Manchester United were only able to secure a 2-2 draw with Everton at the Hill Dickinson this afternoon, but Michael Carrick will be disappointed his side were unable to secure all three points.
Benjamin Sesko looked to have secured all three points for the Red Devils in the 88th minute, but Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ last-minute strike was enough to secure the hosts’ a point.
As a result, Carrick’s men have now secured four points from their first three games of the campaign, after losing to Hull City and beating Ipswich Town last weekend.
However, the manager will no doubt be disappointed with the efforts of numerous of his starters, who ultimately struggled to provide the goods on Merseyside.
Man Utd’s poor performers against Everton
Full-back Diogo Dalot is a player who has constantly divided opinion amongst supporters in Manchester, with his showing against Everton once again getting fans talking.
The Portuguese international offered very little in attacking areas, subsequently failing to complete any of the dribbles or crosses he attempted in the final third.
Even without the ball, the 27-year-old struggled to impress, as seen by his tally of 70% duels lost – often seeing him being best when trying to shrug the opponent off the ball.
Fellow defender Harry Maguire also failed to deliver and produced a rare disappointing showing – with his underlying stats showcasing his struggles against the Toffees.
The England international failed to win any of the ground duels he entered during the draw, whilst failing to make a single tackle – resulting in the hosts netting twice.
His struggles were compounded by his booking in the 79th minute, subsequently being shown a yellow card after venting his frustrations to referee John Brooks.
Why one United player is becoming the next Martial
Anthony Martial was a player for United who often left supporters confused as to which version would show up due to his unpredictable and inconsistent nature within attacking areas.
The Frenchman, who joined from AS Monaco back in 2015, made 269 appearances for the Red Devils and netted 79 times – including his infamous debut goal against Liverpool at Old Trafford.
However, he was utilised in a variety of attacking roles in a bid to get the best out of the forward – who was capable of featuring off the left or through the middle.
Concerns were often raised about Martial’s ability to do the basics right and maintain possession for his side, something which Matheus Cunha was guilty of during this afternoon’s stalemate.
For the third game in a row, the Brazilian started as a makeshift centre-forward instead of Sesko, rather than utilising the forward in his preferred left-wing position.
Such a decision saw the 27-year-old struggle once again, with his underlying figures showcasing how disappointing he was during the score draw on Merseyside.
Cunha featured for 70 minutes of the clash this afternoon, but failed to win any of the three aerial battles he entered – subsequently failing to provide the focal point Carrick craves.
His similarity to Martial in terms of wastefulness was evident as he lost possession 11 times in his 42 touches – resulting in him giving the ball away every four times he touched it.
|
Matheus Cunha – stats against Everton |
|
|---|---|
|
Statistics |
Tally |
|
Minutes played |
70 |
|
Touches |
42 |
|
Pass accuracy |
79% |
|
Possession lost |
11x |
|
Shots taken |
2 |
|
Duels lost |
55% |
|
Aerials won |
0 |
|
Dribbles completed |
0 |
The Brazilian’s wasteful nature was also evident in front of goal, as he failed to direct any of his two efforts on target and once again failed to get on the scoresheet.
His misery would have been compounded when Sesko scored late off the bench, with the Slovenian undoubtedly staking his claim to regain the number nine role for the club’s next game.
After such a showing, Carrick will certainly be tempted to drop the big-money man from his starting eleven, with the attacker unfortunately a way off his best at present.
His similarity to Martial is starting to become more apparent week on week, with the forward needing to avoid suffering the same fate as the Frenchman in the near future.