A Player Who Went 2,808 Days Without a Goal Tears Apart Manchester United's Entire Defense With One Shot: Who Should Take the Blame?

2,808 days.

That is the amount of time between Maitland-Niles' previous Premier League goal and his latest goal today.

110 Premier League appearances, 2 goals. His previous goal came on December 29, 2018, when he scored for Arsenal against Liverpool. Today, wearing an Everton shirt, he came on as a substitute and after 19 minutes fired a first-time shot from outside the box into the top corner — a rare breakthrough moment that came against Manchester United.

But I want to ask: can all the blame really be placed on “luck”?

First, look at the match. In the 46th second of the second half, Mbeumo cut inside and scored after a solo run. In the 83rd minute, George equalized with a powerful shot from a tight angle on the right side. In the 88th minute, substitute Sesko scored with a header, putting Manchester United back ahead 2-1. In the 96th minute of stoppage time, Maitland-Niles scored a stunning equalizer.

Two spectacular goals. George's powerful strike had an expected goals value of just 0.04. Maitland-Niles' long-range goal had an expected goals value of 0.03 — shots totaling less than 0.07 in xG took away the three points Manchester United had appeared to secure.

In the broadcast footage, George was positioned near the top of the penalty arc before his goal, and an Everton teammate even passed the ball to him from that area — the space between Manchester United's midfielders and center-backs was so open that it appeared enormous.

Was it simply bad luck?

Now look at the full-match statistics: Everton had 18 shots and 6 on target, while Manchester United had only 14 shots and 3 on target. Everton's expected goals were 1.01 compared with Manchester United's 0.72. Having 55% possession but failing to control the match — what kind of control is that when the opponent gets 18 shots?

The real issue has never been those two spectacular goals, but why Manchester United allowed their opponents 18 opportunities to shoot.

As fitness levels dropped in the second half, pressing and defensive recovery became noticeably slower. But the deeper issue is that this defense has relied on the same group of players to carry the burden for years. Luke Shaw has started 41 consecutive matches for Manchester United, contributing assists and blocks, but he has already struggled to keep up with younger players' pace. Maguire is still starting. The highest-valued “left-back” remains injured. The left winger signed from Barcelona has not yet had the fitness to complete a full match.

Not signing players in the summer? This calculation was too conservative. Manchester United have conceded two goals in each of their first three Premier League matches of the new season. The Champions League starts next week, followed by the Manchester derby the weekend after — with this fragile defense, how will they cope?

Wilcox! Berrada! Ratcliffe!! This is the era you wished for.

A. It was simply bad luck! Two spectacular goals with a combined expected goals value below 0.07 — nobody could have stopped them!

B. Blaming luck is just self-deception! Allowing 18 shots and leaving the top of the box constantly exposed are the real problems!

C. Stop arguing. If the defense has not been changed for a decade, the management is the main party responsible!