Everton peg back Man United to claim draw at Goodison Park

A late, late penalty from Leighton Baines at Goodison Park secured a 1-1 draw for Everton against Manchester United.

Zlatan Ibrahmovic had given Jose Mourinho’s United the lead with an audacious first-half lob of keeper Maarten Stekelenburg, a lead that looked to have won the match for the visitors, as they held firm until the dying minutes of the tie.

But with a minute of normal time remaining substitute Marouane Fellaini caught Idrissa Gana Gueye with a tackle in the box, and Baines dispatched a thumping penalty to claim a point for Ronald Koeman’s Toffees.

The result is yet another glorious failure in Man United’s worst-ever start to a Premier League season as they have now taken just 21 points in 14 matches and won just one of their last eight league encounters.

By contrast the draw means Everton are now unbeaten in their last ten games at Goodison.

The result leaves United sixth in the table, with Everton just two places behind them in eighth.

A lack of quality defined the opening of the game as both teams failed to find their form in the final third; a mistimed volley effort from Tom Cleverley for the Toffees was the main early talking point in attack, and Marcos Rojo’s two-footed lunge on Gueye, which referee Michael Oliver leniently only penalised with a yellow card, the main talking point in defence.

Everton continued to press as the game ticked past 20 minutes, with Yannick Bolasie crossing deep from the right for Phil Jones to cut out the danger in the United box.

United couldn’t get going in attack with Zlatan Ibrahimovic trying to spark his side with a through ball for Ander Herrera proving to have too much on it.

Bolasie was the game’s main threat as he continued to force matters down the right, and a fine ball across the box was just too far ahead of Kevin Mirallas for the Belgian to get on the end of it.

Ten minutes before the break it was still the defences that were on top with neither side managing to record a shot on target at that juncture. Paul Pogba was pulling the strings in the middle for United and played a delightful through ball for Henrikh Mkhitaryan to chase onto with only a sublime sliding interception from Ramiro Funes Mori stopping the ball from reaching the Armenian.

Just as the tie looked like edging its way to half-time without a breakthrough, the goal the game needed arrived. A ball over the top reached Swedish superstar Ibrahimovic, who was met by the sight of keeper Stekelenburg racing off his line in a moment of madness and rush of blood to the head; Zlatan cooly collected and calmly lobbed the keeper with the ball hitting the crossbar, and then the upright, before crossing the line to give the guests the lead.

Everton’s first real chance of the tie came seven minutes after the break. Gareth Barry playing Mirallas in on goal, who then exchanged a 1-2 with Romelu Lukaku before edging into the top of the box and shooting back across goal from right to left, with only a superb save from David de Gea’s right wrist preventing the goal as the keeper forced the shot wide.

United were being forced to attack on the counter and were looking dangerous when doing so. Mkhitaryan proving creator-in-chief as be broke down the right and pushed a ball to the centre where it fell for Herrera to steady himself and fire at goal, rattling the crossbar in the process, as Everton escaped shipping a second.

Ireland captain Seamus Coleman - having struggled to make a real impact on the game - was withdrawn for Mason Holgate on 67 minutes after a clash with Ibrahimovic appeared to have winded the right back.

Despite the lack of goals, the second half was enthralling, with both teams poking and prodding, and Gueye producing a fierce effort from distance for De Gea to palm away.

The Toffees attack deserved a reward and it finally got it right at the death. Fellaini, who had entered the game as a sub for Mkhitaryan just minutes earlier, caught Gueye with a clumsy trip in the box and without hesitation the ref pointed to the penalty spot. And what a penalty it was as Baines smashed home bottom left, with De Gea unable to get to the perfectly placed ball, as Everton rescued a point from the jaws of defeat.

Photo: Getty/Clive Brunskill

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