Manchester United have now conceded 6 goals in their first 3 league games, and this latest one hurt more because they had the match in their hands twice. In Everton vs Manchester United, Bryan Mbeumo scored 61 seconds after the restart and Benjamin Šeško headed United back in front in the 88th minute, only for Everton to come back again and force a 2-2 draw.

It ended with Ainsley Maitland-Niles scoring at 90+6 on his Everton debut. For all the attention on United's new attackers, the bigger issue was the familiar one: they still look too easy to hurt when a game starts getting stretched.

United's scorers were not enough

Mbeumo gave United exactly the kind of start they wanted after half-time, striking 61 seconds into the second period. He was United's highest-rated starter at 7.9, and his goal looked like the moment that would settle a tight game.

Instead, it became another match where United's forward line did enough to win and the team around them did not protect that work. Šeško, on from the bench, looked dangerous again and got his reward with an 88th-minute header that seemed to have turned the game back United's way.

That was his first [Premier League] goal of the campaign, from just 3 appearances and 62 minutes. Early returns can mislead, but United are at least seeing immediate impact from him in the box.

There were other attacking names around the story too, including Bruno Fernandes pulling strings behind the forwards and Thierno Barry featuring in the wider discussion around Everton's threat. But the two decisive attacking moments for United belonged to Mbeumo and Šeško, and neither proved enough.

Šeško's own display backed that up. He posted a 7.7 rating off the bench, a strong figure for a substitute, and the goal matched the impression that he can change matches quickly. The problem for United was that every attacking contribution still came with risk attached at the other end.

Everton's late response changed the result

Everton did not need long spells of control to flip the match. Tyrique George made it 1-1 in the 83rd minute with a powerful strike at Senne Lammens' near post, and that already felt like a warning for United after another loose defensive spell.

George finished with an 8.2 rating, the best among Everton's attackers, and his goal gave the stadium belief that another chance would come. It did, right at the end.

Maitland-Niles arrived off the bench and scored at 90+6 on his debut, rescuing the draw with the last big twist of the afternoon. The timing matters here because reports varied elsewhere, but the official fixture records it at 90+6.

Everton also got a lift from Jack Grealish's reintroduction in the second half. David Moyes' side looked more alive after that, and United never really regained control once George had equalised.

The defensive issue is already following United

Conceding 6 goals in 3 league matches is a bad start on its own. Doing it while wasting a lead in the 88th minute makes it worse.

This is why the draw feels more damaging for United than encouraging because of the goals from Mbeumo and Šeško. The attacking signs were decent. Mbeumo was sharp, Šeško made a clear impact, and there is a route to a good front line once everything settles.

But United are not dropping points because they cannot score. They are dropping them because games remain open for too long, and Everton punished that twice in the final 13 minutes plus stoppage time.

There is a slightly awkward edge to that for Michael Carrick, even without stretching beyond what one result can prove. The attacking pieces are starting to show up. The defensive balance is not.

Jamie Carragher had described Everton's window as "disastrous", quoted by skysports.com, which made their late turnaround even more awkward for United. A side carrying that level of criticism still found two goals late on against them.

The final image from Hill Dickinson Stadium was Everton celebrating a point that had looked gone after Šeško's 88th-minute header, while United walked off with a 2-2 draw that leaves them with 6 goals conceded after 3 league matches.

FAQ

Why did Manchester United only draw at Everton after leading twice?

Manchester United led through Bryan Mbeumo 61 seconds into the second half and again through Benjamin Šeško's 88th-minute header, but they still finished 2-2. Tyrique George levelled in the 83rd minute and Ainsley Maitland-Niles scored Everton's equaliser at 90+6 on his debut.

Who scored in Everton vs Manchester United?

Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Šeško scored for Manchester United in the 2-2 draw. Everton replied through Tyrique George in the 83rd minute and Ainsley Maitland-Niles in stoppage time, with his goal officially timed at 90+6.

How bad has Manchester United's defending been at the start of the season?

This draw kept a worrying defensive trend going for Manchester United. They have conceded 6 goals in their first 3 league games, which left even a late 2-1 lead looking fragile at Everton.

Did Ainsley Maitland-Niles score on his Everton debut?

Yes. Ainsley Maitland-Niles scored Everton's stoppage-time equaliser on his debut. The goal came at 90+6 and turned a game Manchester United thought they had reclaimed through Benjamin Šeško's 88th-minute header.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 5 outlets. How we work →