September 9: Manchester United's 2-2 Draw Reveals Biggest Weakness, £70 Million Star Struggles, Carrick May Drop Him

On September 6 in Premier League Matchweek 3, Manchester United drew 2-2 away at Everton. Cunha started and played until the 70th minute, taking two shots without hitting the target and losing possession 11 times; Sesko headed in to make it 2-1 in the 88th minute. Everton scored again in the sixth minute of stoppage time, turning United's three points into one.

In the 8th minute of the first half, Bruno Fernandes' volley hit the frame of the goal. In the 22nd minute, Rashford's cutback cross found Cunha at the far post, but his effort went over. The first half ended 0-0 between Manchester United and Everton.

In the 46th minute of the second half, Mbeumo cut inside from the wing and scored, putting Manchester United 1-0 ahead. After this goal, United still dominated possession, but their final attacking actions were unstable. Cunha had limited involvement during this period, with a weak presence in hold-up play and penalty-area challenges.

In the 62nd minute, Rashford broke through and played a backheel pass, but Cunha failed to complete the shot after contact with a defender. This moment showed that he wanted to create an opportunity, but his link-up was half a step too slow and the chance disappeared.

In the 69th minute, Manchester United substituted Cunha and Rashford at the same time, bringing on Sesko and Dorgu. Cunha's final statistics were 70 minutes played, two shots, zero shots on target, 28 passes with 22 completed, and 11 turnovers in possession. Some post-match ratings gave him 6.45, with a passing accuracy of around 79%. As a striker signed as a £70 million-level addition, with Manchester United paying €74 million to sign him from Wolves in 2025, this output was not considered sufficient.

In the 83rd minute, Everton equalized. In the 88th minute, Luke Shaw crossed from the left and Sesko scored with a header to make it 2-1. Sesko had only come on in the 69th minute and scored within less than 20 minutes, showing more direct movement and penalty-area positioning than Cunha in this match.

Everton scored again in the sixth minute of stoppage time, with the match ending 2-2. Carrick said after the game that the team failed to secure victory despite leading twice, handled the closing stages poorly, and although Everton's two goals were high quality, the responsibility belonged to Manchester United themselves.

Cunha's issue is not simply failing to score in one match. He had two shots with zero on target, lost possession 11 times, and also missed the far-post effort in the 22nd minute. The support play, hold-up ability, and penalty-area finishing expected from a striker did not appear. United paid a fee above the £70 million level to bring him in, expecting not only movement into wide areas but also finishing and physical battles in the box.

Sesko offered another solution in this match. His header goal came from simple and direct positioning and timing. In a short period, he looked more like a traditional penalty-box number nine than Cunha. However, Sesko only played this limited period, so the sample size is too small to judge Cunha as a failed signing based on one match.

The two goals conceded by Manchester United should be viewed separately. Everton's equalizer in the 83rd minute and their long-range goal in the sixth minute of stoppage time should not be attributed only to Cunha. After midfield substitutions, Mainoo was replaced in the 84th minute by Santos, and Dalot was replaced in the 84th minute by Yoro. Late midfield control, pressing around the edge of the box, and defensive positioning in stoppage time were team issues, not just a striker problem.

Cunha has also failed to produce consistently in the first three matches of the new season. Against Ipswich in Matchweek 2, he provided an assist and won a penalty, but against Everton in Matchweek 3 he again recorded zero goals and zero shots on target. For a player used both as a number 10 and a striker, fluctuations are possible, but two shots with zero on target and 11 lost possessions over 70 minutes showed that his touch decisions and physical duels did not meet the standard expected of a Premier League starting striker in this match.

If Carrick continues starting Cunha, he needs to give him clearer movement instructions. Cunha should not be asked to both carry the ball from wide areas and act as a penalty-box target. Sesko may be better suited to starting against deeper defensive setups that require aerial ability and penalty-area finishing.

In this 2-2 draw, Manchester United were leading 1-0 before Cunha was substituted, went 2-1 ahead after Sesko came on, and then conceded again in stoppage time. Taken together, these three points show that United do not only lack a striker, nor is Cunha the only person to blame. Finishing from the striker, substitute usage, and stoppage-time defending were three separate issues exposed in the same match.

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