Ainsley Maitland-Niles scored a stunning 25-yard strike in the 96th minute on his debut to earn Everton a 2-2 draw against Manchester United, with the late equaliser coming virtually with the final kick of the game. The £4.3m recruit from Arsenal, who had been on the pitch for only 19 minutes, found the top corner past Senne Lammens to spark wild celebrations at Hill Dickinson Stadium, capping a turbulent week for the club.
Late drama after slow-burning contest
United appeared to have secured victory when Benjamin Sesko headed home an 88th-minute goal beyond Jordan Pickford, but Everton twice fought back to preserve their unbeaten start to the season. The contest, which was slow to ignite, erupted into a wildly entertaining second half after a muted first period.
The atmosphere at Hill Dickinson was subdued from the outset, with The 1878s supporters group having withdrawn their backing for the foreseeable future. There were attempts to organise a 'not a pound in the ground' protest against the owners, TFG, but no visible or audible displays of dissent materialised inside the stadium. Rishi Majithia, Dan Friedkin's son-in-law and TFG's day-to-day representative, was present, but the ownership group otherwise stayed away.
United dominate early exchanges
Harry Maguire required lengthy treatment for a bloody nose following an aerial challenge with Thierno Barry in the opening seconds, which disrupted the flow of the match. United came close when Bruno Fernandes cushioned a volley against the crossbar from Bryan Mbeumo's knock-down, with Luke Shaw engineering the chance by breaking down the left. Marcus Rashford and Shaw frequently got in behind Everton's Merlin Röhl, but an end product was lacking. Matheus Cunha had the best opportunity from a low Rashford delivery, dummied by Diogo Dalot, but side-footed wastefully over from 18 yards.
Everton manager David Moyes persisted with Röhl at right-back despite the arrival of Maitland-Niles, with the Germany under-21 international now considered a potential long-term solution to the position. Röhl demonstrated his usefulness in the final third with a fine cross that Barry headed over from close range, but that was Everton's only notable chance in a forgettable half.
United break through after restart
United added penetration to their play 62 seconds after the restart when Mbeumo, receiving Kobbie Mainoo's pass wide on the right, set off for goal, darting between challenges from Tyrique George and Vitalii Mykolenko before sweeping an excellent finish beyond Pickford's despairing dive. A superb challenge from James Tarkowski prevented Cunha converting into an empty net from Rashford's back-heel.
Everton equalised with seven minutes of normal time remaining when George, found in space on the right by substitute Hayden Hackney, unleashed an unstoppable shot into the near top corner from a tight angle. The goal came after Everton had passed up several presentable chances from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Harrison Armstrong and Brennan Johnson.
Sesko restores lead but Maitland-Niles has final say
United retook the lead shortly afterwards when Sesko started and finished a move, finding Fernandes in space after benefiting from a kind bounce off Hackney. Fernandes released Shaw on Maitland-Niles, and his perfectly weighted cross sailed over Tarkowski for Sesko to score with a textbook header past Pickford, who got a hand to the ball but could not keep it out.
The final sting came from Everton's new right-back, whose 25-yard strike into the top corner rescued a point and sent the home crowd into raptures, capping a dramatic conclusion to a match that had been slow to come alive.
