... and that, my old MBM pals, is your lot. As the Everton faithful bounce back to Merseyside with a spring in their step, a reminder that Jamie Jackson’s verdict is in. You’re one click away. Thanks for reading this MBM.

Ole’s turn. “Parts of it was really good. We started well, high energy, scored a fantastic goal. The second half, we lacked the cutting edge to get the second which is vital. From a corner, we conceded five seconds later so that was disappointing. We weren’t too open, we had enough players behind the ball but didn’t deal with the tackles. We didn’t regroup and reorganise well enough. We need to be better at when to risk it, and how not to be counter attacked, that’s the key lesson. Anthony did well, could have had one or two more. We didn’t concede many chances, but we did concede a goal. We got outmuscled but should have cleared it. You can work all day long on systems, but it has to be dealt with there and then.” A wee shot across Fred’s bow there, perhaps.

Rafa, quietly content, talks to BT. “I am really pleased to come here and perform the way we performed against a very good team. Maybe if Davies shot and finished we would be talking about a different thing. We did well and worked hard. In the second half, the team reacted well and we had chances to win the game. We know Townsend’s commitment is there, and so is his quality. Everybody was doing quite well.” Quite well! You have to earn your praise from Rafa all right.

Jamie Jackson was at Old Trafford, and he wasn’t particularly impressed by a “toothless” United display. Here’s his verdict.

Ronaldo went off down the tunnel ranting and raving to himself. He’s not happy at the two points dropped. United have only kept one clean sheet in ten games this season. Just the one win in their last four matches at Old Trafford, and that scraped in the 95th minute. None of it ideal ... and yet they’re level on points at the top of the table. As are Everton, who by contrast are pretty pleased with their day’s work, as a very sparkly Andros Townsend tells BT Sport: “Before the game we would have accepted a point, but when you go to Old Trafford and create the chances we had, on another day it could have been three.” He also explains that his goal celebration - an ersatz performance of Ronaldo’s trademark spin and pose - was meant with the greatest respect as the United winger is his “idol”.

Everton were impressive today. Doucoure and Gray were immense, the goalscorer Townsend not half bad either. Rafa is getting a tune out of this squad. They’ll be much happier with the point, but United can take solace from Sancho’s brief cameo out on the left, Martial’s first goal of the season, Greenwood’s excellent all-round display, and the continued influence of Fernandes, which is hardly news, but there it is.

Both teams had the chance to go top, for a couple of hours at least, but neither do. Manchester United move up to second for now, Everton third, both on 14 points, both behind the current leaders Liverpool on goal difference. Chelsea and Brighton play later today, so much will change, one way or another.

90 min +5: One last throw of the dice for United. Greenwood, quarterbacking from deep, looks for Pogba on the edge of the box. Pogba can’t control. That should be it.

90 min +4: Ronaldo contests the free kick, going up for a header. The flag also goes up, for offside.

90 min +3: Sancho is hauled over by Mina, 40 yards out. Free kick, and a chance for United to load the Everton box.

90 min +2: Gray, the bargain of the season who has quite rightly been given the man-of-the-match award by Martin Keown on BT Sport, is replaced by Dobbin.

90 min +1: The first of four extra minutes sees Ronaldo dribble down the inside left. He goes over. He wants the free kick. He’s not getting it.

90 min: Pogba considers a volley from the edge of the D. He thinks twice and slips the ball left to Ronaldo, who shuttles further wide for Sancho with a delicate flick. Sancho has a small gap to aim for, and scuffs towards the bottom left. Pickford claims.

89 min: United can’t get a head of steam going. Ronaldo is still on the pitch, however, hovering. He couldn’t do it again, could he?

87 min: Old Trafford erupts in relief. Can United deliver the sucker punch? They go looking, and up the other end, Pogba wrestles Godfrey to the ground in the rugby style.

84 min: Greenwood gifts the ball to Doucoure, who drives towards the United box and wins a corner with his low cross-cum-shot. And from the set piece ...

83 min: Fernandes glides in from the right and plays yet another of his cute reverse balls, this time to Pogba, who wins a corner off his marker Allan. From the set piece, Pogba clanks a header wide left from six yards. He had to make all manner of contortions to meet that, to be fair.

