The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Late penalty rescues United against Toffees
Mourinho’s men dominate but toil in front of goal again
MANCHESTER UNITED 1 EVERTON 1
Manchester United drew yet another league match at Old Trafford last night – but the overriding emotion at the final whistle was relief rather than frustration after Zlatan Ibrahimovic struck a stoppage-time penalty against Everton.
Home toil has become a familiar theme for Jose Mourinho during his first season in the hot-seat and Ronald Koeman’s men looked set to compound matters in yesterday’s Premier League match.
Phil Jagielka’s hooked first-half effort put Everton on course for a win that would have seen them usurp United in fifth place, only for second-half pressure to finally pay dividends in stoppage time as Ibrahimovic’s penalty secured a dramatic 1-1 draw.
It was a remarkable end to an enthralling encounter in which United struggled to turn dominance into goals, like so many matches this term.
Everton captain Jagielka appeared to have struck the decisive blow with his first goal since May 2015, with Ander Herrera and Paul Pogba hitting the crossbar as the hosts looked to respond.
However, United’s intent finally came good in stoppage time as second-half introduction Luke Shaw – just days after being publicly criticised by Mourinho – saw a goalbound shot handled, leading to Ashley Williams’ sending off and Ibrahimovic’s successful spot-kick – his 27th goal of the season.
LEICESTER 2 SUNDERLAND 0
Leicester piled the misery on David Moyes and pushed Sunderland closer to relegation from the Premier League with a gritty 2-0 win.
Islam Slimani and Jamie Vardy scored to virtually guarantee the champions’ own survival and cap a few days to forget for Black Cats boss Moyes.
The Scot’s ill-advised comments to a BBC reporter had left him facing an FA charge but he is also now staring at relegation with the Wearside club.
Efficient but not effective, the visitors battled hard but the result leaves them bottom – eight points from safety with eight games left.
Leicester have now won six successive games in all competitions under boss Craig Shakespeare and have powered into the top 10 – to sit nine points clear of the bottom three and banish fears of the drop.
Elsewhere last night, Troy Deeney scored his 100th league goal for Watford as the 10-man Hornets climbed to ninth in the Premier League with a 2-0 win over West Brom.
M’Baye Niang’s stunning early strike put Watford in front at Vicarage Road before Deeney doubled his side’s advantage soon after half-time.
George Boyd’s first-time finish put Burnley well on the way to safety as they ended an eight-match winless streak with a 1-0 victory over Stoke at Turf Moor.