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David Moyes was adamant that his team did not deserve to lose against Everton.

The Reds slumped to a 2-0 defeat at Goodison Park to complete an unhappy return to his former club for the manager, but while critical of his side's defending Moyes thought his team played well.

"We gave away two terrible goals but prior to that we passed the ball brilliantly well, kept the ball, had great control of the game," he said.

"What we couldn't do is make enough chances but we had a great control and we got done by two stupid decisions.

"We didn't have a final through pass at times, we didn't have a final finish when they came and there weren't very many of them.

"That was the disappointing part, that we just couldn't do that in the final third but I couldn't fault how we played because we kept the ball incredibly well."

Looking at Moyes’s reaction after similar United setbacks this season, criticism of mistakes and bewilderment at the result are recent themes.

After the loss in Munich, the manager criticised 'schoolboy defending' from his side for throwing away a lead.

Hopes were high in the Reds camp before the City game, but after being blown away 3-0 Moyes agreed things hadn’t gone to plan.

"We never came out of the blocks," he said. "You warm up the players, get them ready, but we just never started well enough"

Against Liverpool, this was the manager's reaction.

“It wasn’t what we expected,” he said.

“I felt as if the players looked in good shape and good fettle going into it but we just didn’t get to the standards that were required to beat Liverpool.”

At Stoke at the beginning of February, the Reds boss could not believe Stoke had claimed the three points.

“I don’t know what we have to do to win,” said Moyes.

It was more of the same at Olympiacos.

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“I was just surprised,” claimed the manager. “I didn’t see that level of performance coming, I just didn’t see it.”

Something is clearly not right at United. The players have not performing as the manager has expected them to in recent weeks, suggesting either a below-par level on matchdays or that the opposition are far better than is expected, or both.

Moyes was not claiming this earlier in the season though.

The manager criticised his team after they lost to West Brom in September and praised City in the derby defeat but overall was far more vocal about poor refereeing performances or close games.

Mark Clattenberg did not escape attention against Liverpool but complaints about the team have grown.

Their deficiencies have been highlighted more, with Moyes even claiming ‘mental softness’ after the draw with Fulham.

Through the season, it appears Moyes has become increasingly frustrated in public with the performances in his squad, and increasingly at a loss to explain or defend them.