Ronaldo keeps United at the summit

Manchester United 3 Everton

Guy Hodgson
Friday 26 December 2003 20:00 EST
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Sir Alex Ferguson gets more presents than most at this time of the year - his birthday falls on New Year's Eve - but few were as welcome as the one given by the fixtures computer. Pick any team that he would like to meet in the holiday period and the chances are he would select Everton.

This win marked the 19th time Manchester United have beaten the Merseysiders since the start of the Premiership and only twice has Ferguson finished on the losing side. Yesterday he could even field a team stripped of Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ryan Giggs, Roy Keane and (for 49 minutes) Paul Scholes and still succeed with something to spare.

Forget the score. United, who scored through Nicky Butt, Kleberson and David Bellion, were comprehensively the better side and their real problems concerned injuries, John O'Shea (hamstring) and Mickaël Silvestre (knee) adding to defensive concerns exacerbated by Rio Ferdinand's forthcoming suspension.

On Old Trafford's bright side, United maintained their lead in the Premiership, they pushed themselves four points ahead of Chelsea and got a performance out of Cristiano Ronaldo that partially restored a reputation that has suffered for too many bad days. The jury is still out on the 18-year-old, who can look like a struggling circus act with his step-overs and over-elaboration. But when the brain does engage, his ability to contrive space with his lightning-fast feet can open even the most parsimonious defence.

"He has had some fantastic games, especially against Charlton earlier in the season," Ferguson said. "Today he was marvellous."

Gary Neville, the United captain, was more forthcoming. "He was brilliant, a constant danger," he said. "He wants the ball all the time, and no matter what he does, if he loses it or is fouled, he comes back for more. He's a really brave player in more ways than one."

Not that Everton yesterday ever looked likely to tie down either Ronaldo or Kleberson, who was the dominant figure. They look like a team destined to spend the rest of the season looking over their shoulders, their first goal coming courtesy of a misdirected Gary Neville header and their second, from Duncan Ferguson, arriving too late to affect the game.

Wayne Rooney, Everton's wunderkind, started but was so ineffectual that he was substituted after getting booked for a wild lunge at Ronaldo. But as his manager, David Moyes, emphasised, he was not alone. "A lot of players had a difficult day," he said, "along with Wayne."

From the start Everton were bedevilled with uncertainty. The United line-up should have encouraged even serial under-achievers, but after five minutes Kleberson crossed from the right and Ronaldo got inside his marker to make a flying header that would have troubled the goalkeeper, Nigel Martyn, if it had gone a foot either side.

This was a suggestion that the Portuguese winger was keeping things simple, and he did so two minutes later when he passed beautifully for Kleberson on the left. The Brazilian's cross was cleared by David Unsworth but, with the Everton midfield dozing, Butt charged in to beat Martyn from 20 yards with a volley.

Kleberson also fired over in this opening barrage so it was a surprise when Everton equalised after 12 minutes, just as the United supporters were indulging themselves with Eric Cantona chants. That ghost of Christmas past quickly faded into the dank Mancunian air as Gary Neville created a spectre of his own by heading with emphatic precision past his own goalkeeper, Tim Howard, after Kevin Campbell's jump cloaked the direction and trajectory of Thomas Graveson's free-kick.

Neville rarely gets on the scoresheet - four goals in nearly 400 starts - yet he contributes towards plenty and, with United seemingly running out of ideas, he made a telling contribution in the 43rd minute. Usually his left foot is for standing on, but he used it to cut inside and curled in a cross that Kleberson headed into the corner.

The first half had belonged to Kleberson; the second was Ronaldo's as the game pivoted round him. His dribbles goaded Rooney into his one significant contribution to the game - his booking - before he completely bewildered Tony Hibbert and delivered a cross that deserved better than Bellion's wasteful header over the bar.

Anyone who has borne witness to Ronaldo will testify to his willingness to persevere even if the evidence suggests otherwise and it paid off after 67 minutes. He again slipped beyond Hibbert's lunge and this time crossed to the near post where Bellion put the ball into the roof of the net.

Everton were bedraggled and beaten but they stirred themselves when Naysmith crossed from the left and the ball flew through the United defence for Ferguson to score at the far post. It was a futile act of defiance.

Goals: Butt (7) 1-0; G Neville og (12) 1-1; Kleberson (42) 2-1; Bellion (67) 3-1; Ferguson (89) 3-2.

Manchester United (4-4-1-1): Howard 5; G Neville 5, Ferdinand 7, Silvestre 7 (Djemba-Djemba 5, 71), O'Shea 5 (Scholes 7, 49); Bellion 5, Butt 5, Fortune 6, Ronaldo 6; Kleberson 8; Forlan 5. Substitutes not used: Carroll (gk), Van Nistelrooy, Giggs.

Everton (4-4-2): Martyn 6; Hibbert 4, Stubbs 7, Unsworth 6, Naysmith 5; Li Tie 4, Linderoth 4 (Jeffers 5, 62), Gravesen 5, Kilbane 5; Rooney 3 (McFadden 5, 69), Campbell 4 (Ferguson 6, 62). Substitutes not used: Simonsen (gk), Yobo.

Referee: M Dean (Wirral) 6.

Bookings: Everton: Rooney, Jeffers.

Man of the match: Kleberson.

Attendance: 67,642.

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