Desperate United stumble again

Man Utd 1 Everton 1

Another disappointing result saw Ferguson and his beleaguered players booed off the Old Trafford pitch as the struggling Toffees held them, and could even have snatched a dramatic victory had James McFadden showed greater composure in the second half.

McFadden put Everton ahead on seven minutes before Ryan Giggs equalised less than 10 minutes later. United had chances to win but found visiting goalkeeper Richard Wright in inspired form at the worst possible time. This result leaves United 12 points behind Premiership leaders Chelsea and hopes of silverware are fading faster than Ferguson’s popularity in Manchester.

“We got a bit anxious, I thought, in the second half. The players were desperate to win it and tried their best. We had our chances after the equaliser and I thought we would go on to win it. But we started making some mistakes and that gave Everton the confidence to sit in there and play the counter attack,” said Ferguson.

“I thought we deserved to win the game with the chances we had. We had four of five. But their goalkeeper was magnificent. That sometimes happens when goalkeepers come to Old Trafford - they get inspired.

“When you drop points, it never helps you. You need a consistency that goes right through the season but this was a setback.”

The immediate goal for United was to overcome an Everton side which had been treading water at the wrong end of the Premiership for most of the season.

Ferguson handed Louis Saha his first Premiership start of the campaign in place of the suspended Ruud Van Nistelrooy, while John O’Shea was dropped altogether from his side’s debacle in Portugal and replaced by Kieran Richardson.

Ferguson looked to have got the response he was looking for from his team as United made a bright start in what was a frantic opening to the game.

Paul Scholes saw his goalbound drive blocked by his own player, Rio Ferdinand, inside the opening two minutes while moments later Giggs’s wicked cross somehow evaded Saha and Ji-sung Park close to goal before landing at the feet of Alan Smith, but the England midfielder saw his strike blocked by Richard Wright.

In between this brace of attacking forays, however, Everton almost took the lead themselves as United’s defensive frailties were exposed. Edwin van der Sar hacked an attempted clearance straight to Leon Osman who quickly fed James Beattie but his shot was blocked by the covering Mikael Silvestre with van der Sar hopelessly exposed.

United failed to heed the warning, however, and duly found themselves behind after just seven minutes when Kevin Kilbane’s powerful run distracted several defenders, allowing Osman to set up McFadden who drilled an unstoppable shot inside van der Sar’s near post.

Everton’s lead lasted less than 10 minutes as United wasted little time in striking back. Wayne Rooney had twice gone close to equalising inside a minute before Scholes released Giggs with a floated ball over the top of a static Everton defence and the Welsh international charged onto it before cushioning a delightful shot past the stranded Wright.

United began to get a stranglehold on the game, with Rooney twice going close with headers and Gary Neville demanding a smart save from Wright as the visitors began to fade.

Rooney ghosted onto Giggs’s ball shortly before half-time and should have scored but his glancing header on the run went straight into the grateful arms of Wright as Everton continued to ride their luck.

Chances came and went at each end but the best opportunity to snatch all three points fell to Everton and McFadden just after the hour mark.

Scholes was caught in possession and allowed Simon Davies to break from deep and send McFadden clean through on goal but he shot too soon and van der Sar was able to make a comfortable save and spare his side what would have been another humbling defeat.

Opta Fact: Ryan Giggs joins Gary Speed and Alan Shearer as the only players to score in every season since the Premiership started.

Opta Fact: Everton scored their first left-footed goal of the season - the last Premiership team to do so

MAN UTD: Van der Sar, Neville, Ferdinand, Silvestre, Richardson (Rossi 79), Park (Ronaldo 64), Smith (Fletcher 74), Scholes, Giggs, Rooney, Saha.

EVERTON: Wright, Hibbert, Yobo, Weir, Nuno Valente, Osman, Davies, Neville, Kilbane, Beattie (Ferguson 87), McFadden (Bent 81).

Att: 67,831

Referee: R Styles (Hampshire).