Manchester United’s lack of game management saw them twice throw away victory at Everton on Sunday. It was entirely avoidable and must be addressed if their resurgence under Michael Carrick is to continue into a second season.
Having fallen to a shambolic and fully deserved 2-0 loss to Hull City on the opening day, Man Utd bounced back in style, hitting another promoted side, Ipswich Town, for five at Old Trafford. However, like against the Tigers, they conceded two goals.
That sequence became an unwelcome three-in-a-row as the Toffees hit two “wonder goals” to rescue a point. While Tyrique George’s effort was spectacular and Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ once-in-a-career hit even better at the death, both came as a result of Man Utd’s inability to take control and kill off the game.
Bryan Mbeumo’s fine individual goal less than a minute into the second half should have set Carrick’s side on their way to victory. With the Hill Dickinson Stadium verging on mutiny following a dire deadline day, Man Utd needed to put their foot on the throat of the Toffees.
Instead, they failed to have a single shot on target for over 40 minutes, ceding both control and territory. There were several failures on the counter, most notably Matheus Cunha not picking out Marcus Rashford with an early ball and a potential penalty shout involving the same two players. Overall though, Man Utd sat too deep when keeping the ball and pushing for a second was the correct call.
It makes little to no sense considering Man Utd’s defensive record, now and in years gone by. They conceded 50 league goals last season and last let in fewer than 40 in the Covid-interrupted 2019/20 season. The back four that started on Merseyside have been there for most of those seasons, which is another issue in itself.
| League season | Goals conceded |
|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 44 |
| 2021/22 | 57 |
| 2022/23 | 43 |
| 2023/24 | 58 |
| 2024/25 | 54 |
| 2025/26 | 50 |
They were forcibly awoken from their Sunday second-half slumber by George’s goal but Luke Shaw was asleep at the wheel when he had to close down the winger. Senne Lammens rather bizarrely copped more of the flak than the Man Utd left-back.
Shaw redeemed himself five minutes later as Man Utd rather easily created a second goal for Benjamin Sesko, who netted from the bench at the ground for the second time in 2026.
It asks the question: why didn’t Man Utd just do that when 1-0 up? Everton were on the ropes. A second goal would have come if they had stayed on the front foot and forced the issue. Midfielder Merlin Rohl was at right-back for Everton and a rejuvenated Rashford had him on toast for most of the game.
So, at 2-1 up and seemingly out of jail, what did Man Utd do? Keep the ball? Win fouls and throw-ins? Anything but.
There was a wayward Bruno Fernandes left-footed ball into the box. There was substitute Leny Yoro needlessly looking for a difficult through ball to Sesko when Mbeumo was out to the right. It’s the little things at that stage of a game that kill the clock and kill hope for opponents.
But, with literal seconds left on the clock and Jordan Pickford with the ball in his own half, surely Man Utd could do the basics, hold their shape and hold on for a crucial three points? Wrong again.
For reasons yet to be explained, Patrick Dorgu pressed the England keeper, allowing him to pass the ball to Jack Grealish and create a two-on-one down the left-hand side.
It led to the ball going into the box, where a far too weak Noussair Mazraoui clearance set the stage for Maitland-Niles to enjoy the dream debut in blue and leave Carrick feeling the same colour.
A collection of basic errors and game management leaves Man Utd with just four points from three very winnable games and staring down the barrel of a Manchester derby on Sunday. Their return to the Champions League comes three days prior against Sabah of Azerbaijan at Old Trafford. Surely a clean sheet there?
| Man Utd’s four games prior to the September/October international break |
|---|
| Sabah (home) – Champions League – Thursday 10th September |
| Manchester City (home) – Premier League – Sunday 13th September |
| Brighton (home) – Carabao Cup – Wednesday 16th September |
| Fulham (away) – Premier League – Sunday 20th September |
Sunday already feels like a must-win in a sense with Man Utd badly needing to get their season truly up and running. There are plenty of positives, notably Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo’s form, Sesko’s first of the season and Fernandes’ general presence, but it’ll be all for nothing if Man Utd keep conceding two goals per game and allowing chaos to engulf them.
Given the Old Trafford factor and Man Utd’s ability in the transition against a new-look Man City side under a new manager in Enzo Maresca, it feels like a prime opportunity to right some wrongs. Carrick’s first win in January was a 2-0 battering of Man City. Rashford loves a derby goal. Do the basics and let the talent do its thing. It really is that simple sometimes.