Everton

Manchester United had won only two of their previous five Premier League matches, and were eight points behind Chelsea at kick-off, but they quickly trimmed that back to five with a comfortable victory over the basket case poor Everton resemble at present.

It is interesting to note that, at this stage last season, United were running third, behind Chelsea and Liverpool, and they stayed there until the new year, when they hit the top on the back of an irresistible surge of 11 successive wins.

Traditionally, they move up as the Christmas decorations come down. This time, however, there is no Cristiano Ronaldo to leave opposing defenders with what, in George Best's heyday, they used to call "twisted blood". Ronaldo's replacement, Antonio Valencia, not only lacks his predecessor's mesmeric skills on the ball, he is not contributing his share of goals.

No team has experienced a worse catalogue of injuries than Everton and they were again without seven first-teamers, including such important figures as Mikel Arteta, Phil Jagielka, Phil Neville and Steven Pienaar. On the credit side, Tim Cahill was passed fit to play. Notable absentees from the United line-up were Rio Ferdinand, John O'Shea, Jonny Evans and Dimitar Berbatov. Without Berbatov, injured on international duty with Bulgaria, Sir Alex Ferguson partnered Little and Little, aka Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen, in attack for only the second time in the league. Ominously, on the only other occasion, United lost at Burnley.The combination provided an interesting sub-text: might they dovetail effectively for England at the World Cup? Probably not, on this evidence. They were rarely on the same wavelength in the first half.

Louis Saha, who spent more time in the treatment room than on the field in his mutually frustrating spell with United, was back at Old Trafford for the first time as an Everton player and keen to demonstrate his worth by adding to the nine goals he had scored this season? the most recent at West Ham last weekend.

His first attempt left something to be desired, a "Thierry Henry", as surreptitious handballs will now be known, found Steve Bennett eagled-eyed where Sweden's Martin Hansson had been Mr Magoo in Paris.

As might have been expected, United made all the running and were rewarded after 35 minutes, when they took the lead in handsome fashion. Valencia's headed knockdown fell to Darren Fletcher in the centre of the D, where the Scot met it with a flying right-footed volley that ripped into the top right-hand corner of Tim Howard's net.

Everton's visible discomfiture was reflected in back-to-back bookings for Cahill and Marouane Fellaini, and Howard had to be smartly off his line to thwart Owen in pursuit of the second goal that would have settled the issue before half-time.

David Moyes sent on an extra striker, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, in place of young Dan Gosling for the second half. It was a midfielder, John Heitinga, however, who raised Evertonian spirits with a curling 20-yarder that demanded Edwin Van der Sar's careful attention. The United keeper was soon called upon again, advancing from his line to sprawl at the feet of Cahill. In the collision, both players were injured and needed treatment.

The Owen of old would surely have put the outcome beyond doubt 10 minutes after the break, when he took the ball wide of Howard, but nudged it too far to the left to get in a decent shot. Rooney was more impressive when he clipped the crossbar with a shot from 25 yards out.

The second goal United needed for comfort came midway through the half, when Ryan Giggs's corner from the left came back to him and his second delivery was driven in by Carrick from 17 yards out. Everton knew the game was up. One goal was likely to be too much to pull back, two was mission impossible. Valencia drilled in the third from wide on the right, with the aid of a deflection.

This is not a news report and may contain views expressed by the author which are not supported by GNM.

Manchester United had won only two of their previous five Premier League matches, and were eight points behind Chelsea at kick-off, but they quickly trimmed that back to five with a comfortable victory over the basket case poor Everton resemble at present.

It is interesting to note that, at this stage last season, United were running third, behind Chelsea and Liverpool, and they stayed there until the new year, when they hit the top on the back of an irresistible surge of 11 successive wins.

Traditionally, they move up as the Christmas decorations come down. This time, however, there is no Cristiano Ronaldo to leave opposing defenders with what, in George Best's heyday, they used to call "twisted blood". Ronaldo's replacement, Antonio Valencia, not only lacks his predecessor's mesmeric skills on the ball, he is not contributing his share of goals.

No team has experienced a worse catalogue of injuries than Everton and they were again without seven first-teamers, including such important figures as Mikel Arteta, Phil Jagielka, Phil Neville and Steven Pienaar. On the credit side, Tim Cahill was passed fit to play. Notable absentees from the United line-up were Rio Ferdinand, John O'Shea, Jonny Evans and Dimitar Berbatov. Without Berbatov, injured on international duty with Bulgaria, Sir Alex Ferguson partnered Little and Little, aka Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen, in attack for only the second time in the league. Ominously, on the only other occasion, United lost at Burnley.The combination provided an interesting sub-text: might they dovetail effectively for England at the World Cup? Probably not, on this evidence. They were rarely on the same wavelength in the first half.

Louis Saha, who spent more time in the treatment room than on the field in his mutually frustrating spell with United, was back at Old Trafford for the first time as an Everton player and keen to demonstrate his worth by adding to the nine goals he had scored this season? the most recent at West Ham last weekend.

His first attempt left something to be desired, a "Thierry Henry", as surreptitious handballs will now be known, found Steve Bennett eagled-eyed where Sweden's Martin Hansson had been Mr Magoo in Paris.

As might have been expected, United made all the running and were rewarded after 35 minutes, when they took the lead in handsome fashion. Valencia's headed knockdown fell to Darren Fletcher in the centre of the D, where the Scot met it with a flying right-footed volley that ripped into the top right-hand corner of Tim Howard's net.

Everton's visible discomfiture was reflected in back-to-back bookings for Cahill and Marouane Fellaini, and Howard had to be smartly off his line to thwart Owen in pursuit of the second goal that would have settled the issue before half-time.

David Moyes sent on an extra striker, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, in place of young Dan Gosling for the second half. It was a midfielder, John Heitinga, however, who raised Evertonian spirits with a curling 20-yarder that demanded Edwin Van der Sar's careful attention. The United keeper was soon called upon again, advancing from his line to sprawl at the feet of Cahill. In the collision, both players were injured and needed treatment.

The Owen of old would surely have put the outcome beyond doubt 10 minutes after the break, when he took the ball wide of Howard, but nudged it too far to the left to get in a decent shot. Rooney was more impressive when he clipped the crossbar with a shot from 25 yards out.

The second goal United needed for comfort came midway through the half, when Ryan Giggs's corner from the left came back to him and his second delivery was driven in by Carrick from 17 yards out. Everton knew the game was up. One goal was likely to be too much to pull back, two was mission impossible. Valencia drilled in the third from wide on the right, with the aid of a deflection.

This is not a news report and may contain views expressed by the author which are not supported by GNM.