LIVERPOOL, England — Manchester United were seconds away from escaping with three points at Everton.
Then Ainsley Maitland-Niles changed everything.
Making his Everton debut, the substitute unleashed a spectacular long-range strike in the sixth minute of stoppage time to rescue a 2-2 draw for David Moyes’ side and extend Everton’s unbeaten start to the Premier League season.
The goal came just minutes after Benjamin Sesko appeared to have delivered a late winner for United, turning a match that had already produced two late goals into a dramatic finish.
For Everton, it felt like a victory.
For Manchester United, it was another painful reminder that games are not won until the final whistle.
Maitland-Niles produces instant Everton magic
Maitland-Niles had only recently joined Everton from Lyon and came off the bench for his debut.
With virtually the final meaningful attack of the match, the 29-year-old met the ball from outside the box and fired a first-time effort into the top corner.
The strike from roughly 25 to 30 yards left goalkeeper Senne Lammens with little chance. The Guardian described it as a stunning 96th-minute strike that rescued Everton after United had regained the lead late in the game.
It was Maitland-Niles’ first Premier League goal in more than seven years, making the moment even more remarkable.
Afterward, Maitland-Niles said the result “felt like a win”—an understandable reaction considering Everton had been behind twice.
United strike first after halftime
The match was goalless at the break, but the second half exploded into life.
Just after the restart, Bryan Mbeumo put Manchester United ahead with an excellent individual effort.
The forward created space before firing past Jordan Pickford, giving United the advantage they had been searching for.
Everton, however, refused to fade.
The hosts gradually increased the pressure, and their persistence finally paid off in the 83rd minute.
Tyrique George brings Everton back
Everton’s summer arrival Tyrique George produced the first of the hosts’ two late goals.
The winger’s powerful effort beat Lammens and brought Everton level at 1-1 with less than 10 minutes remaining.
At that point, momentum appeared to be shifting toward Moyes’ team.
But United had another response.
And it nearly won them the match.
Sesko appears to break Everton hearts
With only two minutes remaining in normal time, Manchester United regained the lead.
Substitute Benjamin Sesko rose to meet Luke Shaw’s delivery and headed the ball beyond Pickford to make it 2-1.
The goal looked like it would settle the contest.
United had twice held the advantage.
This time, surely, the three points were theirs.
They were not.
The 96th-minute shock
Everton pushed forward once again in stoppage time.
Then came the moment that will dominate the headlines.
Maitland-Niles struck from distance, sending a spectacular effort into the top corner and sending the home crowd into celebration.
The final score:
Everton 2, Manchester United 2.
The goal was virtually the last kick of the game.
A point that feels very different for both teams
The result keeps Everton unbeaten after three Premier League matches.
Reuters reported that Everton moved to five points, placing them eighth, while Manchester United have four points and sit 11th after the opening three matches.
For Moyes, the comeback provides evidence of resilience from a team that had to respond from behind twice.
The manager’s second-half substitutions, including the introduction of Maitland-Niles, ultimately proved decisive. Everton also benefited from the attacking impact of new arrival George.
For United manager Michael Carrick, however, the result will be much harder to digest.
United had taken the lead twice.
Twice they were ahead.
Twice they failed to protect it.
United’s defensive problem is becoming impossible to ignore
The biggest concern for Manchester United is not simply that they conceded a spectacular goal.
It is the manner in which they surrendered a winning position.
United appeared to have the match under control after Sesko’s 88th-minute header, only for Everton to find space and create one final opportunity.
Carrick acknowledged that conceding the equalizer was painful, with United having twice been in position to take all three points.
That makes the dropped points more significant than the final score alone suggests.
A team hoping to climb the Premier League table cannot repeatedly surrender late leads.
And United have now experienced exactly that against Everton.
Everton’s unbeaten start gets another boost
For Everton, the story is very different.
The club entered the match unbeaten and leaves it with that record intact.
The point also provides a significant psychological boost after a turbulent end to the transfer window, with the club dealing with squad changes and attacking concerns.
Maitland-Niles’ arrival could hardly have received a better introduction.
He had less than 20 minutes to make an impact.
He needed only one moment.
And he produced one that Everton supporters are unlikely to forget anytime soon.
The Premier League season is only beginning—but the warning signs are already there
It is far too early to draw major conclusions from three matches.
But Sunday’s match offered two very different early-season messages.
Everton showed that they can keep fighting even when a match appears to be slipping away.
Manchester United showed that attacking quality can put them in winning positions—but defensive concentration must last until the final whistle.
The difference between three points and one came down to a single extraordinary strike.
Maitland-Niles provided it.
And with that, a match Manchester United thought they had won became a night Everton supporters will remember as one of their most dramatic early-season escapes.
United had the victory in their hands.
Maitland-Niles simply refused to let them keep it.
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