Man United 1 Everton 0


EDWIN VAN DER SAR beat Death and Cristiano Ronaldo hammered a nail in Manchester United's title-rivals' coffins as the Red Devils leapt five points clear.

The Dutch stopper has now not conceded a goal for 1,122 minutes - breaking the 20-year league record of Reading's Steve Death.

And Ronaldo's first-half penalty made sure United picked up another maximum return, which Alex Ferguson stressed at the outset was his top priority.

But the United boss was still chuffed his experienced keeper and constantly changing back four had delivered such a magnificent achievement.

He said: "Fantastic, I couldn’t believe it that the last goal scored against us was at Arsenal.

"Great credit to Edwin van der Sar but the important thing is to keep our record of winning."

United were good value for their win and although David Moyes sent his side out in typical dogged manner, having to rely on Tim Cahill as the lone frontman was never going to be an easy task.

In the seventh minute, keeper 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.

United almost scored in the 25th minute when Ronaldo’s toe-poke from just outside the area rebounded back off a post.

The Portugal winger came close again two minutes later when Howard tipped over a long-range shot.

Michael Carrick chested and turned superbly on 32 minutes but his flashing left-foot volley flew narrowly wide.

United finally made the breakthrough in the 44th minute when Mikel Arteta foolishly stuck out a trailing leg as Carrick burst in to the area.

Ref Mark Halsey wasted little time in pointing to the spot and Ronaldo waited for Howard to throw himself to the right before lifting the ball calmly into the centre of the goal for his 14th goal of the season.

United almost had another penalty at the start of the second half and again it was Carrick who was sent tumbling.

Joleon Lescott came across the midfielder as he burst through but this time Halsey waved away the appeals.

Ferguson berated the official for not pointing to the spot.

He said: "I think it was a clear penalty, ore so than the first one.

"But you’re not going to get two penalties, lets be honest."

The magic 72-minute mark passed without United conceding meaning Van der Sar beat Death's record of 1,104 minutes without conceding a league goal, set by the Reading in 1979.

Lescott went down in a penalty area scuffle with eight minutes to go but United were rarely troubled.

David Moyes said they had come to the "best side in the world - but we always had a chance and kept going."

The comfortable win takes United an ominous five points clear of Chelsea, Liverpool and Aston Villa.

Man Utd: Van der Sar, Neville (Brown 56), Ferdinand, Vidic, O'Shea, Ronaldo, Carrick, Fletcher (Giggs 75), Park, Berbatov, Tevez. Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Welbeck, Fabio Da Silva, Gibson, Eckersley. Goals: Ronaldo 44 pen.

Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Jagielka, Lescott, Baines, Osman, Arteta, Neville, Pienaar, Fellaini (Anichebe 68), Cahill. Subs Not Used: Nash, Yobo, Castillo, Jacobsen, Rodwell, Gosling.

Att: 75,399

Ref: Mark Halsey (Lancashire).


The Sun