Midfield Masterclass

Manchester United 3 - Everton 0
Scorers
Manchester United: Fletcher (35), Carrick (67), Valencia (76)

Team: Van der Sar, Vidic, Brown, Rafael (Scholes 63), Evra, Fletcher, Carrick (Gibson 83), Valencia, Giggs, Rooney (Obertan 74), Owen

We never lie down. After the defeat against Chelsea, ranks seem to have closed and we responded with a masterclass in midfield. Fletcher was the general pulling the strings throughout the game. And when Carrick has a superb game like today, you know that we've been at our brilliant best.

Right from the word 'go', Everton were never in the game. The centre pairing of Fletcher and Carrick controlled every bit of the pitch. Owen and Rooney created havoc in the Everton defense with switching positions and confusing their markers.

Despite that, the Everton defense was resolute and the first goal took quite sometime to come. It was worth the wait. Evra's cross to the back post was headed back into the centre of the penalty box by Valencia. Fletcher was on hand to connect sweetly and volley in an unstoppable cannon into the top corner of the goal. It was a stunner in every sense of the word. Possibly one of the finest goals we've seen this season.

Everton was surprisingly poor today. They did have a short spell of good play in the beginning of the second half but it was shortlived. Carrick found the net after Giggs' brilliant pass, giving us a 2 goal advantage.

Valencia got onto the act as well when his shot deflected off Baines to round off the scoring. There probably could have been more goals in our favour, but we the foot off the accelerator, saving ourselves for the Champions League game in midweek.

We may not have gained any ground against the leader Chelsea, but there is plenty to be positive with today's performance. Evra and Fletcher probably had their best games this season. Carrick actually looks like a player. And this Obertan fellow is really quite impressive.

The Chelsea game possibly lit a fire up our asses. If we play with such aggression and determination the rest of the way, there really could be a chance, albeit a small chance, to retain the title.