The Red Devils have conceded twice in each of their three league matches so far this season, and they were held to a 2-2 draw with Everton after a last-minute Ainsley Maitland-Niles stunner.
Manchester United legend Gary Neville (Picture: Sky Sports) Gary Neville cannot see Manchester United’s defensive struggles improving anytime soon after a deflating Premier League draw with Everton. Michael Carrick’s side dropped points for the second time in three games as they were twice pegged back by Everton in a 2-2 draw. After a goalless first half, Bryan Mbeumo gave the Red Devils the lead just after half-time and that goal appeared to be guiding United to a narrow win. But former Chelsea midfielder Tyrique George beat Senne Lammens with a powerful strike on 83 minutes to equalise for the Toffees. Exclusive Premier League previews Get ahead of the start of the season with our weekly football newsletter. Sign up now for free. Everton’s joy was short-lived, however, as Benjamin Sesko then headed Manchester United back in front in the 88th minute. That looked to have secured the victory but ex-Arsenal star Ainsley Maitland-Niles scored a brilliant equaliser with virtually the last kick of the game to earn Everton a point. Neville is concerned by Manchester United’s defence, which has conceded two goals in all three of their Premier League games so far this season, including two against newly-promoted Hull City and Ipswich Town. Everton scored an injury-time equaliser against Man Utd (Picture: Reuters) The Old Trafford legend was particularly critical of Dorgu, saying he made a ‘massive mistake’ in the build-up to Everton’s last-gasp equaliser. ‘Manchester United are conceding two goals a game, you can’t concede two goals a game,’ Neville said on his Sky Sports podcast. ‘With the questions asked since the transfer window regarding the defence, United needed to win today and they couldn’t concede goals. Lazy analysis will say they conceded two spectacular goals. Everton twice came behind to snatch a point (Picture: Getty) ‘The Maitland-Niles goal is a really bad one. Dorgu for some reason chases out and presses, an isolated press. It gets played past Dorgu – it’s a massive mistake, a lack of communication. ‘United had to change their back four during the match. Yoro coming on at right-back highlights the problem – he plays so narrow. ‘A lot happens before the ball goes in the net. When you’re playing away holding onto a result, you have to push up and don’t do stupid things. Michael Carrick’s side are struggling defensively (Picture: Getty) ‘They could have stopped the goal at source. I was screaming as it happened as they had to be organised, they weren’t organised in the final few minutes. ‘Teams think they have a chance against them. I played in a Man Utd team where teams, in the period between Peter Schmeichel and Edwin Van Der Sar, did feel they had a chance against us at Old Trafford and we weren’t quite good enough defensively. ‘Teams have the feeling that they can score. That’s a horrible place to be at.’ "We should have seen the game out" 😕A disappointed Michael Carrick reacts to Man Utd's draw with Everton. pic.twitter.com/KtrBajBU2Y— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) September 6, 2026 Manchester United will likely face an even bigger test next weekend when they welcome local rivals Manchester City to the Theatre of Dreams. ‘It puts a bit of pressure on Manchester United as they have Man City next week and a European game in midweek,’ Neville added. ‘Michael Carrick is trying to build a trust with his team and with the fans that he can repeat what he did last season. ‘That game should have been won today. Everton weren’t at it in the first half. They let Everton back into the game. ‘They have a liability of conceding goals and it’s not going away. That is my fear. Conceding goals will hunt them and chase them down the road. ‘I’m not sure how Carrick will deal with it as he’s already got his best back four on the pitch. Why did Shaw and Dalot go off with five minutes to go? Ruben Amorin and Erik ten Hag changed their back four too. ‘You can’t be changing your back four. There’s not much behind the first choice. So you can
After the 2-1 win against Al Nassr in the 26-27 Saudi Pro League, Al Ittihad sent a sharp message to star Cristiano Ronaldo: "Cheating and still losing." Cristiano Ronaldo suffered his first setback of the 2026-27 campaign as Al Ittihad asserted their dominance on Matchday 4 of the Saudi Pro League. Following the final whistle, the victorious hosts seized the moment to fire a pointed message at the Al Nassr star on social media: “Cheating and still losing.“ Playing at Alinma Stadium, Al Ittihad surged to a fast start behind George Ilenikhena, who struck twice in the opening 22 minutes to build an early 2-0 cushion. Angelo managed to cut into the deficit in the 36th minute, but with a disciplined home defense sitting deep, Al Nassr were unable to break through for an equalizer in the second half. For Ronaldo, the fixture marked his third start of the 2026-27 season and his first full 90-minute appearance after appearing as a late substitute in the previous two matches. However, the Portuguese icon struggled to influence proceedings, managing just two shots on target across 16 total touches as Al Ittihad restricted his impact. One of the match’s lighter moments occurred when Al Ittihad captain Danilo Pereira received tactical instructions written on a slip of paper from manager Jens Wissing. Ronaldo approached his former international teammate to sneak a glance at the note, prompting Pereira to laugh and jokingly hold the paper out to the Al Nassr captain in a friendly exchange. كريستيانو رونالدو يحاول قراءة ورقة التوجيهات الخاصة بمدرب الاتحاد 🔥🎥#الاتحاد_النصر | #دوري_روشن_السعودي pic.twitter.com/5x5rZYxsdQ— رياضة ثمانية (@thmanyahsports) September 5, 2026 However, after securing the 2-1 victory to preserve their unbeaten start to the season, Al Ittihad took a direct shot at Al Nassr and their marquee superstar online. “Cheating and still losing,” posted Al Ittihad’s official English X account, producing a viral response that generated millions of impressions across soccer fanbases. Cheating and still losing! 🔥🤷🏻♂️#Alittihad_Alnassr pic.twitter.com/58nU2o0EhG— Al-Ittihad Club (@ittihad_en) September 5, 2026 Tough day in the office for Al Nassr The early two-goal cushion allowed Al Ittihad to concede possession and protect their lead behind a compact defensive block. In the second half, Al Nassr held 62 percent of the ball and earned 11 corner kicks, but despite firing 13 total shots, Ronaldo’s side failed to unlock the equalizer. When asked about the team’s fight in his post-match press conference, head coach Ange Postecoglou stood firm: “I think it depends on how you evaluate the match. From what I saw, after the opening 15 minutes, there was only one team creating clear opportunities, and that was us. If you want to discuss character, this group proved last year and continues to demonstrate this season that they possess tremendous character.“ The mounting frustration was equally apparent in forward Joao Felix, who will be suspended for Al Nassr’s upcoming SPL fixture against Abha on Wednesday. Visibly incensed by officiating decisions during the match, the Portuguese international bypassed reporters in the mixed zone with a brief parting comment. “I won’t speak to you, because if I do, I’ll expose this league,” Felix stated as he was heading to the team bus.
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