On the plus side... Reds won't be relegated

"GOING down, going down, going down," crowed the Evertonians.

- SAMUE LUCKHURST

Manchester United won't and eventually demonstrated why.

Even by United's own penchant for comebacks, this was one of their most improbable. They oscillated from farcical to phenomenal, earning a result that will have little significance to the table.

Just ten points to the magic 40 mark now.

The United players were safe to approach the away end at full-time.

They weren't after 70 minutes.

The final Goodison Park roar that greeted these teams had deterred this meek United side, whose mentality was in pieces.

There were high fives at the completion of the warm up and another pre-match huddle. Hollow gestures not becoming of a serious side. It used to be United who beat teams in the tunnel.

At Goodison, United seemed to be beaten in the tunnel.

They belatedly became serious, galvanised by Bruno Fernandes's gamechanging free kick. Fernandes was performing so wretchedly he was bound to create something out of nothing. That is one skill that sets him apart from many of his teammates.

Manuel Ugarte's 80th-minute equaliser marked his first for United but did not merit a celebration. He sought the ball to restart the contest. Three points, for most of the game seemingly reserved for Everton, were suddenly in the offing for United.

VAR's added-time intervention denied Everton a penalty shot at victory when Harry Maguire was adjudged not to have fouled Ashley Young. Young exaggerated the contact but his shirt was tugged.

United were fortunate the VAR, Matthew Donohue, did not stick with the on-pitch call to give a penalty.

United were led into the Goodison bear pit by their press officer.

This is a club without a figurehead and lacking leaders. A football club reduced to a soul-sucking business by the leeching Glazer family and the callous Sir Jim Ratcliffe.