Manchester United's mixed start to the season continued as they were pegged back to a 2-2 draw away at Everton, leaving manager Michael Carrick with plenty to ponder before a demanding run of fixtures.
There were bright spots for United on Merseyside. Benjamin Sesko netted his first goal of the campaign, a delayed start to the season having been caused by a shin injury. Kobbie Mainoo continued to show maturity in midfield despite a difficult World Cup experience, while goalkeeper Senne Lammens has demonstrated similar mental resilience. Marcus Rashford, meanwhile, appears to have returned to the club reinvigorated.
However, the result means United have now dropped five points from their opening three Premier League fixtures, having conceded in each of them. Their opponents so far have included two promoted sides and an Everton team whose supporters remain frustrated following a chaotic deadline day.
United twice held the lead at Everton before being pegged back. Tyrique George's powerful strike brought the hosts level, before Ainsley Maitland-Niles, on for his debut, produced a stunning late equaliser from distance—the first time an Everton player has scored from outside the box on his Premier League debut.
Carrick conceded the result stung despite periods of control from his side. "It feels like a defeat," he said. "All the work that went into putting us in that position at different stages to then come away like that. We're disappointed, bitterly disappointed. We can't ignore the fact we have taken a point, but it feels that we should have had a lot more."
The United boss defended his side's overall mentality, pointing to the quality of Everton's finishing rather than defensive lapses. "It's two really good strikes from distance from their point of view," he said. "Sometimes they fly in the top corner, more often than not they probably don't. But we obviously can't ignore it. We need to concede fewer goals to give us a better chance of winning games. There's things we need to get better at as a team."
Former United striker Wayne Rooney, working as a pundit for BBC Sport, offered a more optimistic reading of the performance. "I thought it was a good away performance," he said. "Obviously, I'd be disappointed with the result, but I thought there was a lot more control in the performance. The midfield three were really good... I think there was encouragement from United's point of view. They'll be very frustrated they haven't won the game, given the performance."
Luke Shaw was singled out for praise after a strong display at left-back, setting up Sesko's header and combining well with Rashford down the left flank. "He was really good," said Rooney. "Defensively he was leading and he was good going forward as well. He looked more of a threat today in his connection with Marcus." Carrick echoed the sentiment, noting the pair's growing understanding after playing together for some time.
There is some concern, though, over Rashford's fitness after he was substituted in the second half having felt discomfort, though the severity remains unclear.
Questions also persist over United's transfer business, with no new striker brought in to support Sesko before the window closed. The club opted against pursuing a loan move for Joshua Zirkzee, who remained an unused substitute for Everton, and also decided against signing Manchester City's Rayan Ait-Nouri as cover for Shaw.
United now face a congested schedule of four matches in 11 days, beginning with a Champions League trip to face Azerbaijani side Sabah FK before a Manchester derby against City. With selection dilemmas mounting—including Sesko's readiness to start and Zirkzee's role within the squad—Carrick must quickly find solutions. As he himself acknowledged, results so far have not been disastrous, but the demands of managing Manchester United mean that assessment will not remain sufficient for long.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.