MAN UTD V EVERTON: THE LOWDOWN

Friday 20 November 2009, 10:01
by Antonia De Feo @antoniadefeo

Head to Head

This is our 81st match at Old Trafford in the league and the 161st league meeting with United in total, our full record is:

	P	W	D	L
Home	80	37	18	25
Away	80	15	20	45
Total	160	52	38	70

Penalties from Cristiano Ronaldo have settled the last two encounters at Old Trafford, the Portuguese winger netting the only goal in the most recent meeting in January 2009. The match at Goodison last season ended 1-1, with Marouane Fellaini equalising Darren Fletcher’s first-half strike.

We have won just one – at Goodison in April 2005 – of the last 30 meetings since our 1995 FA Cup final win, with just six draws.

Our last win at Old Trafford was in United’s opening Premier League home fixture in August 1992. We won 3-0, which equals the largest winning margin for a visiting team on the ground in the Premier League.

Everton’s Premier League record against United is as follows:

	P	W	D	L
Home	17	2	2	13
Away	17	1	3	13
Total	34	3	5	26

The managers

David Moyes has one outright victory and four draws – which technically includes the goalless semi-final in 2009 - from his 16 meetings with Sir Alex Ferguson.

Saturday will be the 50th occasion Sir Alex Ferguson has managed United against the Blues and after losing five of the first 12 meetings between the sides, his record against Everton is P49 W31 D10 L8, with last year’s semi-final classed as a draw for statistical purposes.

The goals

There have been only six hat-tricks in matches between the sides, the most recent being the four goals scored by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in December 1999 at Old Trafford.

The last Everton hat-trick was the five goals by Dixie Dean at Goodison in October 1927. No Everton player has scored a hat-trick in a first-team fixture at Old Trafford, although Alex Latta netted four goals in 1892 when United played at the North Road ground under their original name of Newton Heath.

Both Neville brothers have conceded own goals in the fixture – Gary at Old Trafford on Boxing Day 2003 and Phil (with Everton) at Goodison in April 2007. The brothers are one of only four pairs to have faced one another in Everton games.

Tim Cahill and Marouane Fellaini have both scored one goal against United, both when with Everton. While two of Leighton Baines’ six career strikes have come against the Old Trafford side, when the full-back was at Wigan.

Louis Saha scored twice against United during his Fulham days and then twice at Goodison against Everton for United in February 2004.

Yakubu – who is 27 on Sunday - has scored twice against the Old Trafford side, one each with Portsmouth and Middlesbrough.

Tim Cahill has happy memories of Old Trafford, not only did the Australian score for Everton in December 2007, but in August 2004 he made his Toffees debut on the ground, having also struck the winner for Millwall in their FA Cup semi final win over Sunderland at the venue earlier in the year.

United’s John O’Shea has scored at both ends in matches against Everton, and has also achieved the same feat against Liverpool, for a unique double.

The players

Five players have been sent-off in the fixture – the most recent being the double dismissals of Gary Neville and Paul Scholes at Goodison – United’s only red-cards in league matches against Everton – in April 2005.

The Toffees’ most recent sending-off is David Weir at Old Trafford in October 2002.

It will be Sylvain Distin’s 350th career appearance in England should the Frenchman play on Saturday.

It will be Joseph Yobo’s 250th Everton appearance – the first overseas player to reach that mark for the club – if the Nigerian appears against United. It will also be the defender’s 200th league start should he begin the match.

Leighton Baines requires one more league appearance to reach 50 for the Toffees.

Ryan Giggs made his Manchester United debut as a 17 year-old against Everton in March 1991.

Edwin Van der Sar was the Fulham keeper for David Moyes’ first match in charge of Everton in 2002, and the Dutch international conceded a goal from David Unsworth after just 32 seconds.

General

Everton have not been awarded a league penalty against United for nearly 20 years – the last being in September 1989 when Kevin Sheedy missed at Goodison.

Our last spot-kick at Old Trafford in the league was also missed by Sheedy in March 1985.

You have to go back to August 1972 to find Everton’s last successful league spot-kick against United, converted by Joe Royle at Goodison.