Ainsley Maitland-Niles spoke after his spectacular debut goal for Everton with a last-gasp equaliser against Manchester United
Ainsley Maitland-Niles after the match between Everton and Manchester United at Hill Dickinson Stadium on September 6, 2026
Ainsley Maitland-Niles after the match between Everton and Manchester United at Hill Dickinson Stadium on September 6, 2026(Image: Tony McArdle - Everton FC via Getty Images)
View 2 Images
Ainsley Maitland-Niles has declared that scoring a spectacular last-gasp equaliser on his Everton debut against Manchester United could be the highlight of his career, while admitting he’s still got to work out with David Moyes what his role in the team will be.
Moyes ended his 20-month search for a new right-back by bringing in Maitland-Niles from Olympique Lyonnais for £4million on transfer deadline day.
After coming on as a 77th minute substitute for James Garner, the 29-year-old earned a share of the spoils for the Blues with a perfectly placed, curling 20-yard effort as the side came from behind for a second time to earn a 2-2 draw.
Maitland-Niles’ only previous Premier League goal was in front of the Kop to put Arsenal ahead against Liverpool on December 29, 2018, but Jurgen Klopp’s side hit back to triumph 5-1. Asked where his dramatic leveller on his first Everton outing stands in his career highlights, he said: “It’s up there for sure. Top one, if not top two emotionally, with the circumstances and what it is, it means a lot.
“It opened up. I was there, I just ran into it and the pace was already on the ball, so it was okay.
“I just had to get a clean connection and I managed to do that. I was thinking: ‘Please go in!’
“It was a spur of the moment thing where I knew I had to just hit it as perfectly as I could and I managed to do that so I’m happy.
“It was a bit of an up and down game, the way we started the first half, but we picked it back up and we managed to be on top for long periods. Then, out of nothing, they went on a counter-attack with an overlap, crossed it and managed to score, which they didn’t deserve, but we fought hard and that’s what Everton is about, fighting until the last second.”
Maitland-Niles, who hails from Goodmayes in east London, explains how David Moyes didn’t have to sell the club to him and he’s felt the passion from the start. He said: “The manager didn’t need to, it speaks for itself, it’s Everton Football Club, it’s massive.
“It’s a proud moment for me to be able to sign here and for my family to be at Everton. My son and my wife were here today, so it was a lovely moment for them.
“I’m really happy to be here and I felt the energy and love from the crowd and I just want to give back what they’ve given me. You can feel it from one I landed in the plane with the team that picked me up and helped me with the medical and everything, from the very first moment you can feel the love.”
Ainsley Maitland-Niles celebrates his goal with team-mates during the match between Everton and Manchester United at Hill Dickinson Stadium on September 6, 2026
Ainsley Maitland-Niles celebrates his goal with team-mates during the match between Everton and Manchester United at Hill Dickinson Stadium on September 6, 2026(Image: Tony McArdle - Everton FC via Getty Images)
View 2 Images
After a whirlwind week in which Maitland-Niles, who was loaned out by Arsenal to Ipswich Town, West Bromwich Albion, Roma and Southampton, returned from France, the England international – who won all of his five caps in 2020 – acknowledged that he still has to talk tactics with Moyes over his role.
He said: “We still need to sit down and discuss a few things which he said to me because it’s so new with me being here and why I didn’t start today. So, I need to go through a few things with the manager, talk and sit down and see how he views my playing style and how I fit into the team.”