Alex Keble reports on the key takeaways after pre-season tournament in US draws to a close<\/p>\n
Manchester United have been crowned the 2025 Summer Series champions after a 2-2 draw with Everton<\/a> maintained their unbeaten record in the United States.<\/p>\n West Ham United\u2019s 2-0 victory over Bournemouth<\/a> meant Graham Potter\u2019s side finished just a point behind Man Utd<\/a> in the table, while the Cherries came third and Everton \u2013 without a single win \u2013 finished rock bottom.<\/p>\n Here are five things we learned from the final two matches of this year\u2019s tournament.<\/p>\n Mbeumo and Cunha impress on first start together<\/p>\n Finally, Man Utd fans got to see their two big-money signings in action together, and although neither Bryan Mbeumo<\/a> nor Matheus Cunha<\/a> scored, there were some hugely encouraging signs from both players.<\/p>\n Cunha\u2019s first start, and Mbeumo\u2019s first appearance of any description, dominated the talk in Atlanta. And for 45 minutes, they didn\u2019t disappoint.<\/p>\n Mbeumo started as the No 9 with Cunha and Bruno Fernandes<\/a> the two No 10s in Amorim\u2019s 3-4-2-1, creating a fluid front line that bamboozled the Everton defence early on.<\/p>\n Cunha and Mbeumo interacted impressively, the sharp one-touch football between them and Fernandes leading directly to the penalty from which Man Utd took the lead.<\/p>\n What stood out most was the verticality of the two new signings.<\/p>\n Cunha received the ball on the half-turn, ready to drive through the lines, while Mbeumo\u2019s movement into the channels gave Man Utd’s midfielders the option to attack with far greater urgency.<\/p>\n The forward thrust of Mbeumo and Cunha could redefine how Amorim’s side play this season.<\/p>\n Man Utd 2-2 Everton highlightsMan Utd looked like an Amorim team in the first half \u2013 before getting ‘lazy’<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t just Cunha and Mbeumo who made Man Utd look sharp in the first half.<\/p>\n Leny Yoro<\/a> commanded the back three, Kobbie Mainoo<\/a> was solid in midfield, and Amad<\/a>\u00a0was again alert and involved as a right wing-back.<\/p>\n Not for the first time this summer, Man Utd looked far more cohesive and tactically astute than they were under Amorim last summer.<\/p>\n That being said, their captain, Fernandes, wasn\u2019t happy with how the performance suddenly slipped after substantial changes were made in the second half, among them the withdrawal of Mbeumo.<\/p>\n “We didn’t want to finish in this way,” said Fernandes, after his side were twice pegged back by Everton.<\/p>\n “Our performance wasn’t the best and we were a little bit lazy today. We want to avoid that because with laziness you can pay at any moment.<\/p>\n “Every small thing matters. At this football club, you cannot do anything wrong on or off the pitch because [the club] is too big worldwide and you get punished by that.”<\/p>\n If he had said it during the Premier League season, and if results were poor, then headlines about the captain accusing his own team of being “lazy” would be unhelpful.<\/p>\n But in this context, it\u2019s simply evidence that standards are now as high as they should be.<\/p>\n The captain, rightly, is ready to make sure the players fight in every moment.<\/p>\n That\u2019s how Amorim saw it too. When asked specifically about Fernandes’ “lazy” comment, Amorim replied: “I think I’m happy for the players to have that feeling.”<\/p>\n Everton show substantial improvement as Tarkowski returns<\/p>\n David Moyes was pleased with a more coherent and efficient performance from his Everton team, who were able to match Man Utd once Mbeumo had left the field.<\/p>\n “It wasn’t so much the result, it was more the performance that was much more encouraging,” Moyes said after the game.<\/p>\n “We knew that tonight we were a bit closer to something which looked like an Everton team. The other games, we’ve not really looked that way. So, yes, [I was] much happier tonight.”<\/p>\n Iliman Ndiaye<\/a> and Charly Alcaraz<\/a> both played well, flanking Beto<\/a>, who was unlucky to have an early goal disallowed for offside, but best of all from an Everton perspective was the return of James Tarkowski<\/a>, back in the starting XI for the first time since April.<\/p>\n Moyes has repeatedly said Everton need new signings. But even without any, they look set to be competitive again.<\/p>\n Diouf and Fullkrug signal West Ham are back on the up<\/p>\n “He has only been here a few weeks but you would think he has been here years.”<\/p>\n Jarrod Bowen<\/a>\u2019s assessment of new signing El Hadji Malick Diouf<\/a> said it all about an excellent performance from West Ham<\/a>‘s new left-back, who helped to create both of the Hammers’ goals against Bournemouth with superb crosses from the left.<\/p>\n Niclas Fullkrug<\/a> isn\u2019t new but in 2025\/26 he may feel like a new signing.<\/p>\n The West Ham striker scored his second goal in two games, continuing his summer revival.<\/p>\n And the same can be said of Lucas Paqueta<\/a>, one of the best players on the pitch just days after he was cleared of spot-fixing charges.<\/p>\n West Ham haven\u2019t been the most active team in this summer transfer window.<\/p>\n But signing new players can be overrated. There are plenty of players \u2013 Fullkrug and Paqueta chief among them \u2013 who could be revived under Graham Potter.<\/p>\n Bournemouth 0-2 West Ham highlightsTraore display helps Iraola see positives in defeat<\/p>\n “We can take a lot of very good things from the game and there are also things to improve,” Andoni Iraola told Sky Sports, after his Bournemouth side lost to West Ham.<\/p>\n “To concede two goals with the way we played, it’s not the best thing. But I leave here thinking we have some really good things to build around.<\/p>\n “It’s been a great experience for everyone. We’ve played three high-quality games.”<\/p>\n That might sound overly optimistic for a 2-0 defeat but Iraola has a point. Bournemouth<\/a> were the better team throughout, hitting the woodwork three times in total, including a shocking Evanilson<\/a> miss from two yards.<\/p>\n