81 min: Pogba tries a curler towards the top right from distance. Not quite. Nice set-up play by Sancho, though; he’s looked fresh on the left flank since his introduction. “Handbags on the pitch first half, and handbags on the MBM second half,” notes Justin Kavanagh. “What an entertaining game!” On behalf of McTominay, Mina, Naylor, Roberts and everyone at your super soaraway Guardian: you’re welcome.

80 min: Fernandes trundles a ball across the face of the six-yard box. There’s nobody around to poke home. Then another phase of bedlam in the Everton area, and Fernandes, in the thick of everything right now, takes an accidental arm in the grid. He’s fine after a bit of treatment.

78 min: A stat courtesy of BT Sport: United have completed 500 passes to Everton’s 184.

77 min: Space for Greenwood down the left. He tries to swing infield for Ronaldo, but Keane stands in the way and the flag goes up for offside anyway. This game is wide open again.

76 min: Doucoure is booked for hooking Fernandes’ legs from under him from behind. He doesn’t bother complaining about it.

74 min: Gray turns on the jets and burns his way up the left flank. Lindelof does extremely well to usher him out for a goal kick at high speed. United go up the other end, Sancho slipping Ronaldo into the box with a clever reverse pass down the left. Ronaldo flashes a shot across Pickford and inches wide of the bottom right.

72 min: Davies comes on for Gordon. Meanwhile here comes Adam Roberts again: “Gosh, I wonder who Gary Naylor supports? I think politicians call it deflection. Of course United’s squad and resources are vastly superior but that didn’t affect the goal. My point wasn’t really about Ole; more about how the focus would be on United’s shortfallings rather than good play by the opposition. I wish someone at United had the nous to buy bargains such as Gray and Townsend. Time to fire up the ‘Does Ronaldo disrupt United?’ cauldron.” Gary? You there? Fight! Fight!

70 min: Townsend, his tail up, looks for the top left from a deep position on the right. High and wide. United then replace Fred - who in the build-up to the equaliser was barged off the ball by Gray with preposterous ease - with Pogba.

68 min: A Fernandes corner on the right leads to a Shaw corner on the left. Varane eyebrows it towards Ronaldo at the far post. Godfrey flicks away as Ronaldo winds back his neck. A crucial clearance. Greenwood then slips over. The fans claim a penalty, the players do not.

67 min: That was a wonderful goal, chiseled out by Everton’s three standout players this afternoon. Ronaldo gesticulates towards his fans, seeking renewed volume, but it’s the Everton faithful you hear now.

64 min: McTominay drives down the right, released by Fernandes’ cute flick, and wins a corner. Fernandes’ delivery is not so great, and Everton can counter ...

62 min: Everton are not out of this, though, as Doucoure’s left-wing hustle shows. He can’t quite open United up, and is swarmed as he tries to feed Gray, but there’s always the hint of danger whenever the Everton midfielder gets involved.

61 min: Ronaldo and Sancho take turns to dribble across the face of the Everton box. Eventually the ball’s teed up for McTominay, who can’t connect. Everton clear, but United are flowing right now and the crowd are in full voice.

60 min: Godfrey clears it. Greenwood comes back at Everton down the right, with some feeling. Keane does extremely well to stand firm on the edge of the box, just as it looked like the exciting striker was about to break clear.

59 min: Gray dribbles with great purpose down the left, cutting in from the touchline and reaching the box, only to fall backwards and shoot weakly towards the bottom right. De Gea ushers it out of play for a goal kick. United go up the other end and win their sixth corner of the match.

57 min: Underlining the point just made by Gary Naylor, United hook Martial and Cavani, and send on Sancho and Ronaldo.

56 min: Shaw is back. Gray crosses from the left. Townsend heads harmlessly over.

54 min: Shaw flies into a challenge with Godfrey, and takes receipt of an accidental kick in the face. He’s down getting some treatment. Meanwhile Gary Naylor comes out swinging: “With regard to Mr Roberts’ question about holding managers to different standards of accountability, may I direct his attention to the respective benches?”

52 min: Godfrey hoicks long down the right. Gray goes chasing after it, and nearly gets there too, but Varane holds his line and ushers the ball back to De Gea.

50 min: Everton haven’t had much of a sniff since the restart. United look very comfortable at the minute.

48 min: United are starting the second half like they started - and finished - the first. A corner’s won down the left. The ball’s worked back to Greenwood, who whistles a shot from distance down Pickford’s throat.

47 min: Shaw goes barrelling down the left. A fine, direct run, and he’s very unlucky not to find Fernandes in the middle with a diagonal pass.

