Everton 2-2 Manchester United
by James Nalton
at Bramley-Moore Dock

A DREAM debut goal from Ainsley Maitland-Niles rescued a point for Everton following some dramatic final moments of this Sunday matinee on Merseyside.

Manchester United looked to have snatched the three points for themselves when a classic centre-forward’s goal from substitute Benjamin Sesko gave them the lead in the 88th minute.

But Maitland-Niles took a chance when the ball fell to him in the last seconds of added time and found the top corner from 30 yards out.

This rollercoaster ride of an ending had been set up by two outstanding pieces of play from the right-wingers of each team.

Moments of magic from Bryan Mbeumo and Tyrique George gave each set of fans something to celebrate, and gave the Premier League highlight reel makers a couple of goals to add to their collection.

They were to get even more before this game was done.

United thought they’d won it when Luke Shaw’s cross was met by a towering header from Sesko. By the time the ball fell to Maitland-Niles, miles out from the opposition goal, many Everton fans probably thought United had it won, too.

That only made the next instalment of his back-and-forth game all the more dramatic as the new signing left United goalkeeper Senne Lemmens stood stationary, watching the ball fly past him into the net.

Everton had just about looked the more dangerous of the two teams throughout the previous 80 minutes or so.

Jordan Pickford had little to do for much of the game other than pick Mbuemo’s shot out of his net just after half time.

Many were still returning to their seats following the half-time break when the Cameroonian gave United the lead.

It can be a long trek up the stairs at Bramley-Moore if you’re at the back of a stand, and not an easy one given the steep incline. It was much easier for Mbuemo to jink through the Everton defence and curl one into the corner.

Everton struggled for much of the game to find a difference-maker of their own in this relatively new-look side, but by the end of it they had found two.

George’s strike was rifled in at the near post, almost unexpectedly given the lack of convincing goal threat that had preceded it, before Maitland-Niles sensationally cancelled out Sesko’s header on a debut to remember.