Match Report Everton got off to the perfect start against Manchester United as Alex Iwobi scored a fine early goal but they then gifted Erik ten Hag’s men the opportunity to turn the game on its head in the first half and couldn’t recover despite a late push at the end. Iwobi curled home beautifully from 25 yards to put Frank Lampard’s men a goal up after just five minutes but the Nigerian was involved in the mix-up with Idrissa Gueye that let United in for the equaliser nine minutes later and was then caught in possession just before half-time, allowing the visitors to take a lead into half-time. After what had turned into a dreadful first-half display, the Blues grew back into the contest as the second half wore on, particularly after debutant James Garner and then Dominic Calvert-Lewin had come on with a quarter of an hour left. The former was denied superbly in stoppage time by David de Gea after Amadou Onana had almost levelled but Everton were left ruing those first-half slips for the ending of their seven-match unbeaten run. Lampard dropped last weekend’s match-winner, Dwight McNeil, back to the bench to allow the scorer of the only goal in this fixture last season, Anthony Gordon, to start as the only change from the team that lined up at Southampton. And, starting with an intense posture, Everton forced Casimero into an early mistake, with Onana dispossessing the Brazilian and giving Demarai Gray a chance to drive at the opposition defence before flicking a deflected ball to the side that Iwobi controlled and then side-footed home superbly. The next chance for either side fell to United, though, as Iwobi and Gueye tried to exchange passes under pressure in the centre circle, the Senegalese mis-controlled and the intercepted ball was worked quickly to Antony who had time to sweep it past Jordan Pickford and level things up. Ten Hag was forced into an early change when Anthony Martial had to come off for Cristiano Ronaldo because of an injury but after Casimero had planted a gilt-edged chance wide in the 41st minute, the Dutchman saw his side take the lead. Iwobi was tackled trying to dribble past his man halfway inside United’s half and, just like the equaliser, the ball was pinged straight down the channel to a red jersey and Ronaldo did the rest, advancing into the box and then drilling it through Pickford’s legs. Chances were few and far between for the hosts and they didn’t fashion a meaningful one until the 62nd minute when Iwobi volleyed back across the penalty area but Seamus Coleman couldn’t divert the ball goal-wards. Eight minutes later, Onana headed not far over from a corner while Christian Eriksen lashed narrowly over at the other end before Marcus Rashford thought he had made the game safe nine minutes from time. A deep De Gea kick was flicked on by Ronaldo while Iwobi, who had dropped into right-back after Garner had replaced Coleman, was beaten in the air by Rashford who was able to spin onto the loose ball, win his duel with James Tarkowski and then knock the ball home after Pickford had got a foot to his initial shot. The goal was ruled out by Video Assistant Referee Andre Marriner, however, after a handball by the United striker had been spotted on the replay. That gave Everton a lifeline heading into the last few minutes and Onana had a good chance to equalise in the 90th minute but could only glance his header wide and a minute later, De Gea came up big to finger-tip Garner’s curling shot behind and away from the arriving Onana at the back post. From the resulting corner, Calvert-Lewin could only drop a header wide at the far post while Pickford came up for the last two set-pieces as Everton desperately tried to force the ball home in time added on but it wasn’t to be. Lyndon Lloyd top Matchday Updates Everton got off to a brilliant start at home to Manchester United but then played the most dreadful football to squander two goals that could easily have been six. Better in the second half, but no end product. And this is finally the game where Dominic Calvert-Lewin returns to the matchday squad after a long and frustrating injury absence, albeit only on the bench as Frank Lampard continues his protective management of the star Everton striker. Anthony Gordon comes back into the side after his illness problems last weekend, at the expense of Southampton goalscorer, Dwight McNeil, who drops to the bench. Mina and Holgate were also declared fit but are not on the bench, with Patterson and Godfrey still out injured. The visitors kicked off under the lights at Goodison Park, they went back to their goalkeeper but Gordon picked up the ball and accelerated down the right his cross overhit very poorly. Everton had to defend the early play from the opposition, and struggled to get the ball forward.The Blues finally got forward and Demarai Gray passed brilliantly to Iwobi who finished superbly with absolute precision into the top corner past De Ghea. A fantastic start!But Everton came under severe pressure and had to resist some tremendous attacking from Manchester United. Onana tried to feed Maupay but it didn’t come off.Idrissa Gana Gueye made a terrible mistake as Everton were trying to play forward and Anthony danced through a backtracking defence to beat Pickford. Man Utd kept the pressure up, with the Blues now rattled and increasingly lacking in confidence. Another horrendous giveaway by Gana invited another goal, Pickford this time clawing it away to his right. Another absolutely frightening moment in defence saw a real muddle and it seemed certain Man Utd would score again but miraculously they didn’t. And yet another ridiculous chance only saved by a brilliant intervention by Onana but Man Utd were offside. Everton tried to play out down the right but Gray overhit his pass. The Blues