VIEW FROM THE BLUE

Same Old Tired Story

Manchester United 1 - 0 Everton

Everton lost for the first time in eight games in what is arguably the most predictable fixture on their calendar as Javier Hernandez finally made the breakthrough that an increasingly unsettled Old Trafford crowd had been praying for. The Blues were six minutes ? 10 if you count stoppage time ? from successfully stymying United with a gritty defensive stand but an error in judgement by the otherwise impressive Sylvain Distin opened the door for Sir Alex Ferguson's men to grab the winner and consolidate their lead in the Premier League title race.

Everton arrived at Old Trafford with a recent League record surpassed only by Chelsea but also with the unwanted distinction of not having won on this ground for 19 years, and it seemed as though the psychology around the latter dominated their approach to this match. This was a team unrecognisable from the one that went to Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham and took the game to superior opposition to earn at least a point in all bar one of those games.

Instead, David Moyes executed his familiar Old Trafford gameplan of containment and heavy emphasis on defence and paid the price for a galling lack of adventure with a fifth straight defeat in these hostile environs.

Of course, no one should forget the handicaps on his team selection ? none of Marouane Fellaini, Mikel Arteta, Louis Saha or John Heitinga were available and Tim Cahill was only deemed fit enough to start on the bench ? but it's more or less been the same group of players that started today that have carried the Blues through a run of five wins in seven games.

The swagger, the sense of purpose and the convition that has characterised that recent unbeaten spell was wholly absent today, no more so than during an unforgiveably awful first half performance that surely would have been punished severely by United had Ferguson, with one eye on his upcoming Champions League commitments, not elected to field a much-weakened team.

Nevertheless, with Wayne Rooney and Hernandez leading the line and Antonio Valencia tearing Leighton Baines to shreds down the right, the home side had enough firepower on paper to get the job done. They found Distin and the magnificent Phil Jagielka in obdurate mood, though, and were frustrated not only by that pair's stoic defensive stand and also by Tim Howard who denied Nani by catching his effort after 12 minutes, turning Hernandez' shot from the angle behind after 24 and producing the save of the first half after half an hour, a double-handed parry to beat away another Hernandez effort after Rooney had played him in superbly.

United had the Blues' defence beaten all ends up seven minutes before the break, though, when Valencia was somehow allowed by referee Peter Walton to shove Baines off the ball with his hand and cross low for Nani but the Portuguese's goalbound shot deflected off the foot of the prone Hernandez and past the post.

Everton, for what little part they played in the opposition half, managed just one shot on goal in the entire first half, a powder-puff effort by last weekend's star of the show, Leon Osman. At the heart of their problem was a near total inability to keep possession. Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, who looked like he was playing in cement boots encased in lead, seemed to give the ball away at every opportunity, Osman was back to running into cul-de-sacs and being easily pushed off the ball, and Jermaine Beckford's perplexing unwillingness to leave the floor to challenge for any long ball meant that anything lumped up to the forward line came straight back.

There was precious little width, either, with Seamus Coleman, back in the starting line-up after recovering from injury, playing more like a fourth central midfielder for most of the first 45 minutes. It made for dismal viewing for the traveling faithful but their team at least made it to the interval on level terms.

Moyes responded positively enough at half time by withdrawing his two least productive players in Beckford and Bilyaletdinov and throwing on Cahill and Victor Anichebe and the improvement was almost immediate. Everton actually made a decent fist of the early stages of the second half and were appealing in vain for a penalty 10 minutes in when Anichebe burst past Rio Ferdinand and then tumbled under contact from the defender.

Of course, with no team having been awarded a penalty in the League at Old Trafford for the past 11 years ? could there be more stark evidence of the refereeing bias, conscious or otherwise, that exists on this ground? ? the chances were slim that the Blues would get the decision they so badly wanted and referee Walton duly waved play on. With Anichebe having prodded the ball too close to Edwin van der Sar and then appearing to go down too easily, Everton would need a more convincing case to defy history.

It was indicative of the change in both personnel and approach by Moyes that United didn't come close to scoring for a full quarter of an hour after half time, not until Darren Gibson's half-volley cannoned off Jagielka's back and flew over the bar.

Indeed, it was at the other end where the first goal so nearly arrived. After a pleasing spell of pressure by the visitors, Jack Rodwell found space for a shot from 20 yards that was destined to creep inside the far post until Van der Sar finger-tipped it wide at full stretch.

But Ferguson's side began to reassert their control after that and even with Cahill and the more robust Anichebe up front, the ball just wasn't sticking in forward areas for Everton. The Blues were riding their luck at times, none more so than when Fabio's cross from the byline ricocheted off Distin and onto the post, and It seemed only a matter of time before United found a way through.

Howard then impressively pushed Rooney's direct free kick over the bar and saved his best moment for the 81st minute when Hernandez seemed to certain to score with a header at the back post but the American 'keeper acrobatically pawed his shot over from close range.

Ultimately, after defending so diligently for 83 minutes, the Blues were undone by a moment of hestitation by Distin in the middle of his own half. Instead of making a routine clearance under pressure, the Frenchman tried to bring the ball down and move into space but when it clipped a United player's foot and fell to Valencia, the Everton defender was left crucially out of position. Valencia crossed from the right and Hernandez rose unmarked at the back post to squeeze a header past Howard. 1-0, game over.

Everton did try to mount a late assault with some sporadic attacks but the game was clearly lost and another defeat on this ground was in the books.

It's true that only West Bromwich Albion have come to Old Trafford and got anything this season, such a fortress this has been for Sir Alex's men, and it's equally true that this is an under-strength Everton team. But United were well below strength too and the Blues played so far below what they've shown themselves to be capable of recent weeks that we'll never know what might have happened had they really gone out and given it a really good go.

The fear, the crushing inferiority complex that plagued Everton against the top sides seems to have been eradicated against the other teams mentioned earlier but on this ground against this club, Moyes just can't seem to get it anywhere close to right. With nothing much to lose, he could have sent his side out to attack and even having escaped to half-time goalless his players lacked the conviction to take the game to their opponents in the second half. And so it goes in this fixture into a 20th year without an Everton victory...

Player Ratings: Howard 8, Hibbert 6, Jagielka 9*, Distin 7, Baines 5, Coleman 5 (Gueye 6), Rodwell 6, Neville 6, Osman 5, Bilyaletdinov 3 (Cahill 6), Beckford 4 (Anichebe 7)

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