THE INDIE
Manchester United may have found an ideal partner for Ruud Van Nistelrooy in Louis Saha but Sir Alex Ferguson may yet have cause to regret not also investing in a central defender during the recent transfer window after watching his side escape from squandering a three-goal lead yesterday. Each of Everton's second half goals resulted from United's failure to deal with set-piece crosses and betrayed a defence with a soft centre.
Two goals from Saha either side of Van Nistelrooy's 100th goal for United had given them a seemingly unassailable advantage by half time. But in this, the week of the comeback, Everton staged a remarkable revival with second-half goals from David Unsworth, a John O'Shea own goal, and Kevin Kilbane - all three headers. But just when it seemed the Merseyside club had earned a point, that man Van Nistelrooy met Cristiano Ronaldo's precise 89th- minute cross to win the match.
The result was the same as at White Hart Lane in midweek, the away team's late winner proving the decisive goal in seven, but this time the dream comeback was thwarted as United maintained the pressure on Arsenal at the top of the Premiership. "It was a problem every time they put the ball into the penalty area," said Ferguson. "In the last few weeks the defence has become a real worry for us."
The return of Ryan Giggs yesterday freed Paul Scholes to move in-field to partner Roy Keane at the expense of Phil Neville. Now that Saha has arrived to partner Van Nistelrooy, who has frequently been asked to lead the line on his own this season, Ferguson has adjusted his tactics. Presuming the long-term intention is to play the two together, United now have three successive home games in which to perfect the new system before the Champions' League resumes and they travel to Portugal to face Porto. Playing their second game in tandem since Saha's arrival, their burgeoning partnership has already yielded six goals.
Tremendous.
THE OBSERVER
Another 4-3 scoreline, another remarkable comeback and another terrific game. A pity it was spoiled by controversy at the end, but if Roy Keane really did swear at junior Everton fans it showed just how needled Manchester United had become.
For much of a pulsating second half it looked as if Manchester City were going to be upstaged once again by United. Sir Alex Ferguson's team appeared to have won the game several times over by the interval, when a 3-0 lead was scant reward for their superiority, but Everton battled back to 3-3, only to be denied at the death by Ruud van Nistelrooy. Bizarrely, Everton were booed off at half-time and cheered to the rafters at the end. It was that kind of day, but even though United were made to look ordinary in the second half one still had to admire their unflappable professionalism.
Not many of the half-time conversations centred on the possibility of Everton doing a Manchester City, for the simple reason that they were not playing Tottenham. Besides, had United been concentrating they would have been four or five goals up at the interval. Both Saha and Van Nistelrooy missed the target when clean through with only Martyn to beat.
Yet Everton surprised everyone, after Moyes had revised his cautious strategy and sent on Wayne Rooney, Tomasz Radzinski and Gary Naysmith at half-time. The forwards did not make an immediate impact, but the early goal necessary to sow the seed of doubt arrived after just four minutes. A moment of carelessness by John O'Shea conceded a needless corner and Ferguson won the near-post flick for Unsworth to head in at the back post.
United held their nerve, but with the crowd in full voice Everton were transformed beyond recognition. Two runs from Rooney brought two saves from Tim Howard and from the second Everton scored another set-piece goal, O'Shea heading into his own net from Gravesen's corner under pressure from Ferguson. The visitors were so rattled now that they conceded a third goal in almost identical fashion. Gravesen arrowed in a free-kick and Kevin Kilbane, unchallenged and unsuspected, rose to head past Howard. At that point United must have been expecting a 100th question on Coolmore notepaper: Do they not know how to defend set pieces?
THE SUNDAY TIMES
IF ANY man approaches you this morning and attempts to tell you he understands the swings and fortunes of English football over the past four days, dismiss him. After Manchester City’s extraordinary fightback to win 4-3 away to Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup on Wednesday, Manchester Uni-ted managed to scramble a victory by the same score in the Premiership at Goodison Park yesterday. But this was an altogether more perplexing and capricious encounter.
United had run rings around Everton to lead 3-0 by half-time, and it should have been seven. Then David Moyes, the Everton manager, lost patience with his apologist team and threw on three substitutes — as many as the law entitles him to make — and he must have said a few strong words in the dressing room.
Astonishingly, Everton scored once, twice and a third time, all from set pieces, carving through a terrified, startled United defence, equalising with 15 minutes to go. But despite the fightback, it was United who then won it at the death, with a goal a minute from time by Ruud van Nistelrooy, to be counted as fortuitous. And who on earth would have guessed at that outcome at the interval? "I’ve never lost a three-goal lead in my life as a manager," said Sir Alex Ferguson, who was so relieved that he forgot Liverpool’s comeback from three down to 3-3 at Anfield on January 4, 1994
THE TELEGRAPH
In an extraordinary match at Goodison Park yesterday, Everton staged the week's second epic comeback. But having, like Manchester City at White Hart Lane, levelled the scores after being 3-0 down, they could not quite grab the winner. Instead, it was Manchester United who stole the match with a late Ruud van Nistelrooy goal that keeps them two points behind Arsenal at the top of the Premiership.
Fortified by the return, in attack, of Ryan Giggs and, in defence, Gary Neville, after injury, United went on the offensive immediately and went ahead in only the ninth minute. It was a contentious goal, Louis Saha looking offside as Mikael Silvestre sent him running clear with a long through pass from deep in defence. But the linesman's flag stayed down, Saha belted a left-footed shot past Nigel Martyn and the visitors took a deserved lead.
Everton had been so poor in every department, it was surprising manager David Moyes made only three changes at half-time. Out went Jeffers, Steve Watson and Alessandro Pistone, and in came Radzinski, Rooney and Gary Naysmith.
The alterations paid off immediately, Unsworth diving to head the ball in at the far post four minutes into the second half after a Naysmith corner had skidded off John O'Shea's head.
Rooney's introduction made all the difference. Playing as a third striker, the teenager drove Everton forward so vigorously and purposefully that United were back-pedalling. Twice Tim Howard denied Rooney, first with a block, then with a tip over the bar, but the second save led to another inswinging corner by Naysmith. This time, as the United defenders tried to stop Ferguson jumping, O'Shea headed into his own net.
Now, United were reeling and Goodison Park was rocking. Forward came Everton again, only for Ferguson to head Naysmith's cross over. No matter. Ten minutes later, Kevin Kilbane stole in among United's statuesque defence to nod the equaliser past Howard. Having replaced Saha with Quinton Fortune to preserve their lead, Sir Alex Ferguson hurriedly sent on Cristiano Ronaldo for Fletcher in a desperate attempt to win.
That move paid off, too, Van Nistelrooy hurling himself at Ronaldo's centre to head United back into the lead at the far post with only two minutes left.
Even then, Everton ought to have equalised again, Rooney somehow nudging Radzinski's low shot inches wide of an open goal when it seemed easier to score.