Premier League: What Gives on Monday Night Under the Lights?

Manchester United vs Everton

Monday night football in the Premier League comes from Old Trafford this week and two giants of the English game trying to climb up the table.

Going into the weekend, Manchester United lie seventh and, depending on who you speak to, are either making tangible progress or just doing the bare minimum after a largely miserable last 12 months.

They deserved credit for scoring a last-gasp equaliser at Spurs last time out, yet others will argue they should have held on for victory of a match they led until the closing stages.

Everton, meanwhile, have enjoyed some Premier League 2025 highlights this term as they settle into life at their new home, yet their 2-0 victory at home to Fulham was only their second win in nine.

It all begs the question, what will we see from both sides under the lights at the Theatre of Dreams?

Talking Points

The international break and back-to-back away contests means this will be United’s first home outing for virtually a month.

It appears all their international contingent have returned fit and the in-form player of the month for October, Bryan Mbuemo, will no doubt be keen to continue his fine form for club after the disappointment of his country missing out on World Cup qualification.

Captain Bruno Fernandes will also be eager to carry on where he left off following a hat-trick, two from the penalty spot, in a Portugal romp against the minnows of Armenia.

Jack Grealish continue to flourish at Premier League side Everton — Everton’s star man Jack Grealish shows no signs of slowing down as he flourishes on Merseyside

Most Everton eyes are usually on their new talisman as the season long loan deal to bring in Jack Grealish from Manchester City secured them a player who can always conjure something out of nothing.

Manager David Moyes, who had nine months in the Old Trafford hot seat in 2013-14, has even hinted at a possible recall for club captain Seamus Coleman.

A few weeks ago, he urged the Republic of Ireland to play the veteran full-back more often and the 37 year-old duly started both games against Portugal and Hungary to secure two victories and a place in the World Cup qualifying play-offs.

After waxing lyrical about Coleman, don’t be surprised if he gets a call-up to the starting line-up for this one.

History

Since their first meeting in 1892, when United were known as Newton Heath, this has been a traditional English football heavyweight clash.

For so long in the 1980s Everton had the edge; in the Premier League era United have largely been the dominant force.

Overall, they have 96 triumphs to Everton’s 71 with a further 48 games ending level.

When they met at Old Trafford virtually a year ago, United romped to a 4-0 victory, courtesy of doubles from Marcus Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee in what was Ruben Amorim’s first league game at Old Trafford.

After the contest he said he expected his new team would ‘suffer’ going forward and he was right as, by the time they had met in the return fixture at Goodison Park two and a half months later, the Red Devils had only won a further three league games.

They did show character on that occasion though, fighting back from a 2-0 half-time deficit to earn a 2-2 draw in their last ever visit to Goodison.

Beto and Abdoulaye Doucoure had fired the Toffees in front but United scored two in the last 18 minutes through a fine Fernandes free-kick and Manuel Ugarte.

It shows how much change there has been that, when the sides met two years ago this weekend – a contest which was a lot closer than the scoreline suggested – United’s scorers were Alejandro Garnacho (now of Chelsea), with an overhead kick, later voted the goal of the season, a penalty from Rashford (now on loan at Barcelona) and what proved to be Anthony Martial’s final goal in a United shirt.

Everton have only actually beaten United once in their last 14 meetings in all competitions.

That was at Goodison in April 2022 when Athony Gordon’s goal separated the sides and ultimately proved crucial in the Toffees’ bid to beat the drop.