Manchester United have defensive problems to fix after conceding six goals in three Premier League games.
Everton v Manchester United - Premier League 2026/27
Lisandro Martinez was to blame for Everton's first goal (Image: Getty)
Blame was directed towards Luke Shaw and Senne Lammens following Everton's first equaliser against Manchester United on Sunday. Shaw arguably should have tracked Tyrique George more closely, while Lammens was caught out at his near post. But Lisandro Martinez bore greater responsibility, with his contribution - or lack of - to the move somehow going unnoticed. Hayden Hackney managed to thread George through into the penalty area after the ball deflected back to him off Martinez, who was caught out of position following Thierno Barry's unsuccessful dummy.
Barry fluffed the dummy from Hackney's original pass. Martinez was positioned several yards behind Barry and failed to adjust his footing quickly enough, causing the ball to bounce off him and return to Hackney's feet. It would be unreasonable to criticise Martinez's involvement in the goal's build-up had he been stationed immediately behind Barry, making a reaction virtually impossible. But he was positioned several yards from his marker, and the pass wasn't delivered at such speed that clearing it was unfeasible.
Martinez had the opportunity to disrupt the attack with a straightforward first-time clearance. Yet his physical response couldn't match his psychological response, potentially due to tiredness, causing the ball to rebound off his legs.
The Argentina international tried to fix matters by pressuring Hackney to regain possession, but he was unable to stop the nimble midfielder, who then delivered the assist to George. Martinez appeared so unbalanced during the passage of play that he nearly stumbled as he wandered back into the penalty area.
His demeanour when the ball nestled in the net was telling. Martinez typically leads the inquest into how United have been breached, yet his shyness on this occasion spoke volumes.
It may have been an acknowledgement that he ought to have performed better at the start of the sequence. Most fans were criticising Shaw and Lammens, yet Martinez could have stopped it before the ball reached George.
Both of Everton's strikes in the 2-2 draw were superb finishes, which could be considered unfortunate for United, yet there were avoidable moments leading up to them, and those minor instances can prove decisive.
United have now shipped two goals in each of their Premier League fixtures this campaign, something Michael Carrick was questioned about during his post-match media briefing at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
"That's two strikes from a distance really that are two really good strikes from their point of view," he said. "Sometimes they fly in the top corner, and more often than not, they probably don't.
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Lisandro Martinez was at fault for Everton's first equaliser (Image: Sky Sports)
"So there's a little bit of that. But we obviously can't ignore it. We need to concede less goals to give us a better chance of winning games, but we'll certainly look at that and keep improving."
Should the analytical department review the six goals United have shipped against Hull, Ipswich and Everton, they'll observe Martinez has been culpable for two (Ipswich's second goal and Everton's first equaliser).
The Ipswich strike proved inconsequential, given United were ahead 5-1 in the 90th minute when Martinez dawdled with possession at the back before surrendering the ball, yet it's now reasonable to suggest there's a sense of fragility following another error against Everton.
Martinez has fulfilled a vital function in the side's build-up play since returning to the starting XI against Ipswich. His passing from the back proved crucial against Everton, yet his defensive work hasn't met the required standard.
This has been a persistent concern with Martinez, who hasn't managed to deliver at a reliably elevated level since his maiden campaign in 2022/23, which established his reputation as a supporters' favourite.
There was even discussion at the end of last term that United ought to have offloaded Martinez and secured a more reliable, first-choice centre-half.
The rationale for parting with Martinez was that United's senior centre-halves had all sustained injuries at various points last term, and if one centre-half needed to be sold to finance a fresh acquisition, Martinez was the sole option.
The World Cup complicated any potential reshuffle, however, and there has consistently been firm faith in Martinez, who remains one of the standard-bearers during training sessions at Carrington.
Carrick remains a staunch supporter of Martinez, which is precisely why he drafted him into the starting line-up following the Hull defeat, yet logic dictates that dropping him to the bench in favour of handing Leny Yoro a Champions League start this week would be the sensible call.
Martinez has been culpable in the last two matches and selection should be based purely on current form.