoring details point to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall as Everton’s match winner:

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – 1 goal (player goals, full time)
James Garner – 1 assist (player assists, full time)

That combination is reinforced by the “player score or assist” metric:

Dewsbury-Hall – 1 score or assist
Garner – 1 score or assist

In other words, Dewsbury-Hall supplied the finish, and Garner laid it on, giving Everton their crucial away goal.

Shot Volume vs. Efficiency

One of the standout aspects of this match is how different the shot numbers look compared with the scoreline.

Manchester United: Plenty of Attempts, No End Product

The home side created more than enough to get something out of the game based on the player shots and shots on target metrics:

Bruno Fernandes – 4 shots, 1 on target
Joshua Zirkzee – 3 shots, 2 on target
Amad Diallo – 3 shots, 1 on target
Mason Mount – 2 shots, 0 on target
Bryan Mbeumo – 2 shots, 1 on target
Matthijs de Ligt – 2 shots, 1 on target
Casemiro – 1 shot, 0 on target
Patrick Dorgu – 1 shot, 0 on target

Across the board, United’s attacking core got into shooting positions. Zirkzee, Diallo, Mbeumo and Fernandes all tested Everton to some degree, but the lack of clinical finishing told the story:

All United players – 0 goals in the player goals metric

For punters who backed shots markets rather than goals, some of those props would have landed nicely – Zirkzee over shots, Fernandes shot volume, and Diallo getting efforts away. But anyone who went heavy on United goalscorers would have been left frustrated.

Everton: Few Chances, Maximum Impact

Everton’s attacking numbers were far more modest:

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – 1 shot, 1 on target, 1 goal
Iliman Ndiaye – 1 shot, 0 on target

Dewsbury-Hall essentially turned his only real sight of goal into the match winner. That level of efficiency is gold dust away from home, and it’s exactly the sort of player profile that can fly under the radar in pre-match markets. If you’d fancied him in a longshot anytime goalscorer play based on his late runs and set-piece threat, this was the night it paid off.

Beyond those two, the rest of Everton’s front line – including Beto and Dwight McNeil – registered no shots in the data provided, underlining just how much they were on the back foot in open play.

Dominance from Set Pieces: United’s Corner Count

Another key indicator of territorial dominance is corners, and here the gulf was huge.

The corners full-time metric shows:

Manchester United (home): 9 corners
Everton (away): 1 corner

Split by half:

First half – United: 3, Everton: 0
Second half – United: 6, Everton: 1

That paints a clear picture of United pinning Everton back for long spells, especially after falling behind. Corner bettors who took United to dominate that market would have been well rewarded. A 9–1 corner count is a serious tilt in possession and territory.

From a tactical point of view, this also explains why centre-back Matthijs de Ligt managed to rack up 2 shots (1 on target). He was clearly a target from set pieces, driving forward on dead-ball routines to try and force an equaliser.

Everton’s Defensive Shift

While the JSON doesn’t include saves or clearances, you don’t have to look far to infer a massive effort from Everton’s back line:

Jordan Pickford – 0 shots and 0 goals (as expected for a keeper), but clearly central to the clean sheet.
James Tarkowski, Michael Keane, Séamus Coleman, Vitaliy Mykolenko – all listed with 0 shots and 0 goals, signalling their primary job was defensive.

The fact United piled up shots, corners and attacking entries without scoring indicates that Everton’s shape was solid and that Pickford was reliable behind them. For “win to nil” backers, this was a dream outcome – a 1–0 away win anchored by a back five that held firm under pressure.

Midfield Battle: Garner and Dewsbury-Hall Stand Tall

In midfield, James Garner put in a quietly influential performance:

0 shots, 0 goals, but 1 assist and 1 score-or-assist contribution.

His creative moment of quality for Dewsbury-Hall’s goal was the difference between one point and three. It’s also notable that Garner’s assist and his “score or assist” stat line matched up, reinforcing his direct involvement in Everton’s only big attacking success of the night.

