Ainsley Maitland-Niles marked his Everton debut with a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser as Everton recovered twice from losing positions to draw 2-2 with Manchester United in the Premier League at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Notably, the former Arsenal midfielder, who joined Everton from Lyon on transfer deadline day, produced his first Premier League goal since December 2019 with a curling finish that left Senne Lammens unable to intervene. His late strike denied Manchester United a first away victory of the season and preserved Everton’s unbeaten home start.
United lead after break but fail to contain
United had threatened early and nearly opened the scoring inside eight minutes. Bruno Fernandes struck the crossbar after Mbeumo sent a knockdown into his path inside the penalty area. The effort was United’s 24th against the woodwork since the beginning of last season, which is the highest among Premier League teams during that period.
Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford remained a persistent threat as United continued to test Everton’s defence. The hosts, meanwhile, struggled to create opportunities after Iliman N’Diaye’s move to Manchester City. However, they improved towards the end of the first half. Thierno Barry headed over from Merlin Rohl’s cross before Jarrad Branthwaite forced Lammens into a save.
United needed less than a minute after the interval to finally break through. Mbeumo collected the ball from Kobbie Mainoo and found the net with a curling strike, giving himself two goals for the campaign. Soon after that, Brennan Johnson came close to restoring parity, while Rashford continued to pose problems at the opposite end.
David Moyes then introduced Jack Grealish and Hayden Hackney later in the half. Hackney soon played a role in Everton’s response, setting up Tyrique George, who finished at the near post to make it 1-1.
United lead again
The momentum swung back towards United when substitute Benjamin Sesko headed Luke Shaw’s cross beyond Jordan Pickford. It was Sesko’s second goal in as many appearances at Everton, putting the visitors within sight of victory.
That lead disappeared in stoppage time, though, when Maitland-Niles received the opportunity to settle the contest and curled a superb effort into the net, sparking celebrations among the home supporters.
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