Maitland-Niles & George On How Everton Kept Belief In Man United Comeback

Everton goalscorers Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Tyrique George say the Blues always had the belief to get back into the game against Manchester United on Sunday afternoon – thanking the fans for their role in a dramatic contest.

Trailing twice, the Blues came from behind on both occasions to seal a 2-2 draw at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Maitland-Niles – on his Everton debut – netted an incredible 96^th-minute equaliser, curling a first-time-hit long-range effort into the top corner.

“It felt like a win,” said the Toffees deadline-day signing after the game. “We dug deep and managed to get a point in the end.

“You could hear the crowd were with us, we were fighting to the end and that’s why you get those types of results.

“I came here to work hard and it’s a team full of hard workers, so I fit right in and I’m going to show I can pull my weight and give as much as everybody else – if not a little bit more.”

A Benjamin Sesko header on 88 minutes had put the visitors ahead before Maitland-Niles’ stoppage-time strike.

“It’s amazing,” described the new Everton right-back. “Everyone wants to start off like that and thankfully I did.

“It fell to me at the edge of the box, I put my foot through it, and it ended up in the top corner, which I’m happy about!”

George’s goal – Everton’s first of the game and his maiden Premier League strike for the Toffees – came on 83 minutes, levelling the score from Bryan Mbeumo’s opener early in the second half.

“We just knew we could get back into the game and that’s what we did,” explained George – who signed permanently for the Club this summer from Chelsea. “It was a really strong performance.

Describing his goal – a thumping near-post effort to take the Blues level at 1-1, George continued: “It’s what you want to do – score and win games. We couldn’t get the win, but it felt like a win, definitely.

“I just hit it as hard as I could and it went in. I’m happy."

Setting a target for European football for next season, George added: “We want to try to get into Europe, so we need all these points.”