‘Manchester United left it late before reducing the gap behind Arsenal to six points here last night and Sir Alex Ferguson will want to remember the last three minutes rather than the 87 that came before.
Only three minutes were remaining when Paul Scholes put United ahead against a tenacious Everton side that had seemed destined to get a rare point at Old Trafford. David Weir was sent off a slight tug on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ruud van Nistelrooy scored the resultant penalty, before Scholes added the final flourish with a marvellous strike in stoppage time.
Ferguson, that vociferous protector of his own, continues to be riled by the unflattering comparisons with Arsène Wenger's side but he should not be surprised. While Arsenal have nurtured a talent for demolishing opponents with their slick passing and perceptive movement, United's dips in and out of form have failed to dispel the suspicion they are lacking the fluidity that epitomised Ferguson's teams during their most autocratic days.
This was another unconvincing start against a side that United have beaten with more regularity over recent seasons than any other club in the Premiership.
As if sensing that their heroes needed cajoling, Old Trafford responded impressively. Unlike on so many other occasions Manchester United's fans actually worked themselves into a frenzy. The acoustics have not sounded so good for a long time but if the Mancunian orchestra was intended to galvanise Ferguson's players the ploy had only limited success. United began with a good pace and tempo but little penetration, floundering against an Everton side light on talent but heavy on toil.
Solskjaer, a second-half substitute, should have punished Everton for one lapse in concentration just after the hour and, shortly afterwards, Van Nistelrooy increased the decibel levels once again, squandering an easy chance from just six yards. Old Trafford echoed to the sound of 60,000 jaws dropping, followed by a united chorus of disbelieving groans.
There was also time for Beckham to rouse the crowd once again, floating a chipped shot on to the top of Richard Wright's crossbar, before Scholes finally broke the deadlock, scoring with a low shot after Beckham's cross had been turned back by Giggs. It was tough on Everton but there was even more soulsearching to come. Weir could not argue with the referee Mike Riley's decision for Van Nistelrooy's penalty but even that would have been flattering for the home side without Scholes rounding things off with a handsome shot from 25 yards.’