MANCHESTER UNITED were stunned by Everton on the road thanks to a stunner of a strike from Ainsley Maitland-Niles
Super sub Benjamin Sesko thought he had given his side all three points before the ex-Arsenal star’s 25-yard stunner.
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The Red Devils defence had survived a pummelling for most of the match, but Senne Lammens’ shaky performance finally cost the side as the ex-Chelsea star fired home to trigger a chaotic last ten minutes.
Kobbie Mainoo was the silver lining for Michael Carrick, producing an all-round performance to remember, signalling a light at the end of the tunnel for United’s midfield woes of late.
SunSport’s Mitchell Hall gives his verdicts on how United’s stars got on in Merseyside…
Senne Lammens – 4
Didn’t have many shots to deal with but still managed to look unconvincing every time the ball came into the box, with his hesitancy to claim the ball in the air causing all sorts of nerves at the back.
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His timid punch of a tame shot moments before Tyrique George’s equaliser was a sign of what was to come as he was beaten at the near post by the youngster.
Diogo Dalot – 6
Received a warning early in the match after somehow avoiding a yellow card for a cynical grab on Tyrique George, but was mostly able to shut the former Chelsea winger down for the rest of the match.
Didn’t have too much to offer going forward, but that might have been for the best given how much joy Everton had on the other flank as Luke Shaw bounded up the pitch.
Harry Maguire – 7
Suffered a bloodied nose after just minutes of the fixture but continued to throw himself at everything that came towards him, as if his commitment was ever in any doubt – though he was saved some blushes after losing Thierno Barry in the box before his shocking miss.
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Sunday 6 September
Everton
2 – 2
EPL
Man Utd
Arsenal
16:30
Live Teams
Chelsea
Saturday 12 September
Bournemouth
15:00
EPL
Brentford
Villa
15:00
EPL
Forest
Chelsea
15:00
EPL
Hull
Palace
15:00
EPL
Ipswich
Sunday 6 September
Everton
2 – 2
EPL
Man Utd
Saturday 5 September
Hull
0 – 0
EPL
Villa
Forest
0 – 0
EPL
Spurs
Man City
1 – 0
EPL
Coventry
Fulham
2 – 3
EPL
Palace
Brighton
1 – 1
EPL
Leeds
English Premier League
Pld
Pts
GD
W
D
L
Form
1
3
9
5
3
0
0
2
3
7
3
2
1
0
3
2
6
4
2
0
0
4
2
6
2
2
0
0
5
3
5
3
1
2
0
6
3
5
2
1
2
0
7
3
5
2
1
2
0
8
3
5
2
1
2
0
8
8
Was called into action to sweep up on occasion and did an admirable job, but was less reliable when trying to play out of Everton’s high press.
Lisandro Martinez – 6
Did not have too much to do with Everton struggling to find their way into the United box at the best of times, with his highlight being an important block on a Brennan Johnson strike.
Helped keep things ticking over in possession and was rarely phased by the Everton press, using Mainoo as an outlet to get the team moving forward.
Luke Shaw – 5
Showed up in some dangerous areas while overlapping Rashford in the early stages of the game, but was subsequently caught high on a few occasions.
Merlin Rohl had too much time on a few occasions to pick out his crosses, and at least one should have been tucked away by Barry, and was finally punished after inexplicably leaving George open for the equaliser.
Redeemed himself with a teasing cross for Sesko’s winner, but an unconvincing performance overall.
Youri Tielemans – 5
Not as effective as Mainoo in most departments and his lack of mobility left the hosts’ midfielders with too much time in central areas when building up.
In possession he was calm enough, keeping the ball moving while not trying anything too inventive, though he could have helped his team up the pitch more if he dared to be more adventurous.
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8
Kobbie Mainoo – 8
A much-needed bit of composure in the middle of the park, Mainoo anchored so much of United’s build up sitting at the base of midfield, producing some neat passes to break the block down.
Was just as effective getting himself out of tight spots with tidy footwork, and relished breaking up Everton’s play before charging the other direction.
The sort of all-rounder midfield performance United have been searching for in recent seasons.
Bruno Fernandes – 5
A bag of sensational passes and tricks as usual, but lacked the ruthless cutting edge that saw him bag himself a hat-trick last time out.
Even he fell foul of the relentless press from Everton’s midfielders at times, and the occasions he found himself in and around the box generally produced wayward shots and corners.
Bryan Mbeumo – 7
Was overrun by Everton’s press when trying to help his side play out the back and ended up getting his defenders into trouble, with Vitaly Mykolenko largely able to stick to the Cameroonian’s shoulder to be a nuisance down the wing.
Showed his class immediately in the second half though, bursting past the Ukrainian with some tidy footwork before curling his effort into the far corner to break the deadlock.
Marcus Rashford – 7
Had the measure of Everton’s makeshift right-back Merlin Rohl on the wing and produced some very inviting balls into the penalty box on the back of it, but they went begging.
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He produced an electric run in the second half and was inches from an outstanding assist, showing glimpses of his best work in United colours.
Matheus Cunha – 4
Was able to link up with his fellow forward stars well at times but was isolated in goalscoring areas, and when a big chance fell to him in the first half he could only power his effort over the bar.
You couldn’t help but feel that United could have used more of a target in the middle to help bypass Everton’s block, with crosses from Rashford and Fernandes always facing an uphill battle trying to find him between Jarrad Branthwaite and James Tarkowski.
Even his hold up play dropped off in the second period, with a spectacular sliding challenge from Tarkowski to deny him a point blank goal summing up his afternoon.
Substitutes:
Patrick Dorgu (for Rashford 70′) – 5
A noticeable downgrade on the left side after his introduction, Dorgu continues to struggle since being re-profiled as a left winger.
Benjamin Sesko (for Cunha 70′) – 7
Did not see too much of the ball as Everton pushed for a late equaliser, but provided the target United needed to relieve the pressure when he was called into action.
Was under more pressure after Everton’s equaliser and delivered, firing his header past Jordan Pickford for what he must have thought was the winner.
Leny Yoro (for Dalot 84′) – 6
Brought on to stop the rot after Everton’s equaliser, but Sesko’s dagger did more to stun the Toffees than he did.
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Could do little about the stunning winner.
Andrey Santos (for Mainoo 84′) – 6
An energetic set of legs meant to run Everton’s threadbare side ragged in the final stages.