Their two most glamorous summer signings had scored, Manchester United's enviable array of attacking talents had chalked up another win but, as the final whistle was about to go, one name rang around Old Trafford.
“David de Gea,” chorused the supporters. When the points were procured, the Spaniard responded by turning to the Stretford End and punching the air.
The story of United's season encompasses the ever-present question of whether their excellence in the opposition's half will be undermined by their defensive deficiencies.
Angel di Maria and Radamel Falcao struck, imported superstars illustrating the new United ethos of trying to bring in the best. Yet this represented a nervous escape, courtesy of De Gea and an unlikely ally.
The Spaniard starred in added time of either half. He was the difference between the teams.
"Of course," Louis van Gaal said. De Gea now has the distinction of saving a Leighton Baines penalty in the Premier League, robbing the Everton left-back of his 100 per cent record.
Then, to acclaim from the supporters, he thwarted substitutes Leon Osman and Bryan Oviedo in spectacular style.
A side with a soft underbelly possess a superb goalkeeper.
It is just as well.
Three of the back four began with a total of five previous United appearances between them.
Two were teenagers.
Everton may be depleted and tired after a 5,000-mile round trip to FC Krasnodar in a remote part of Russia, but they possess resilience and an ability to fashion chances.
United’s defensive injuries were compounded by a discrepancy in the selection.
Only Daley Blind of the diamond in the centre is actually a specialist central midfielder.
Di Maria is a revelation; if, indeed, the most expensive player in the history of British football can be deemed a revelation.
He opened the scoring with precision and his past four games have yielded three goals and three assists.
The Argentine can even create goals when he doesn’t mean to; for the second time in three appearances at Old Trafford, a miscued shot resulted in another scoring. Falcao was duly grateful.
Yet Van Gaal’s recurring theme is that Di Maria – and everyone – can do more to help out his porous rearguard.
In a lacerating post-match criticism, he argued that progress has not been made. United endured a fraught finale against West Ham last week. They did so again, and this time without what he called “the excuse” of playing with 10 men.
We have given four big chances away,” he said. “Four.”
His idea is to stop attacks at source, not see potent strikers standing next to De Gea, serving as the insurance policy. Falcao’s contribution came in the form of a goal-line clearance from Phil Jagielka’s header.
A minute later, the Colombian scored. Yet his withdrawal was significant, too; he became a microcosm of United’s attacking imbalance.
They had difficulties with the diamond as it left them undermanned on the flanks. James Wilson was summoned to replace Falcao and track the marauding Baines.
Everton ended defeated and depleted, losing the injured Steven Pienaar and John Stones.
They hover on the edge of the relegation zone, having played virtually all of the contenders and won a solitary game.
Overachievers last season, they may now have a solitary high flyer.
Steven Naismith has outscored any of the “Gaalacticos” this season.
Yet his fourth of the campaign was sandwiched by Di Maria and Falcao’s goals and De Gea’s saves.
sports@thenational.ae
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
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Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Cracks in the Wall
Ben White, Pluto Press
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
