After flattening Chelsea with a sucker punch on their last
league outing, Everton completed a spectacular one-two to leave
Manchester United's title challenge on the ropes.
Just as they did against Carlo Ancelotti's men 10 days ago,
David Moyes' team roared back from a goal down to register another
famous win, which could have even greater consequences at the top
given United are the ones playing catch-up.
This time, young substitutes Dan Gosling and Jack Rodwell did
the damage, Gosling bundling home Steven Pienaar's cross 15 minutes
from time before Rodwell sent the home fans into ecstasy at the
end.
Applying the gloss: Jack Rodwell (second left) is
jubilant after notching Everton's third
For Wayne Rooney, Everton's first victory over United -
excluding penalty shoot-outs - for five years, and only their
second in 32 games, would have been particularly galling given his
history, although for once, England's talisman failed to make much
of an impact.
Unlike Rooney, the debate over Dimitar Berbatov's value to
United continues to rage.
At £30.75million, the Bulgarian cost them more than any other
player.
Blue heaven: Dan Gosling fired in from close
range
Yet he has largely become a peripheral figure, to the extent
that he was making his first away start since December when he
strutted into proceedings.
The argument goes that Berbatov's languid style is not suited to
United's all-action approach and with Ferguson preferring to use
Wayne Rooney as a lone front-man, flanked by a couple of
industrious wingers, the former Tottenham star frequently finds
himself surplus to requirements, as he was in Milan this week.
Yet there is little doubt either that Berbatov is blessed with
sublime skill.
Letting fly: Everton's Diniyar Bilyaletdinov levels
for the hosts
And when Sylvain Distin failed to cut out Antonio Valencia's low
cross, he killed the ball with one touch before smashing it into
the roof of Tim Howard's net.
Given the dominance United had enjoyed until that point, Everton
desperately needed to score next.
That they did so inside two minutes was probably beyond David
Moyes' wildest dreams.
The goal had route one stamped all over it as Phil Neville
launched the ball out of his own half.
Jonny Evans jumped with Louis Saha but, off balance, could only
head the ball straight to Diniyar Bilyaletdinov.
There appeared to be no imminent danger to Edwin van der Sar's
goal, but, spotting a gap low to the Dutchman's left, Bilyaletdinov
let fly with such power, there was no chance to move before it
flashed into the net.
The atmosphere instantly lurched from apprehensive to
expectant.
As Rooney, possibly guilty of trying too hard against his old
club, was having a rare off-day, the visitors' dominance of
possession failed to translate into threats on the Everton
goal.
Flying start: Manchester United hail Dimitar
Berbatov's opener
Instead, United were the ones who found themselves rocking, just
as Chelsea had
done once their lead disappeared.
Bilyaletdinov drove over following an excellent piece of skill
from Saha, then Landon Donovan wasted an even better chance after
Wes Brown had prodded Leighton
Baines' cross into his path.
The interval was not kind to Everton in the sense that it
allowed their visitors time to regroup and rediscover the poise and
authority they had enjoyed before Bilyaletdinov's leveller.
Darren Fletcher exchanged passes with Rooney before drilling a
shot wide.
Berbatov then showed his frustrating side when he glanced a
header wide from Rooney's cross when he should have at least kept
his effort on target.
It proved to be the Bulgarian's last meaningful contribution
before Ferguson reverted to the two winger approach and introduced
Gabriel Obertan with a quarter of the contest still remaining.
Hard fought: Everton's Landon Donovan is tackled by
Duncan Fletcher and Gary Neville
Moyes made the most telling substitution shortly afterwards,
when he replaced
Bilyaletdinov with Gosling.
Ferguson will be demanding to know why Valencia let Steven
Pienaar run unchecked onto Donovan's short pass towards the
byline.
It provided the South African with time to pick out Gosling's
run and, getting in front of Patrice Evra, the youngster duly
bundled home from six yards.
Hearts continued to be in mouths and fingernails shorn as
Rooney's free-kick shaved the post.
But this was to be Everton's day.
It has been claimed Rodwell will one day follow Rooney out of
the blue half of Merseyside to Old Trafford.
Once Ferguson has spat out the bitter taste of his side's sixth
defeat of the season, even he will probably admire the clinical way
he finished off Mikel Arteta's through-ball at the death.