Everton 2 Man Utd 2: Ainsley Maitland-Niles strikes late on debut with first goal in over SEVEN YEARS to down Red Devils

EVERTON and Manchester United supporters have both wondered why they did not sign a striker. They both showed why. Lightning struck twice as Benjamin Sesko emerged to score at Everton for the second time this calendar year. It was not the winner. Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ stoppage time stunner drew Everton level Credit: Reuters Benjamin Sesko thought he had bagged the winner for Manchester United Credit: Reuters Ainsley Maitland-Niles, on his debut, trumped Sesko with an outrageous 96th-minute equaliser to secure a deserved point for Everton. It ended his 2,808 day wait for a Premier League goal, having last found the net as his Arsenal side lost 5-1 to Liverpool in December 2018. Sign up for the Man United newsletter Thank you! Maitland-Niles and George, two summer signings who are not strikers, offset the absence of a new frontman to end Everton’s turbulent week on an uplifting note. Everton’s overpromoted striker will rue his own headed finish. Thierno Barry had the outstanding chance before the pause to put them ahead and his miscued header was punished by Bryan Mbeumo. That was Barry’s chance to state his credentials as Everton’s starting striker. A summer signing did come up trumps for Everton as George whacked in to equalise. United were well and truly under the cosh. Senne Lammens, so composed against Everton’s bruise brothers last season, was culpable for George’s equaliser as he failed to protect his near post. Lammens fumbled a cross and beat away and straightforward catch. Time will tell if this was an aberration or the first cracks from a goalkeeper recently handed the No1. Most read in Sport SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET UP TO £100 BONUS Everton manager David Moyes deserves the kudos from getting so much out of this threadbare squad. Everton recorded more attempts on target than United and merited their point. In this toothless Everton side, Barry failed to bare his teeth with a free header from Merlin Rohl’s outswinging cross, having evaded the dawdling Harry Maguire. The reality is Barry is the only striker Moyes has now Beto has been sold. Evertonians best not expect goal gluts at their one-year-old stadium. Barry threw his weight around immediately to leave Harry Maguire with a bloodied nose 50 seconds after kick-off. Jack Grealish was a reminder Everton still have some stardust, though the first chant he earned on his return to the Hill Dickinson Stadium was “City reject” from the 3,001 United supporters. Grealish’s introduction undeniably energised Everton and contributed to George’s strike. Maitland-Niles sparked wild scenes Credit: Getty Everton will struggle to get by most weeks with Barry as impotent as he was with his opportunity with the game goalless. Sesko appeared totally crestfallen to be denied another matchwinner. He can at least expect a recall to the starting XI with the Champions League starting next week. Impact moments masked a problematic performance from United. What they lacked in a focal point for 45 meandering minutes was offset by Mbeumo. Kobbie Mainoo’s chant to the Billy Ocean number Love Really Hurts Without You has taken off but it was unsung hero Mbeumo who scored again. Mbeumo has had so many stints up front that scoring has become second nature for the natural winger. He has started the season on the right wing, having played all of his football under Michael Carrick before that through the middle. There were swathes of empty seats as supporters savoured their half-time refreshments when Mbeumo struck. He weaved his way through the Everton defence and side-footed in the breakthrough within a minute of the restart. Tyrique George was on target for Everton Credit: Getty It came after Bryan Mbeumo’s opener Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Moyes’ Everton sides have always thrived as the underdog and the loudest roars were for tackles or attempted tackles. Jarrad Branthwaite, once seemingly bound for United, denied Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes in a late first-half flurry and celebrated wildly. Fernandes’ carefully cushioned volley from Mbeumo’s canny header was a lick of paint away from an early goal of the month contender. United had such little hassle from Everton that they were their own worst enemy at times, letting the game meander with some passive passages on the ball. Rashford was a wing wizard against Rohl and left the full-back in his wake to tee up Matheus Cunha to casually lift the ball over. Rohl was later booked for cynically upending Rashford, purposeful again. Rashford ended one stirring run with a cute backheel for Cunha, denied by a last-ditch James Tarkowski tackle. The winger’s substitution for Patrick Dorgu on 70 minutes felt premature, although Rashford requested an energy drink shortly before his removal. Johnson eventually made way for Grealish. Already, Evertonians can be forgiven for wondering if they got a raw deal in the swap involving Brennan Johnson and Dwight McNeil. Bruno Fernandes could not stop United dropping points Credit: Getty Harry Maguire suffered a painful facial injury Credit: Shutterstock Editorial This month marks the eighth anniversary of Diogo Dalot and Shaw starting together. Dalot, in particular, was guilty of similar mistakes that encouraged Ipswich Town a week earlier. Dalot was eventually yellow-carded as he struggled to keep up with Grealish, having fortuitously avoided a caution for deliberately halting George. United’s defenders were bailed out by their striker. Their fans took to singing Sesko’s name to the old Andy Cole chant: “He gets the ball and scores a goal, Benjamin Sesko.” Maitland-Niles scored a better goal and had the last word. Comment now