For Dewsbury-Hall, the numbers underline a textbook all-round attacking display in a limited-possessions game:

1 shot, 1 shot on target, 1 goal, 1 score or assist.

It’s exactly what punters look for in value goal markets – not just a volume shooter, but someone who maximises the few clear opportunities his side create.

United’s Creative Core: Lots of Threat, No Breakthrough

On the other side, United’s key attacking names all showed up in the stats without landing the killer blow.

Bruno Fernandes – 4 shots, 1 on target, 0 goals, 0 assists.
Joshua Zirkzee – 3 shots, 2 on target, 0 goals.
Amad Diallo – 3 shots, 1 on target, 0 goals.
Bryan Mbeumo – 2 shots, 1 on target, 0 goals.

The volume from Fernandes in particular would have appealed to punters on shot-related markets. But the absence of any output in the player goals or assists metrics shows this was a night where final balls and finishing just weren’t at their sharpest.

It’s also notable that none of United’s players recorded an assist or even a “score or assist” contribution. In the “player score or assist” metric, every United player is on 0. That underlines just how blunt they were in terms of direct goal creation, despite their pressure.

Bench and Supporting Cast

Several names on both sides recorded 0 in goals, shots, and key attacking metrics – an indication of either limited minutes or deeper roles.

For United:

Defensive and squad players like Diogo Dalot, Lisandro Martínez, Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, Noussair Mazraoui, and Manuel Ugarte all finished without shots, goals or assists.

For Everton:

Attackers such as Beto, Dwight McNeil, Carlos Alcaraz, and Thierno Barry didn’t impact the shooting stats, highlighting how limited Everton’s attacking workload was once they took the lead.

From a betting standpoint, that’s a reminder to be cautious loading up on multiple anytime scorers from a side that’s likely to sit deep away from home. Once Everton were in front, the priority was clearly about game management rather than chasing a second or third.

How the Match Felt from a Betting Perspective

Drawing the numbers together, the game had a very particular profile:

Result markets: Favouring Everton or the underdog drew big value, with a 1–0 away win and a clean sheet.
Goals markets: Under goals and Everton win to nil would have cashed, with United blanked despite their efforts.
Corner markets: United dominated corners 9–1, a huge edge for those backing home corner handicaps.
Player shots markets: Good nights for Fernandes and Zirkzee shot-volume backers, frustrating ones for United goalscorer bettors.
Anytime goalscorer / score-or-assist markets: Dewsbury-Hall and Garner were the only Everton players impacting these, underlining the risk and reward of focusing on their contribution.

Matches like this remind you that the “better” side on the eye test doesn’t always win, and that’s exactly where smart use of stats – and a decent odds comparison tool – can give you the edge.

Conclusion: A Night Where Numbers and Scorelines Didn’t Quite Match

Across this single Premier League clash, the data paints a pretty familiar story for anyone who follows football and betting closely. Manchester United controlled territory and set pieces, racking up 9 corners to 1 and a healthy spread of shots across their main attackers. Yet Everton walked away with a 1–0 win, courtesy of a razor-sharp finish from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and a tidy assist from James Garner.

For punters, it’s a perfect example of why it pays to dig into the underlying stats rather than relying purely on reputation or gut feel. Corners, shots, and specific player props all told different stories to the final score – and some of those alternative markets would have delivered even as the favourites failed to score.

If you’re keen to squeeze the most value out of matches like this, make sure you’re not just guessing or sticking to one bookmaker’s prices. Use our odds comparison tool to line up markets on corners, shots, goalscorers, and more across all the big Aussie and international bookies. That way, when the stats point one way and the market hasn’t quite caught up, you’ll be ready to take advantage.

Next time Everton grind out a smash-and-grab, or United rack up corners without finding the net, you’ll want the best price available on the bets that still land. Jump into our odds comparison now and turn numbers like these into smarter, sharper punts.