Manchester United 1 Everton 0:Manchester United have moved five points clear at the top of the Premier League after a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty proved enough to beat an Everton side desperately lacking in fire power. Edwin Van Der Sar, however, was the one who earned the plaudits after setting a new English football record by keeping his 12th consecutive clean sheet in the league.
Ronaldo fired home in the 44th minute after the excellent Michael Carrick had been tripped by Mikel Arteta.
With nearest rivals Liverpool and Chelsea playing each other at Anfield tomorrow United sent out a clear message that their grip on the title is as strong as ever.
Ferguson’s side have amassed 32 points from a possible 36, which is much better than the chasing pack and most definitely championship form.
His tally now stands at 1,122 minutes having not conceded since Samir Nasri scored in the 2-1 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on November 8.
In truth he will have busier afternoons with striker-less Everton having to employ midfielder Tim Cahill up front.
The pattern of play was established as early as the fourth minute when Marouane Fellaini’s foul on Carrick gave Ronaldo a chance to go for goal from 30 yards but he drilled his effort straight into the wall.
Everton’s Belgian midfielder committed his second foul at the other end when he ushed over Nemanja Vidic in trying to reach Leighton Baines’ cross into the six-yard area.
In the seventh minute, goalkeeper Tim Howard had to get down quickly to his right to tip the ball wide of the goal after Park Ji-Sung’s low inswinging cross was left by the Everton defence.
Howard then denied his former club a certain goal when he somehow diverted Carlos Tevez’s close-range shot over the crossbar as United increased the pressure.
When Everton did get a chance to threaten, from Leon Osman’s 17th-minute right-wing corner, Van der Sar claimed easily.
Cahill, usually so good in the air, was winning little of the ball against Rio Ferdinand despite Everton’s attempts to reach him at every opportunity.
United, however, were having no problems creating chances and almost scored in the 25th minute when Ronaldo’s toe-poke from just outside the area rebounded back off a post but as Tevez tried to convert the rebound he was flagged for offside.
The Portugal winger came close again two minutes later when Howard tipped over a long-range shot.
Carrick was next to try his luck but his volley from the left of the penalty area was just wide of the target.
But United finally made the breakthrough in the 44th minute.
Carrick had gone past Arteta but the Spaniard hung out a trailing leg behind him and it caught the midfielder, who fell in the area.
After a moment’s hesitation referee Mark Halsey pointed to the spot and Ronaldo despatched his shot straight down the middle.
Just after the interval Steven Pienaar won a free-kick off Vidic but Arteta sliced the 35-yard effort horribly wide.
Moments later Carrick should have been awarded another penalty when he nicked John O’Shea’s incisive through-ball past Joleon Lescott but despite the defender catching him Halsey waved away United’s justifiable claims.
Tevez then blazed well wide from Park’s right-wing cross as United looked to turn their dominance into a second goal.
The Argentina striker tried his luck with a low curling shot from the edge of the area but Howard saved comfortably.
United still had to be wary of Everton’s set-piece prowess but Van der Sar was more than up to the challenge of dealing with Arteta’s low 35-yard free-kick.
The visitors’ problem was that they had not really tested the United goalkeeper and Moyes, who is currently without three strikers, had very little available on the bench to change that.
The 68th-minute introduction of Victor Anichebe for Fellaini was at least an attempt to freshen things up as Cahill dropped into an attacking midfield role to allow the youngster a run as centre-forward.
And Tevez’s deflected free-kick almost put paid to those plans with Howard having to tip over the looping shot from under his own crossbar.
But there was still the odd scare for the hosts and Everton were screaming for a penalty when Lescott went down in a wrestling match with Ferdinand but Halsey was not convinced.
With those claims went the Toffees’ hopes of snatching a draw — however undeserved — from the match.
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