1 UNITED FIRING BLANKS

The Red Devils have now won just one of their last 10 matches stretching back to a disappointing end to last season and they look ill-equipped to deal with the rigours of a long campaign having sold Romelu Lukaku and loaned out Alexis Sanchez to Inter Milan without replacing them.

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insisted on Friday he is happy for Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial to carry the scoring burden, but with Martial out injured and missing their 1-1 draw at Southampton, Rashford, still just 21, had to bear that responsibility alone on Saturday.

Mason Greenwood, 17, came off the bench in search of a winner, but with so few attacking options to call on, a lack of firepower looks likely to be a familiar failing of United's season.

2 DELPH ADDS TOFFEE BITE

Marco Silva made a bee-line for Richarlison after his match-winning display on Sunday against Wolves, and rightly so.

Less heralded but no less important in the 3-2 victory was Fabian Delph, making his first appearance at Goodison Park since his summer transfer from Manchester City and showing precisely why Everton wanted his bite in central midfield with a commanding display.

His value has increased to Silva in the absence of the injured Jean-Philippe Gbamin and ensured Ruben Neves was unable to dictate Wolves' play.

3 MAGPIES' STINGING WOE

A crowd of 44,157 remains beyond the dreams of several Premier League clubs but, at Newcastle, it spells apathy and disillusionment. Saturday's 1-1 draw against Watford was the lowest league attendance for a top-tier game at St James' Park since December 2012.

It was no surprise to Joe Halliday, a spokesman for the pressure group "Empty for Ashley", which encourages fans to boycott games in a bid to force Newcastle's unloved owner Mike Ashley to sell up.

If the underwhelming draw did not help Steve Bruce confound his critics, Watford's first point of the season almost certainly saved Javi Gracia's job - at least for now. THE GUARDIAN,

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE