Michael Carrick delivers Everton verdict and shoots down Manchester United suggestion

Michael Carrick admitted Manchester United's draw with Everton felt “like a defeat" after being stunned by Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ equaliser in added time. Maitland-Niles enjoyed a dream debut as his stunning 96th-minute leveller extended Everton's unbeaten start to the season with a 2-2 draw against United.

Substitute Benjamin Sesko thought he had won it for the visitors two minutes from time after Tyrique George had cancelled out Bryan Mbeumo's opener seconds after the interval. But Maitland-Niles struck just days after he joined the Blues from Lyon.

And Carrick admitted: "We're bitterly disappointed," the United boss said. "To be up in the position we were in in the game twice so close to the end and all the work that went into putting us in that position at different stages, to come away like that is not a great feeling.

"It feels like a defeat which is the obvious thing to say at this stage. We have taken a point, we can't ignore that but it feels like we should have had a lot more."

United have now taken four points from their opening three Premier League games, conceding two goals in each match.

But, rather surprisingly, Carrick appeared to take issue with the suggestion that it has been a poor start to the season for his side.

"We haven't started the season that bad, to be honest," he said. "It's not that bad. We were that close to coming away with three points today. That's football.

"There are little moments we could deal with better but we'll be fine."

The United boss also said: “They were two strikes from distance really - two really good strikes from their point of view - and sometimes they fly in the top corner, and more often than not they probably don't, so there's that. Obviously we can't ignore it, we need to concede less goals to give us a better chance of winning games."

While goalscorer Sesko reflected: “We’re very disappointed of course because we were very close [to winning] and yet so far.

"To concede a goal like that in the last minute, it’s painful for everyone because everyone was giving everything to try and win the game.

“Every single person here wants that. In the moments like this where a last shot decides it, it’s very painful.”

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