United get the second half underway. No changes. Here’s Adam Roberts: “If Everton scored with United leaving space like that on the right side of defence, the post-mortems would already have started amid reflections on why OGS doesn’t have a clue.”

Half-time reading.

45 min +1: Martial, his tail up, cuts in from the left and has a crack from distance. The ball loops harmlessly into the arms of Pickford.

45 min: There will be two minutes of added time.

44 min: That’s Martial’s first goal of the season ... and it’s got Old Trafford bouncing again! As things stand, United will go top of the table for at least a couple of hours.

42 min: A bit of possession for United, but Everton hold them at arm’s length. No way through to the final third.

40 min: The Old Trafford crowd, bouncing during the early exchanges, have been quietened by Everton’s verve. The Cavani chance apart, the hosts haven’t worried their guests too much.

38 min: United are getting a little bit frustrated here. Cavani attempts to haul Doucoure down, then Fernandes comes back to challenge Gray, and is fortunate not to go into the book for a deliberate trip.

36 min: Townsend sashays down the right and cuts back for Doucoure, who creams a first-time shot from the edge of the box. It’s heading towards the bottom left, but Wan-Bissaka makes a brave and brilliant block. Everton are the better side right now.

35 min: Digne swings it in. Easily cleared. Gray and Greenwood come together. It’s a free kick for United, nothing more. Neither Greenwood nor the Old Trafford faithful agree with the decision, but the yellow doesn’t come out. Correctly so, it should be said.

34 min: Greenwood is booked for shoving over Gordon, who was making off down the left at full pelt. Free kick, so everyone lines up just outside the United D.

33 min: Gray picks up a loose ball in the midfield, turns, and jets off down the centre of the park. In full flight, he sends a low drive towards the bottom left from 25 yards. It’s heading in, and kept out well by De Gea’s strong arm. That would have been a hell of a goal.

31 min: Digne finds space for Gordon down the left. The resulting low cross tees up Rondon, but he can’t force home under pressure from Shaw and Varane. After a very slow start, Everton are asking a few questions now.

29 min: Wahey! It’s all kicking off. McTominay tries to pick up a stricken Digne, having earlier clattered into him. Digne’s not having it, and Mina instigates a shoving match that stops just short of turning into a bench-emptier. Everyone eventually calms down, with McTominay and Mina issued with a stern word and nothing more. All good knockabout fun.

27 min: Doucoure is having a good game. A confident first-time pass nearly causes some problems for United down the left, but neither Townsend nor Gordon can keep the move going.

26 min: Greenwood finds a bit of space down the right and warms Pickford’s hands with a low drive towards the bottom right. Easy enough for the Everton keeper.

25 min: Doucoure and Townsend combine adroitly down the right wing. They smoothly strut all the way to the United box, where Doucoure slips inside for Rondon, who doesn’t have space to take a touch and should shoot first time. He takes a touch. Lovely move, though.

24 min: Wan-Bissaka wins a corner down the right. Another non-event. Everton are dealing with the set pieces pretty well so far.

22 min: Fred has a little tug and kick at Gray and is slightly fortunate not to go into the referee’s notebook.

21 min: ... so having said that, they ship possession and a cross comes into their area from Fernandes on the left. It falls onto the head of Cavani, who is free, six yards out! He should score, really, but his header towards the bottom left is clawed out by Pickford. Not quite in the corner.

20 min: Everton are seeing a lot more of the ball now.

18 min: Good work from Greenwood down the right wins another United corner. It’s taken short. When the ball’s finally swung in, Mina clears and Everton break, committing seven men to the counter. That move eventually falls apart, but as the visitors gain confidence, this game has suddenly become very open, much as United’s game against Villarreal was on Wednesday night.

16 min: Townsend whips the free kick in flat. Keane flashes a header towards the bottom left with his eyebrows. It flies inches wide, at some speed; not sure De Gea would have got to that, had it been on target, regardless of the had-it-covered pose he holds.

15 min: Townsend plays a lovely cute reverse ball down the right to release Gray, who fizzes a low ball into the box. United just about clear, but then Shaw bundles Townsend over on the right and it’ll be another free kick to Everton, who have finally come to play.

14 min: Rondon purchases a cheap free kick off Wan-Bissaka, and it’s a free kick out on the left. Everton line up on the edge of the United box. Digne takes, and hangs it deep. Godfrey threatens to win a header, but Martial does well to hook clear.