were again pushed back, repeated dreadful passes preventing them from breaking out when they rarely got the ball, as Ronaldo came on for Martial. Some ridiculous Everton play at the back ended with Pickford playing it out. A free-kick allowed some forward play but Iwobi’s cross was not good enough, and Everton were under pressure again, with Man Utd in almost complete control and Everton chronically incapable of holding onto the ball. The Everton turnovers were becoming ridiculous and they finally saw Fernandes force the ball into the net but the Blues were saved by the offside flag. The utter incompetence of the Everton play was simply incomprehensible at times. A rare Everton venture forward saw Gordon give the ball up cheaply and the one-way traffic resumed. A great ball in from Rashford for Casamiro was incredibly headed wide when it seemed easier for him to score. They did score when Ronaldo was released down the left after Iwobi was easily disposed and he had no hesitation, slotting his 700th goal past Pickford.One fantastic moment in the first half, followed by the most dreadful exhibition imaginable from Everton. Utterly shocking and embarrassing. Would Lampard make some changes at half-time to try and affect the far too predictable course of this horrendous game? Of course not. Everton restarted the game and lost the ball with more lousy passing. Gordon was easily shoved off the ball by Shaw. Eriksen easily overlapped and crossed, eventually getting a corner that Man Utd wasted.Onana tried to be too clever and gifted the ball to Ronaldo but his pass was covered. Then he was late with a poor tackle and saw Taylor’s yellow card. Shaw was all over Gordon, and Iwobi when he tried to run down the Everton right. Everton won a free kick but it bounced past Onana and out. Then Gray did one of his runs and clipped the ball to 5’-7†Maupay, it glanced off the top of his head and away. Gueye tried to play Gordon in with a long ball but he was easily shepherded behind. A much better move from Gordon, to Gray to Mykolyenko, back across to Iwobi… but then crossed harmlessly and out. But Gordon then decided to make a needless and reckless tackle on Fernades for his fifth yellow card of the season. The Man Utd free-kick was delivered superbly but fortunately bounced through to Pickford. A great ball in seemed to be a perfect chance for Gordon to head home. Gordon as finally pulled for Dwight McNeil. Everton attacked but the ball just would not run for them. But a great bit of play by Onana won a corner that he then leapt very high for but headed over. Man Utd attacked but it was more confidently defended except for the poor ball forward from Pickford that saw Everton under pressure again until the offside flag saved them. Another sweeping Man Utd move saw Eriksen shoot a foot r so over Pickford’s bar as Lampard finally decided on a double substitution as Rashford shot wide. Garner and Calvert-Lewin on for Coleman and Gana. Everton held the ball better and tried to set up Calvert-Lewin but he jumped too early. And to rub the salt in, Rashford got a lucky bounce past Tarkowski and he could finish with ease. But it was handled by Rashford in the process. No goal. Everton had a lot more possession in the last few minutes but it was too little, too late. They huffed and puffed but the game was long gone, even if the margin of defeat was still just one goal. A good ball in from Gray was glanced wide off Onana’s head. They came desperately close with a ball in to the far post that De Ghea batted off Onana’s head, and from the corner it was headed inches wide. They came desperately close with a ball in to the far post that De Ghea batted off Onana’s head, and from the corner it was headed inches wide. Everton pressed and pressed in added time, winning a late corner, Pickford coming forward, and he almost got on the end of it., and stayed up for another corner… and then a third, but it just would not go in. Better in the second half but that first half was an absolute disgrace. Everton:  Pickford, Coleman (75’ Garner), Coady, Tarkowski, Mykolenko, Gana (76’ Calvert-Lewin), Onana [Y:51’] , Iwobi, Gray, Gordon [Y:63’] (67’ McNeil), Maupay (84’ Rondon).Subs not Used:  Begovic, Keane, Davies, Vinagre, John.Manchester United:  De Gea, Lindelöf, Martinez, Fernandes, Martial (28’ Ronaldo), Rashford, Eriksen (82’ McTominay [Y:85’]), Casemiro, Dalot, Antony (90+3’Varane), Shaw. Subs not Used:  Heaton, Malacia, Fred, Sancho, Pellistri, Elanga. Michael Kenrick top Match Preview With the benefit of hindsight, this could have been a benchmark game for Everton. Granted, this iteration of Manchester United isn’t anywhere near the best that have come to Goodison Park in the Premier League era but, as they proved on what was a disappointing and somewhat sobering afternoon from the Blues’ perspective, they have plenty of talent in their ranks. So it proved, and in the context of how it played out, had Everton won this match, it would have been something of statement for the nascent Frank Lampard revolution… and not just because a victory would have vaulted the Toffees above both United and Liverpool in the table with a quarter of the season gone. They certainly gave themselves every chance by taking an early lead thanks to a sublime Alex Iwobi strike but then let themselves down badly with costly sloppiness in possession, a fair degree of tactical naïvété and a general inability to effectively move the ball forward or create chances until the very end by which point they hadn’t left themselves enough time to get anything from the contest. In the grand scheme of a season that had yielded a six-match unbeaten run in the league and provided enough evidence from the games that followed their previous defeat at Aston Villa to suggest that relegation