Manchester United 1 vs Everton 0
Javier Hernandez scored the winner that has brought
Manchester United to the brink of a 19th League title with victory over Everton at Old Trafford.
The Reds have extende their lead at the top of the
Premier League to nine points, although Chelsea
have the chance to reduce that gap when they play later on.
Everton put up admirable resistance but it was finally broken in the 84th minute
when Antonio Valencia crossed deep for Hernandez to head home.
The striker powered in his
19th goal of a sensational
debut campaign to send
United into the Champions
League semi-final with
Schalke in winning mood and
knowing if they can avoid
defeat to Arsenal and
Chelsea in their next two
league games, they will
surely knock Liverpool off
the perch they have
occupied for so long.
Faced with a familiar
selection poser, knowing the
following four games,
starting with the first leg of
that Champions League semi-
final against Schalke in
Gelsenkirchen on Tuesday,
would shape his side's
season, Sir Alex Ferguson
came up with a typical
mixture of solid and
experimental.
Jonny Evans was fortunate
referee Peter Walton did not
view his tackle on Jermaine
Beckford as a foul midway
through the opening period
and Darron Gibson's normally
reliable long-range shooting
was way off beam.
However, back in the dug-
out after completing his five-
match touchline ban,
Ferguson could be
reasonably pleased with his
side's first-half efforts,
save for the fact they did
not actually score.
The time when picking
Hernandez was viewed as a
gamble has long since
passed and predictably, the
fast-moving Mexican was the
hosts' biggest threat.
In Howard though, Hernandez
was faced with a goalkeeper
who has special reason to do
well at this venue given he
enjoyed three seasons with
the Reds until joining the
Goodison Park outfit, initially
on loan, in 2006.
And Howard proved his
worth after 25 minutes when
Hernandez was sent
sprinting through by
Anderson's slide-rule pass
and let fly from an acute
angle.
Howard plunged to his right
to make an excellent save
by his near post.
Effort
The American's next effort
was even better as he beat
away another Hernandez
effort after the striker had
been set up by Valencia and
Wayne Rooney.
Hernandez then did Howard's
job for him eight minutes
from half-time.
Valencia's superior strength
allowed him to shove
Leighton Baines off the ball
and roll a pass back to Nani,
who had already wasted one
early opportunity by taking
too long to decide what to do.
This time, Nani went for goal
straight away. He would
surely have found it too had
the ball not struck
Hernandez, who had slipped
as he made his way in the
penalty area, and deflected
harmlessly away.
Everton manager David
Moyes could take pride in his
team's battling qualities,
which were exemplified by
the stoic defending of Phil
Jagielka and Sylvain Distin,
who managed to get in the
way of an Hernandez cross
that was about to give Fabio
a tap-in.
Moyes had even more
reason to admire the manner
his side started the second
period as United failed to
rouse themselves.
The introduction of Tim Cahill
helped and how Rio
Ferdinand got away with
shoving second substitute
Victor Anichebe over when
the Everton man had
outpaced him in a race
towards the United goal was
difficult to fathom.
Everton's luck was also out
midway through the half
when Jack Rodwell let fly
from the edge of the area
with a shot that took a
deflection off Evans and was
heading for the bottom
corner until Edwin van der
Sar got the slightest touch.
The fluidity had disappeared
from United's play, so they
dug into their reserves of
self-belief.
Distin turned a Fabio cross
onto his own post before the
introduction of Ryan Giggs,
then Anderson got no power
at all into a 10-yard shot
after being offered a decent
sight of goal.
The hosts' momentum
gathered pace. Rooney's
free-kick tipped over by
Howard. Valencia's
thunderbolt cannoning into
Jagielka. Another brilliant
Howard save to deny
Hernandez.
Manchester United to the brink of a 19th League title with victory over Everton at Old Trafford.
The Reds have extende their lead at the top of the
Premier League to nine points, although Chelsea
have the chance to reduce that gap when they play later on.
Everton put up admirable resistance but it was finally broken in the 84th minute
when Antonio Valencia crossed deep for Hernandez to head home.
The striker powered in his
19th goal of a sensational
debut campaign to send
United into the Champions
League semi-final with
Schalke in winning mood and
knowing if they can avoid
defeat to Arsenal and
Chelsea in their next two
league games, they will
surely knock Liverpool off
the perch they have
occupied for so long.
Faced with a familiar
selection poser, knowing the
following four games,
starting with the first leg of
that Champions League semi-
final against Schalke in
Gelsenkirchen on Tuesday,
would shape his side's
season, Sir Alex Ferguson
came up with a typical
mixture of solid and
experimental.
Jonny Evans was fortunate
referee Peter Walton did not
view his tackle on Jermaine
Beckford as a foul midway
through the opening period
and Darron Gibson's normally
reliable long-range shooting
was way off beam.
However, back in the dug-
out after completing his five-
match touchline ban,
Ferguson could be
reasonably pleased with his
side's first-half efforts,
save for the fact they did
not actually score.
The time when picking
Hernandez was viewed as a
gamble has long since
passed and predictably, the
fast-moving Mexican was the
hosts' biggest threat.
In Howard though, Hernandez
was faced with a goalkeeper
who has special reason to do
well at this venue given he
enjoyed three seasons with
the Reds until joining the
Goodison Park outfit, initially
on loan, in 2006.
And Howard proved his
worth after 25 minutes when
Hernandez was sent
sprinting through by
Anderson's slide-rule pass
and let fly from an acute
angle.
Howard plunged to his right
to make an excellent save
by his near post.
Effort
The American's next effort
was even better as he beat
away another Hernandez
effort after the striker had
been set up by Valencia and
Wayne Rooney.
Hernandez then did Howard's
job for him eight minutes
from half-time.
Valencia's superior strength
allowed him to shove
Leighton Baines off the ball
and roll a pass back to Nani,
who had already wasted one
early opportunity by taking
too long to decide what to do.
This time, Nani went for goal
straight away. He would
surely have found it too had
the ball not struck
Hernandez, who had slipped
as he made his way in the
penalty area, and deflected
harmlessly away.
Everton manager David
Moyes could take pride in his
team's battling qualities,
which were exemplified by
the stoic defending of Phil
Jagielka and Sylvain Distin,
who managed to get in the
way of an Hernandez cross
that was about to give Fabio
a tap-in.
Moyes had even more
reason to admire the manner
his side started the second
period as United failed to
rouse themselves.
The introduction of Tim Cahill
helped and how Rio
Ferdinand got away with
shoving second substitute
Victor Anichebe over when
the Everton man had
outpaced him in a race
towards the United goal was
difficult to fathom.
Everton's luck was also out
midway through the half
when Jack Rodwell let fly
from the edge of the area
with a shot that took a
deflection off Evans and was
heading for the bottom
corner until Edwin van der
Sar got the slightest touch.
The fluidity had disappeared
from United's play, so they
dug into their reserves of
self-belief.
Distin turned a Fabio cross
onto his own post before the
introduction of Ryan Giggs,
then Anderson got no power
at all into a 10-yard shot
after being offered a decent
sight of goal.
The hosts' momentum
gathered pace. Rooney's
free-kick tipped over by
Howard. Valencia's
thunderbolt cannoning into
Jagielka. Another brilliant
Howard save to deny
Hernandez.
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