13 min: That attack will give Everton succour. Other than that, they’ve been very much second best so far.

11 min: Digne and Gordon win a couple of headers down the left. Then suddenly Rondon is free! Easy as that. But Rondon takes his sweet time upon entering the box, allowing Varane to come across and hack out for a corner. The flag then goes up for offside. Relief for the hosts, who were a bit ragged at the back there.

9 min: The corner’s not up to much, and half cleared. But Fernandes, quarterbacking from deep, sprays a diagonal ball to Greenwood, sprinting down the inside-right channel. He fires low and hard through the six-yard box ... but there’s nobody there to trundle home. In the dugout, Ole spreads his arms in frustration. You can be damn sure he’d have sniffed that one out.

8 min: This is being played at 101 miles per hour, and it’s a state of affairs that seems to be favouring United. Everton are struggling to retain possession. Shaw drives down the left and wins the first corner of the game.

6 min: Better from Wan-Bissaka, who makes a little bit of space down the right wing before sending a delicious cross to the far post. Martial should do better than slapping a weak header wide left from six yards.

5 min: United ping it around at fast speed. Pretty, too. But the move breaks down, Wan-Bissaka stripped of possession, and Gray tries to find Rondon with a long pass from deep. Too much on the ball, and it flies through to De Gea. A pattern of attack and counter attack might have been set.

3 min: Shaw and Fernandes one-two down the inside-left channel, then one-two again. They nearly open Everton up, but Pickford comes out to claim the final ball. Lovely move.

2 min: Manchester United haven’t kept a clean sheet in their last nine games at Old Trafford. On the other hand, they’ve only lost twice here against Everton in the Premier League era. Some early pressing panics Pickford into a poor clearance through a thicket of red shirts; the Everton keeper is fortunate he somehow finds a teammate who calms and clears.

Everton get the match underway ... but only after everyone takes the knee. There’s no room for racism. The visitors will be kicking towards the Stretford End in this first half.

A moment of applause for Roger Hunt. Formerly of Liverpool, yes, but both sets of fans set rivalries aside to warmly salute the 1966 World Cup hero, who passed this week.

Here come the teams! Manchester United in red, Everton in blue. All as it should be. Plenty of noise in Old Trafford, augmented by some pantomime boos as old foe Rafael Benitez emerges from the tunnel. It’ll not be long before we get going!

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has a chat with BT. “We have decided to freshen the team up. Wednesday night was a big effort both physically and emotionally so I think it’s important when it’s a 12.30 kick-off that we start off on the front foot and with loads of energy. The boost the result gave us was massive so hopefully we start really well, dominate the game and get the first goal. Everton have players that can hurt you. We know we have to be at our best today. The winner of this game will be top of the league for a little while!”

A smiling and relaxed Rafa Benitez, cracking wise, talks to BT Sport. “It is not easy to win here. They have very good players, the atmosphere is great. We have to be at our best to have a chance. Anthony Gordon is a nice lad, a good trainer, he is very competitive and mentally he is ready. Hopefully he can do well and you can ask him after the game ‘Man of the match, what do you think?’ Everyone was expecting Ronaldo would play but they still have a very strong team.”

The BT Sport collective are acting as if the resting of Ronaldo is the most shocking Premier League moment since Eric Cantona nipped over the barriers for a full and frank exchange of philosophical positions with that Crystal Palace fan. The decision will no doubt be fully processed and critiqued with the benefit of hindsight, you know how things go, but right now it seems fair enough: the guy is 36 and was running on fumes towards the end of the Villarreal match, just 62 hours ago, sheer will forcing in that dramatic winner. He deserves a chance to put his trotters up. In any case, there’s still a fair chance he’ll come on, snatch another late winner, and race off towards the Stretford End again with the old pecs on display. Rule nothing out with Ronaldo.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Paul Pogba are given a rest. Both are on the bench as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer makes five changes to the Manchester United team that scraped past Villarreal during the week. Jadon Sancho and Alex Telles also drop to the bench, while Diogo Dalot, who had a Champions League shocker, isn’t even in the squad. Luke Shaw is back from injury, with Edinson Cavani, Anthony Martial, Fred and Aaron Wan-Bissaka also in the starting XI.

Alex Iwobi has failed a fitness test so Anthony Gordon takes his place. Other than that, it’s the same Everton team that beat Norwich City last week.