Tunnel vision allowed Bryan Mbeumo seconds of focus, ignoring everyone in red around him, while those in blue provided a guard of honour. In a team game, it was an act of selfishness but sometimes they are the most satisfying, and Manchester United celebrated the single-mindedness when the ball rippled the inside of the netting. This is a new front four for United after Marcus Rashford spent last season at Barcelona but there should be greater familiarity between those who have already spent a year together.
Bruno Fernandes is the instigator as a No 10 while Matheus Cunha, Mbeumo and Rashford try to create their own theories of chaos against defence through a complex potion of individual skill, tactical freedom and instinctive collaboration but the formula is yet to be perfected. In order for it to function, everyone needs to understand his role and that of others. When football is played at the speed of the Premier League, second thoughts and delays can ruin a move before it starts.
Intuition is a key part of any attacker’s armoury but, ironically, it needs to be learned by having time together on the pitch – it is not immediate, regardless of price tags. Fluidity can be an aggressive weapon, bamboozling opponents as they are made to think about who they should track and may be caught by surprise by a runner if their attention lapses. This is part of the theory Michael Carrick has formed by using Cunha as a false 9, permitting the Brazilian to wander where he thinks he can cause most damage.
At Wolves, Cunha preferred being deeper, specialising in curling shots into the corner from 20 yards after a brief dribble. This would be his ideal at United but Fernandes is in the areas Cunha previously called his own and is having to change his style but this leaves United without someone threatening the final line. Mbeumo likes to wander in off the right, not as comfortable attempting to beat the full-back on the outside, get to the byline and seek a teammate.
Rashford is more capable of taking the ball either way against a right-back. He left the makeshift defender Merlin Röhl in a perilous position, as the England forward drifted past him from a standing start with his dynamism but this was an irregular feature. Despite United having more possession and often pushing Everton back, Jordan Pickford was untroubled for long periods.
Even a confident Fernandes was unable to provide the spark or find teammates in better positions as they were not always where he wanted him or did not read the movement desired from their captain. Passes not reaching their intended destination were too frequent an issue, whether they went into space or even out of play. It was not a masterclass in precision.
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