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Manchester United were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw against a disciplined and dogged Everton side who are enjoying some sort of rejuvenation under the tutelage of Duncan Ferguson. The caretaker manager saw his team break the deadlock in a lacklustre first half when United defender Victor Lindelof inadvertently touched the ball into his own net from a corner in the 36th minute.
However, United youngster Mason Greenwood - on as a substitute for Jesse Lingard - restored parity with a neat left-footed shot from outside the penalty area beyond the diving reach of Jordan Pickford to extend the home side's unbeaten run to six matches. Despite some late pressure from Solskjaer's men, Everton held on for a precious point.
Here are three reasons why Manchester United failed to record a third successive Premier League win for the first time since January.
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1.The Duncan Ferguson Effect
Good things take time. But for the case of Duncan Ferguson and Everton, that theory did not hold up for long. The Scotsman was put in charge temporarily following the dismissal of Marco Silva and he steered the Toffees to a fantastic 3-1 success against Chelsea in front of a vociferous Goodison crowd last weekend.
On his return to Old Trafford - the venue where Ferguson scored a memorable brace while donning the royal blue shirt of Everton - he injected discipline and solidity within the team despite missing key players like Gylfi Sigurdsson, Theo Walcott and Andre Gomes due to a long-term injury.
The presence of Mason Holgate as a holding midfielder sitting just ahead of the centre back pairing of Michael Keane and Yerry Mina nullified United's attack and ensured that the Red Devils would have to contend with shooting from distance.
Everton are still 16th in the table, but Ferguson who had a stellar record of scoring frequently when playing against Manchester United, ensured many happy returns for the blues.
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2. Inability to keep a clean-sheet
David De Gea won the golden glove in the 2017/18 season when he registered 18 shutouts, but he has come nowhere near to repeating those exploits ever since. Following Victor Lindelof's first-half own goal, the Spanish goalkeeper conceded for the 12th league game in a row this season. That, in a nutshell, is a club record for Manchester United and for all the wrong reasons.
On a day when United's attack was misfiring, spurning chances and lacking creativity in the final third, the dismal state of their defence failed to bail them out. This is United's longest sequence without a clean-sheet since August 1971.
United last recorded a clean-sheet in the Premier League on September 14 when they beat Leicester City 1-0 at Old Trafford. Despite their £80 million signing of Harry Maguire from the Foxes during the summer, they are still leaking goals.
3. Inconsistency with VAR
Everton's opening goal on Sunday afternoon came via an own goal when United's Swedish defender Victor Lindelof inadvertently put the ball into his own net. That highly comical goal was slightly contentious, as replays suggested David De Gea was fouled while attempting to punch the cross mid air.
Leighton Baines had floated a corner at the Stretford End, and both De Gea and Dominic Calvert-Lewin rose to claim the loose ball. The Everton attacker appeared to impede the United shot-stopper when jumping at the near post. De Gea completely missed his punch and Lindelof inadvertedly turned the ball into his own net, much to the dismay of the home fans. Referee Michael Oliver awarded the goal after the check was complete, but the inconsistency with the VAR this season continues to cost teams points.
United had looked the better side up to that juncture despite failing to register a shot on target. And given Everton's highly defensive approach prior to the match, that goal provided them with an extra incentive to hold out for a precious point.
