Everton manager Roberto Martinez bemoaned his side’s Jekyll and Hyde performance in the 1-0 defeat against Manchester United.
Anthony Martial’s 54th minute strike was the turning point in what had otherwise been an evenly contested encounter between the sides at Old Trafford.
And speaking after the reversal, Martinez believes that the Blues should have made their marginal dominance count in the build-up to the French striker’s second-half goal.
He said: “There were two games within a game. Up until the goal, we were the team with a better tempo and we always looked a threat.
“The goal was a very soft action, it’s not up to our standards. The performances were very, very level and we shouldn’t have lost the game.”
Martinez was also left to rue Phil Jagielka’s miss shortly after Martial’s opener, with the Everton’s header rebounding off the crossbar with United stopper David de Gea well beaten.
“It’s that sort of game that came down to small margins – the ball hitting the crossbar is the difference between us getting something out of the game,” he added.
“We are a young group with great potential, but our home form hasn’t been anywhere near good enough.”