Stoke City Steal Draw vs. Manchester United Via Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting Brace

Manchester United moved back to the top of the Premier League table but dropped points for the first time this season after being held to a 2-2 draw at Stoke City on Saturday evening.

Two-goal hero Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting bagged the breakthrough for manager Mark Hughes' side and later equalised following goals from United attackers Marcus Rashford and Romelu Lukaku.

The Red Devils open their UEFA Champions League campaign at home to Basel on Tuesday before welcoming Everton to Old Trafford in their return to Premier League action next Sunday.

United went with a front trio of Rashford and Henrikh Mkhitaryan flanking Lukaku to the left and right, respectively, and Kevin Wimmer made his Stoke City debut as part of a back three.

The first half was a tactical chess game of a quality few might have expected with United coming to the Bet365 Stadium having yet to drop a point or concede a goal in the league this season.

While the guests looked dangerous in their rare breaks, the Potters' own front three of Xherdan Shaqiri, Jese Rodriguez and Choupo-Moting looked a threat, with the latter proving particularly hard to contain.

United had to rely on individual pieces of magic, as noted by Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News, although nothing concrete came of it:

The breakthrough was crafted by former Manchester United men, with Old Trafford favourite Darren Fletcher curling a superb pass into the path of Mame Biram Diouf on the right wing before Diouf delivered a perfect cross to Choupo-Moting. The Cameroonian rushed past a slow United back-line to power the breakthrough past visiting goalkeeper David de Gea, per Squawka:

The opener went in with only 90 seconds or so of the first period remaining, but a lack of time didn't stop Jose Mourinho's United side from levelling up before the break.

Mkhitaryan's cross was flicked on by Nemanja Matic to Pogba, whose attempt hit Rashford and in for a messy equaliser, but ESPN's Rob Dawson noted the guests wouldn't be complaining:

Stoke didn't seem overawed by their opposition in the slightest and took the fight to United early in the second half. Things swung in United's favour as their hosts looked like they might even hit them on the break through a Jese run from deep, though.

Joe Allen collected the ball on halfway from the Spaniard but couldn't retain it under pressure from Matteo Darmian. Mkhitaryan was the creator once more in putting Lukaku through, and he beat Jack Butland at the second time of asking. The Belgian netted his fourth goal of the season, but it was the Armenian architect who caught blogger Liam Canning's eye:

De Gea showed excellent reactions to turn away a close-range Jese shot after the hour mark, but Choupo-Moting wouldn't be denied his second from the resulting corner after defender Phil Jones allowed his man to climb highest. Bundesliga writer Archie Rhind-Tutt nodded to the former Schalke man's swift adaptation to English football:

Juan Mata and Anthony Martial came on for Ander Herrera and scorer Rashford, respectively, but the Potters proved frustrating hosts to break down, although Lukaku came close to evading their defence on the 80-minute mark.

Lukaku also had an opportunity to bag the late winner after Mata drew a foul on the edge of the Stoke area, but he could only angle his effort into the Potters wall.

Hughes will take much from his side's performance, and the fact a point was enough to push his men up to mid-table, while Mourinho will not be at ease with the frailties shown at the back and a lack of finishing nous.

WhoScored.com showed how the Red Devils dominated possession, with almost two thirds of the overall share, as well as boasting eight shots on target to Stoke's five.

Nevertheless, the Potters showed superior proficiency in front of goal and more motivation to make the most of their chances.