Everton twice came from behind to draw with Manchester United in a 3-3 draw during an entertaining battle at Old Trafford. 

The Blues started brightly, looking confident and were willing to attack the United defence especially down the left flank. Lucas Digne and Richarlison were linking up well which was paired with an element of midfield grit in the form of Tom Davies and Andre Gomes putting in some tackles and interceptions. Despite the good Everton performance in the early proceedings, United took the lead after 25 minutes, when Marcus Rashford’s superb cross found Edinson Cavani at the back post, and the Uruguayan powered his header past Robin Olsen.

The defending for the opener left little to be admired as Michael Keane and Mason Holgate were caught ball watching, allowing the Uruguayan to ghost in between the two defenders with relative ease. Things went from bad to worse for the Toffees as just before half-time it was 2-0, when Bruno Fernandes spotted Olsen off his line and brilliantly lobbed him from the edge of the box.

The second half was a different story with the Toffees getting themselves back in the game after Carlo’s men flew out the gates, when Calvert-Lewin’s attempted cross was spilled by De Gea into the path of Abdoulaye Doucouré to tap in. Moments later the game was 2-2, when Doucouré laid it off for James Rodriguez, and the Colombian buried his effort into the bottom corner. The midfielder was about to be dragged off for Gylfi Sigurdsson but Ancelotti had the tactical nous to keep him on and the decision paid off with the equaliser coming because of it.

However, with 20 minutes to go, United went back in front. A free-kick was delivered into the box by Luke Shaw, and Scott McTominay’s header crept past Olsen. The Swedish keeper didn’t cover himself in glory as the on-loan Roma stopper lost his footing causing a relatively weak header to nestle in the bottom left corner. It looked like the three points belonged to United until, deep into stoppage time, a ball into the box found its way to Calvert-Lewin, and he finished past De Gea for a dramatic finale.

The point will be a welcome one for the Blues due to the circumstances they found themselves in and there were plenty of positives to take from the performance. One being that Everton showed composure and character to come back twice against a title challenger. This paired with the fact that the Red Devils were largely dominant in the game will leave fans pleasantly surprised. 

Although the last minute winner from Calvert-Lewin will be the main point of interest, the defending for the Blues wasn’t convincing at times. The lack of any marking for United’s first as well as Tom Davies failing to close down Fernandes for his screamer will be worrying. The seclusion of Yerry Mina was a questionable one as, although it was most likely for rest reasons, it seems as if the towering defender could’ve prevented both the first and third goals that the Toffees conceded.

A player to highlight is Abdoulaye Doucoure who was the main man in dragging Everton back into the game early in the second half with a goal and an assist which is something fans have been begging the french midfielder to do more often. His energy and powerful running has been invaluable this season and he is quickly looking like a smart signing.

That point takes the Toffees up to sixth, three points behind fourth-placed Liverpool with a game in hand. Next for Ancelotti’s men is Tottenham in the FA Cup before they return to league action hosting Fulham.

Player Ratings:

Robin Olsen – 5

Lucas Digne – 7

Michael Keane – 6

Ben Godfrey – 7 

Mason Holgate – 5

Abdoulaye Doucouré – 8.5 (MOTM)

Andre Gomes – 7

Tom Davies – 6

James Rodriguez – 7

Dominic Calvert-Lewin – 7

Richarlison – 5

Subs:

Joshua King – N/A

Alexander Iwobi – 5

Gylfi Sigurðsson – 5