Michael Carrick called Manchester United’s 2-2 draw at Everton “a defeat” after Ainsley Maitland-Niles scored a stoppage-time equalizer at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday. United led twice in the match and still walked away with only a point.
Bryan Mbeumo put United ahead a minute into the second half, curling a low finish past Jordan Pickford. Tyrique George leveled for Everton before substitute Benjamin Sesko headed United back in front in the 88th minute. Maitland-Niles, on his Everton debut, answered in the 96th minute with a rocket into the top corner that Pickford’s opposite number never touched.
Match at a glance
| Minute | Scorer | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 46′ | Bryan Mbeumo | Manchester United |
| 83′ | Tyrique George | Everton |
| 88′ | Benjamin Sesko | Manchester United |
| 96′ | Ainsley Maitland-Niles | Everton |
Everton manager David Moyes had little to add beyond admiration for the finish. “The technique. The goalkeeper hardly moved,” Moyes said. “We haven’t had much of a chance to get to know Ainsley yet, and his role.”
Sesko’s headed finish came moments after he had entered as a substitute, and for eight minutes it looked like the winning goal.
Moyes used the moment to make a wider point about his own squad. His group’s limited depth means fringe players need to be ready when their chance comes, he said afterward.
Carrick’s disappointment was harder to hide. He watched control of the game slip away in the closing minutes.
“We’re bitterly disappointed,” Carrick said. How the game ended, he added, “is not a great feeling.”
“It feels like a defeat, which is the obvious thing to say at this stage,” he added. “We have taken a point, we can’t ignore that, but it feels like we should have had a lot more.”
Carrick Refuses to Panic Despite Slow Start
The draw leaves United 11th in the Premier League table after three matches, with one win, one draw and one defeat. Carrick pushed back on any suggestion that the results reflect a poor start.
“We haven’t started the season that bad, to be honest,” Carrick said. “It’s not that bad. We were that close to coming away with three points today. That’s football. There are little moments we could deal with better, but we’ll be fine.”
Carrick has spent much of the early season defending his squad’s transfer approach. He argues United made the most of the money available relative to bigger-spending rivals. Sunday’s collapse will test how much patience that argument still buys him among supporters.
Rashford’s Bright Afternoon Ends in Caution
One thread United can hold onto is the form of Marcus Rashford. He impressed on the left wing before being withdrawn with a knock in the second half. Carrick downplayed the substitution afterward.
“He was just feeling a bit of something,” Carrick said of the forward. “He’s done very well. As I said during the week, he’s done really well since he came back. He looked really sharp today and dangerous.”
Carrick said the finish “didn’t quite drop” for Rashford. “But he created really good opportunities and gave us a big threat throughout the game,” he added.
Rashford’s revival has been one of the few settled points in United’s opening weeks. Everton’s stoppage-time sting means the manager now has to convert that individual promise into results his side can actually hold onto. For a manager still shaping his group’s identity, a result like Sunday’s carries lessons well beyond the final score.
