Premier League 2017: Zlatan’s late equaliser saves United against Everton

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Zlatan’s late equalizer saved United against Everton. Image Source: PL twitter

Internet Desk: Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s last minute penalty goal salvaged a point for Manchester United as the Reds were held to a 1-1 draw by Everton at Old Trafford.

The striker, on his return from suspension, converted the spot-kick in the 94th minute after the visitors’ centre-back Ashley Williams was sent off for handball. His dramatic equaliser rescued the Reds after Phil Jagielka had hooked home to give the Toffees the lead in the first half.

After this second successive draw in the space of four days at home, Jose Mourinho’s men are now unbeaten in 20 Premier League games – a run which also saw the same scoreline when the sides met at Goodison Park in December.

Insisting he will continue to field his strongest available team whilst a top-four place is still achievable, Mourinho stayed true to his word by making only three changes from Saturday’s stalemate against West Brom as Ibrahimovic and Ander Herrera returned from domestic bans and Daley Blind came in at left-back, with March’s Player of the Month, Antonio Valencia, rested.

As the Reds made an encouraging start, Ibrahimovic almost announced his return with an early goal in the fifth minute but the no.9 was denied by a fine defensive block by Williams after finding a way through the middle.

Jesse Lingard, who won United’s Goal of the Month for March with a 25-yard screamer against Middlesbrough, almost matched that award-winning effort with a sizzling strike from a similar distance which flew past the post.

Marcus Rashford then burst through onto a fine Ibrahimovic pass and fired wide of the post but the linesman’s flag was raised for offside.

At the other end, Everton had barely threatened until an effort by Kevin Mirallas was kept out by the legs of David De Gea. But from the resulting corner, the Toffees took the lead against the run of play when captain Jagielka latched onto a Williams header and flicked the ball past De Gea with the back of his boot.

Brimming with confidence after breaking the deadlock, the visitors went close again soon after as Romelu Lukaku, the Premier League’s leading scorer with 21 goals this season, checked inside and fired a low shot wide from the edge of the box.

The Reds responded to the setback and almost found a leveller when Blind’s free-kick 20 yards out was clawed out superbly by Joel Robles in the Toffees goal before Herrera hit the crossbar with the follow-up from a tight angle.

Urged by the home crowd to let fly, the impressive Herrera tried his luck with a stinging 25-yard shot which was tipped around the post athletically by Robles before Ashley Young’s low cross was inches away from finding Rashford, as Mason Holgate applied a vital touch to clear at the back post.

With half-time approaching, the lively Rashford again got himself into an advanced position inside the box but was thwarted by a good tackle from goalscorer Jagielka as the Reds went in trailing at the break.

Hoping to inject more urgency into proceedings, Mourinho introduced Paul Pogba, who had missed the previous two games with a hamstring injury, in place of Blind at the interval.

United increased the tempo in a bid to stretch the Toffees defence and the recently arrived Frenchman almost drew the Reds level on 54 minutes. After Rashford was upended by Gareth Barry, Young’s free-kick was inadvertently glanced on by Lukaku and Pogba’s header rebounded back off the crossbar.

Meanwhile, Everton, who had lost just once in their previous 12 matches before Saturday’s 3-1 defeat at Merseyside rivals Liverpool, continued to pose a threat as Barry headed a Mirallas corner straight at De Gea from close range.

The Reds made a double change on 65 minutes as Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Luke Shaw entered the fray, in place of Carrick and Young.

Sensing an equaliser, the home fans roared on the players as Fellaini, up against his former club, prodded wide of the post after turning away from Williams in the box but it was proving to be a difficult task to break down a stubborn Everton rearguard.

Ibrahimovic thought he had rescued the Reds when heading in a Herrera cross before his celebrations were cut short by the flag of assistant referee Scott Ledger for offside.

There were further glimpses of goal for Fellaini, who fired over on his right foot inside the box, and Marcos Rojo, who guided a header over from a Pogba free-kick.

But Everton were always dangerous on the counter and it needed a brilliant last-ditch intervention from Eric Bailly to block an attempted shot from Lukaku after the striker showed good acceleration to run the entire length of the United half.

The Reds piled on the pressure in the closing stages as Lingard saw a shot deflected behind by Barry and Ibrahimovic headed over Rashford’s cross, albeit from an offside position.

But there was to be a dramatic finale as, in the third minute of stoppage time, Shaw’s goalbound effort was handled on the stretch by Williams, who was shown a red card by referee Neil Swarbrick, and Ibrahimovic kept his composure to slot home his 27th goal of the season and rescue a point for United.

The busy April schedule continues for Mourinho’s men in the Premier League on Sunday with the third of nine games this month against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.