Manchester United’s Ruud van Nistelrooy popped up to seal a dramatic 4-3 victory for his side at Everton on Saturday, after the champions had squandered a commanding 3-0 advantage from the first half.
The Dutchman’s strike was his second of the game after he had hit his 100th goal for the Old Trafford Club, in the 24th minute.
Everton were outplayed in the first half as United cut them to shreds at the back and took a 3-0 lead into the break with Frenchman Louis Saha’s brace — making it three goals in two games since he joined from Fulham — adding to Van Nistelrooy’s strike.
But what happened in the second half rocked the visitors, who saw that three-goal lead evaporate.
United opened the scoring in the ninth minute when Mikael Silvestre’s long ball found Saha in the clear and he controlled the ball calmly and lashed it past Martyn from 15 yards.
In the 24th minute the ball was threaded into the box and Van Nistelrooy drilled his 100th goal for the club inside Nigel Martyn and the near post.
Darren Fletcher’s ball in from the right was then moved on by Paul Scholes to an unmarked Saha on the left of the box, and he flashed a shot across Martyn and into the far corner of the Everton net.
The Frenchman wasted the chance of a hat-trick when, unmarked, he lashed over the bar after receiving a Scholes pass and Van Nistelrooy then dragged a shot wide.
Moyes made three half-time substitutions, with Wayne Rooney, Thomas Radzinski and Gary Naysmith replacing Steve Watson, Francis Jeffers and Alessandro Pistone — and it certainly sparked life into Everton.
They pulled one back on 49 minutes when David Unsworth stooped low in the box after Silvestre had only managed to head on a Naysmith corner.
Rooney was showing the desire to take on defenders and after he was denied by Tim Howard, either side of Alan Stubbs making a brave block to stop Van Nistelrooy’s 10-yard drive at the other end.
Everton made it 3-2 when Duncan Ferguson and John O’Shea challenged for Naysmith’s corner and the ball appeared to flick off the United man for an own goal.
And the hosts drew level 15 minutes from time when Thomas Gravesen’s cross was headed powerfully past Howard by Kilbane.
But two minutes from time United made sure of the victory when Cristian Ronaldo’s cross from the right was met by Van Nistelrooy’s powerful header at the far post. — Sapa-AFP