Duncan Ferguson strengthened Everton’s grip on a Champions League berth as Manchester United’s fast-fading season took another knock with a 1-0 defeat at Goodison Park on Wednesday.
The 33-year-old Scottish striker rolled back the years with a trademark 55th minute header which proved enough to earn the Merseyside club a first league win over United in 10 years when, ironically, Ferguson was the match-winner on that occasion.
On a terrible night for Alex Ferguson’s team, United finished an ill-tempered affair with nine men after England defender Gary Neville was sent-off by referee Phil Dowd for kicking the ball into the crowd and Paul Scholes was dismissed for kicking
out at Kevin Kilbane.
Everton, who were full value for their victory, went into the game knowing that two wins from their remaining six matches would cement them a place in Europe for the first time as a Premiership club. David Moyes’ team were relegation favourites at the start of the season, but now find themselves in prime position to host Champions League football in four months time.
With so much at stake, Moyes opted to bring 16-year-old James Vaughan gently down to earth as Everton entered the business end of the season. A sell-out crowd had hoped for a showdown between Everton’s newly-installed youngest ever scorer, and the man whose record he eclipsed earlier this month — Wayne Rooney, who quit Goodison Park for United last August.
But while Rooney was jeered each time he touched the ball, Vaughan, the youngest player in Premiership history, had to make do with watching from the substitutes bench as Moyes turned to experience.
Rooney’s first league return to Goodison Park started on a bloody note with the England striker requiring treatment after being struck in the face by the ball with the game just five minutes old.
His evening did not get much better as United once again failed to score in the Premiership, and have now managed just one goal in their last five league outings.
Rooney was one of the few United players to trouble Nigel Martyn on a quiet evening for the veteran Everton goalkeeper. A venomous 30-yard drive by the teenager had the former England international scrambling across his line to beat out the teenager’s eighth minute drive, but it was the only time Martyn was troubled before the break.
Yet it was Everton, who had lost 17 times in 20 Premiership meetings with United, who went closest to breaking the deadlock before halftime. A pin-point 33rd minute free-kick from Lee Carsley picked up Tim Cahill whose spectacular overhead kick was heading for the top corner of the net before England defender Wes Brown cleared off the line.
United were hugely disappointing although it might have been a different story had Martyn not saved so well to deny Paul Scholes after Rooney’s defence-splitting pass at the start of the second-half.
But this was Everton’s night and they strengthened their position in fourth spot when Ferguson punished sloppy United defending by planting a close range header beyond the reach of Tim Howard following Arteta’s free-kick after Kevin Kilbane had been fouled by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Everton were forced to endure some anxious moments before sealing all three points. Martyn did well to keep out a fierce 70th minute attempt by Ronaldo before Neville lost his cool and was ordered off. From that moment, United’s hopes of salavaging a point were gone and it now looks as though they will be forced to qualify for the Champions League for the third time in four seasons.
Scholes was ordered off in the dying seconds for lunging at Kilbane to complete United’s misery. – Sapa-AFP