won’t be a genuine concern, today’s defeat should be a mere set-back; a reality check on any premature delusions of a tilt at Europe after successive wins and some complacency that appeared to characterise some of Everton’s play in the aftermath of Iwobi’s goal. Some of it was just too casual at times, not least when Iwobi and Idrissa Gueye tried to exchange passes in the centre-circle with a quarter of an hour gone and the Senegal international allowed the ball to get away from him with a very poor touch in the Nigerian’s slightly overhit return ball and within seconds, United had wiped out Everton’s lead. Iwobi himself was robbed of the ball for the visitors’ second goal but he was in a much more advanced position; in an area of the field where you want your most creative player trying to beat a man. The problem for Lampard was that it again took just seconds for the ball to be worked to United’s forward line and to end up in his side’s net. When the boot was on the other foot in situations that were supposed to suit Everton’s counter-attacking game plan, the same outlets simply weren’t there, most likely because the likes of Anthony Gordon and Demarai Gray were sitting deep in an effort to keep Lampard’s defensive shape when the hosts didn’t have the ball. Gray had his moments and was often among the Blues’ most dangerous players but Gordon was hugely disappointing; as ineffective as at any time in his young career, but this was not a display that played to the 21-year-old’s still limited strengths. More alarming was Everton’s general inability to get the ball forward through the lines on a day when they insisted on playing out from the back without an out-ball and it was reflected in possession stats that favoured the visitors 70% to 30% in what was an abysmal first half and a pitiful tally of just two shots on target from the home side across the 90 minutes. If nothing else, it will give Lampard and his staff plenty to learn from and work on with the players as they plot the next step in the team’s evolution. Lampard had dropped last weekend’s match winner, Dwight McNeil, back to the bench to allow the scorer of the only goal in this fixture last season, Gordon, to start as the only change from the team that lined up at Southampton. And, starting with an intense posture, Everton forced Casimero into an early mistake, with Amadou Onana dispossessing the Brazilian and giving Gray a chance to drive at the opposition defence before flicking a deflected ball to the side that Iwobi controlled and then side-footed home superbly. The next chance for either side fell to United, though, as Iwobi and Gueye’s attempted link-up was intercepted, the ball was worked quickly to Antony who had time to sweep it past Jordan Pickford and level things up. Ten Hag was forced into an early change when Anthony Martial had to come off for Cristiano Ronaldo because of an injury but after Casimero had planted a gilt-edged chance wide in the 41st minute, the Dutchman saw his side take the lead. Iwobi was tackled trying to dribble past his man halfway inside United’s half and, just like the equaliser, the ball was pinged straight down the channel to a red jersey and Ronaldo did the rest, advancing into the box and then drilling it through Pickford’s legs. Chances were few and far between for the hosts and they didn’t fashion a meaningful one until the 62nd minute when Iwobi volleyed back across the penalty area but Seamus Coleman couldn’t divert the ball goal-wards. Eight minutes later, Onana headed not far over from a corner while Christian Eriksen lashed narrowly over at the other end before Marcus Rashford thought he had made the game safe nine minutes from time. A deep De Gea kick was flicked on by Ronaldo while Iwobi, who had dropped into right-back after James Garner had replaced Coleman, was beaten in the air by Rashford who was able to spin onto the loose ball, win his duel with James Tarkowski and then knock the ball home after Pickford had got a foot to his initial shot. The goal was ruled out by Video Assistant Referee Andre Marriner, however, after a handball by the United striker had been spotted on the replay. That gave Everton a lifeline heading into the last few minutes and Onana had a good chance to equalise in the 90th minute but could only glance his header wide and a minute later, De Gea came up big to finger-tip Garner’s curling shot behind and away from the arriving Onana at the back post. From the resulting corner, Calvert-Lewin could only drop a header wide at the far post while Pickford came up for the last two set-pieces as Everton desperately tried to force the ball home in time added on but it wasn’t to be. Things don’t get any easier over the next 10 days with tricky trips to Tottenham and Newcastle next up, fixtures that will test Lampard and company’s ability to shore up a midfield and defence that was worryingly open at times today despite coming into the weekend with the best defensive record in the division. In many ways, both fixtures demand a return to the kind of no-fills, low block, counter-attacking posture that was so successful at times during the run-in to last season but they will also test the players’ ability to bounce back mentally and maintain their focus in possession in a manner that has been lacking on occasion the last two games. There is a strong possibility, of course, that the next two matches might not yield any points but collective Evertonian eyes should remain on the “prize†of a solid season of moderate progress that builds all the while the experience and confidence of a squad that has at its core a good deal of youth. Lyndon Lloyd top * Unfortunately, we cannot control other sites' content policies and therefore cannot guarantee that links to external reports will remain active.