The intensity of United’s play with and without the ball increased after the break, and earned just reward when Wheatley scored his second leveller of the game. Where the first was a team move, this was all his own work, chasing down Everton’s half-time substitute Luca Davis, stealing the ball and finishing ruthlessly into the right side-netting.
United’s confidence subsequently matched the team’s intensity. Sekou Kone struck over from long range, Wheatley and Moorhouse had close-range efforts blocked and Scanlon’s edge-of-the-box effort was saved after a quick counter-attack.
At the other end, Harrison denied Graham well from another dangerous corner and then came out to force Sherif to think when one on one. The two-goal marksman struck over the crossbar.
It proved a key turning point. A little over a minute later, Kone drove between men, picked a pass out to Tyler Fletcher, who turned beautifully and shot from the area’s edge to find the bottom left corner.
Francis Gomez drilled one wide of the right post as the visitors enjoyed a good spell, but United came through it and benefitted from some fortune when Kone’s long shot deflected in five minutes from time.