Skip to content 
Manchester United threw away a hard-fought lead at the death as a chaotic 2-2 draw against Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium left Michael Carrick wondering how his side failed to secure all three points.
After a lackluster first half, the Red Devils sparked into life immediately after the interval when summer arrival Bryan Mbeumo slotted home a fine opener. Everton hit back late through a spectacular strike by Tyrique George, setting up a frantic final ten minutes.
When super-sub Benjamin Sesko came off the bench to bullet home a header from a Luke Shaw cross in the 88th minute, it looked like United had snatched a classic smash-and-grab victory. Instead, absolute defensive anarchy in the sixth minute of stoppage time allowed Ainsley Maitland-Niles to scramble home a dramatic equalizer for David Moyes’ side.
Here is how the United players fared as they dropped two crucial points in Merseyside…
Goalkeeper & Defense
Senne Lammens (6/10): Made four crucial stops throughout the match, keeping United alive during Everton’s dominant spells. Could do very little about George’s stellar hit or the late stoppage-time scramble.
Diogo Dalot (5/10): Had a torrid time dealing with the lively Tyrique George. Picked up a late yellow card for pulling back Jack Grealish before being hooked off in the final minutes.
Harry Maguire (6/10): Stayed strong despite taking an early blow to the head. Made a spectacular sliding cover block to deny Thierno Barry just before half-time. However, the late chaos inside the six-yard box blots an otherwise sturdy display.
Lisandro Martínez (7/10): Easily United’s best defender on the day. Won his physical duels against the imposing Barry and looked completely unfazed, building out from the back.
Luke Shaw (6/10): Had a much tighter defensive performance on the left flank. Delivered an absolute peach of a cross for Sesko’s late goal, though his afternoon was slightly marred by an earlier booking.
Midfield
Youri Tielemans (6/10): Showed much sharper passing than in his previous few outings. Kept up with the intense tempo of the game well but faded slightly as the Everton midfield crowded him out late on.
Kobbie Mainoo (5/10): Stated the game looking a yard off the pace in the opening quarter. Redeemed his quiet performance slightly by claiming the assist for Mbeumo’s opener, but needs to sharpen up ahead of a busy campaign.
Bruno Fernandes (5/10): Another frustrating afternoon for the skipper. Rattled the crossbar with a brilliant early volley but spent the rest of the game dropping way too deep searching for the ball, lacking the creative magic United desperately needed.
Attack
Bryan Mbeumo (7/10): Showed excellent work rate from the very first whistle. Showed great composure to fire United ahead right after the break and remains one of Carrick’s brightest sparks this season.
Marcus Rashford (7/10): Easily the most potent attacking threat for United in the first half, testing Jarrad Branthwaite and James Tarkowski with direct running down the left flank. Replaced at the 70-minute mark to manage his minutes.
Matheus Cunha (5/10): Deployed as a makeshift central striker but struggled to influence the game. Dropped deep repeatedly to link up play but registered only one off-target shot before making way.
Substitutes & Manager
Benjamin Sesko (7/10): The ultimate super-sub did it again. Showed pure hunger to meet Shaw’s cross and power a ruthless header past Jordan Pickford. He simply has to start the next match.
Patrick Dorgu (6/10): Replaced Rashford for the final 20 minutes and offered decent tracking back, though had limited opportunities to drive forward.
Leny Yoro (N/A): Brought on late to shore up the backline but could only watch as the lead evaporated.
Andrey Santos (N/A): A late midfield introduction that failed to exert control in stoppage time.
Noussair Mazraoui (N/A): Capped off a late substitution window as Carrick tried to stop the bleed.
Michael Carrick (5/10): His tactical substitution to bring on Sesko looked like pure genius, but his game management in the dying embers was costly. Throwing on extra defenders disrupted the team’s defensive shape and invited the pressure that led to the gut-wrenching late equalizer.