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Manchester United were held to a dour 1-1 draw by Everton at Old Trafford in the Premier League. That has increased the pressure on their beleaguered manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Anthony Martial's opening goal was cancelled out by Andros Townsend in the 65th-minute, leaving the Red Devils with just two home wins in their last seven games.
Despite a changed line-up, the hosts created a few half-chances. But it wasn't until Bruno Fernandes found a clear opening in Everton's defence that allowed United to take the lead. He brilliantly picked out Martial, who was unmarked on the left, as the Frenchman then scampered forward to connect with the ball and fire home an unstoppable effort.
The Toffees were decent in the first stanza. But their quality eventually showed after the break in a well-worked counter-attack that ended with Townsend firing home the equaliser.
United quickly upped the ante, throwing in the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Pogba and Jadon Sancho. But they struggled to break down Everton, who stayed deep in their half and held firm. Ronaldo, the hero in Untied's Champions League victory earlier this week, missed two good chances, while Sancho came close to scoring the winner in the game's dying embers.
Eventually, Everton forced a share of the spoils to become the first team to draw away at United in consecutive seasons. On that note, here are the key talking points from the game:
#5 Old Trafford no longer a fortress
It's almost like those harrowing days of David Moyes, under whom Old Trafford lost its sheen and became a happy hunting ground for visiting sides.
Now, under Solsjkaer, the Theatre of Dreams is once again looking less like a fortress and more like a theatre of nightmares. United have now won only two of their last seven home games, having won eight of their previous ten.
Back-to-back home defeats to West Ham and Aston Villa in the league and Carabao Cup were embarrassing enough. Everton's draw on Saturday adds to United's misery at home.
If it wasn't for Ronaldo's stoppage-time heroics against Villarreal on Wednesday, it could've been four winless games in a row at home for the Red Devils. But that does little to mask the issue at hand.
Once an impenetrable fortress where away sides feared coming, Old Trafford has, sadly become a fertile ground for visiting teams. Visitors simply aren't intimidated at Old Trafford, or so it seems.
#4 Everton catch Manchester United on the break
Knowing that United are going to dominate possession, Everton were content sitting back and hitting their mighty rivals on the break. That ploy yielded rich dividends in the second half, helping Everton claim a share of the spoils.
Demarai Gray, the real architect of the goal, produced a good run before snatching the ball off Fred. He then fed Doucoure, who raced forward. United were too slow to catch up. That allowed Gray to evade three red shirts to feed an unmarked Townsend to finish the job.
The former Crystal Palace man made no mistake. He took a touch before firing into the bottom corner to leave De Gea stranded. He then followed up by his 'Siuuu' celebration.
#3 Anthony Martial grabs his chance
Anthony Martial has been somewhat of a fringe figure at Manchester United this season. That is courtesy of the array of attacking talents in United's ranks this season. Even in the few opportunities given to him, the Frenchman offered no great shakes.
Against Everton, Solskjaer pinned his faith in the Frenchman once again, but this time, Martial vindicated his manager's decision with a key goal. That eventually proved key in United claiming a point from the game.
After two near misses, the 25-year-old saw an opening in the Everton defence. He had the time and space to run into a pass laid by Bruno Fernandes, before letting rip a sumptuous strike to give United the lead on the night.
It was his first goal of the season and possibly his life-saver too. Martial needs to produce the goods more consistently, though, considering the intense competition for places in the United squad.
#2 VAR rescues United, not Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo has been bailing United out lately. But against Everton, there was a new saviour for them - the video assistant referee - who chalked off Yerry Mina's 86th-minute winner for Everton.
The Colombian centre-back appeared to have given the Toffees an unlikely win at Old Trafford. That could've been Everton's first since December 2013. But the goal was eventually chalked off for offside.
That indeed proved to be the case. Mina went forward a tad too early before Tom Davies squared the ball to him
#1 Ole Solsjkaer may need to leave soon
If it wasn't already clear already, Saturday's match served another reminder that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may not be the right man at the helm at United. The 13-time Premier League winners probably deserve someone more tactically astute to get the best out of the star-studded team.
As was seen in the last few games, the Red Devils once again lacked a cutting edge in the final third. More frustratingly, they threw away another hard-earned lead, which has become a worrying pattern now.
Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival was supposed to take United up a few more notches. But, instead, he has been left to be the match-saver almost every time. With no such heroics from him on Saturday, the Toffees snatched a well-deserved point.
With proven names like Antonio Conte and Zinedine Zidane available in the market, United have proven options to replace Solskjaer with. As things have gone this season, United could endure another trophyless campaign if they persist with Solskjaer for the entirety of the season.
