By Greg Robertson
Man United V Everton, April 2012: Video, highlights, as-it-happens commentary… Hello and welcome to Old Trafford where we have United facing Everton – a win here will be a massive step toward yet another title.But you have Everton in great form. Put aside the recent loss to Liverpool in the FA Cup semi, they are playing out of their skins. A classic encounter? More than ever!
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LIVE COMMENTARY… FINAL SCORE Manchester United 4 – 4 Everton
That was crazy... thanks for your patience as I did the updates and cut your video in a game PACKED with highlights and goals... ENJOY!
95 mins: Save Howard! Ferdinand smashed it and Howard palmed it away. It's all over - Manchester united has dropped points!
All video is up.
92 mins: United complaining that Everton are time wasting... the seconds are being consumed as play is in the centre third.
91 mins: Evans with a chance for United but just cant get enough over the ball.
+ 5 added minutes - no one's leaving early.
88 mins: Everton just hanging on now as United stream forward searching for the vital winner... wow, eight goals. Hernandez now on for United.
84 mins: Pienaar scores another GOAL for Everton. It's 4-4! He slotted that one from just outside the area after Rafael lets him run away from him. Video up.
83 mins: GOAL! Jelavic scores! That makes it 4-3! Ball is semi-cleared through the head and Jelavic was onto it in a flash and smashed it past de Gea. Video up.
80 mins: Ohhh Evra is off the frame! Great play as they switch play from one side to another, swamp the box and Evra heads onto the posts. Video up.
ALL VIDEO TO DATE IS NOW UP!
77 mins: Just about caught up on cutting the video... play has gone through a lull after all that action.... Manchester United in complete control.
69 mins: Rooney scores! Video up. Well Nani did all the work and sent it into Rooney who just smashed it past Howard.
66 mins: Everton GOAL! Video up. Marouane Fellaini volleys and de Gea gets a hand to it but can't save. Then Pienaar has a crack and de Gea comes out on top. Everton has suddenly found another gear.
64 mins: The Old Trafford crowd has found its voice! United are playing at a temp that Everton just can't cope with.
60 mins: Manchester united are now rampant and Nani has chipped it over Howard with ease! GOAL> Video up.
57 mins: GOAL! Welbeck screamer! Video up. The ball fell to the feet of Welbeck after some good work by Nani, and welbeck just absolutely picked his spot top corner. Howard given no chance.
54 mins: Rooney spreads to Nani, on to Evra and lucky for Everton Jagielka has the danger area covered.
51 mins: Everton haven't been backwards in coming forwards. Pienaar has been both wide on the left and right, and he's been the deliverer. tries to slice Jelavic through again but was caught in two minds looking at the back post. Jelavic throws his hands to his thighs in frustration - he wanted the early ball.
49 mins: Nani is having a screamer and delivers another teasing ball whipped in... Rooney goes down in a tangle but there is nothing in it.
47 mins: First period of attack going to Everton. a long-range free kick is flicked for a corner. It's bent in and this time it's Ferdinand to flicks it away. Neville setting up for a long throw... straight to united.
Second half underway - perfectly balanced. no changes to the line ups and so far it's Rooney and Jelavic with the goals.
HALFTIME 0-0
48 mins: Great ball in and Scholes gets a get to it, bouces about a bit and then Welbeck heads just wide. Video up soon.
47 mins: Distan done for a foul for pushing Rooney off the ball but it was shoulder-to-shoulder surely. Oh, a card too. Harsh.
42 mins: Nani now having a shot on goal. It seems that United have just kicked into another gear.
40 mins: Wayne Rooney scores! Video up. Rooney was on hand against his old club to score his 33rd goal for the season and 179th for the club, equal fourth all-time goalscorer for Manchester United with George Best and Dennis Viollet. Evra laid it down the line to Nani who checked back on his right boot and bent one in towards the goal, Wayne Rooney first to it with a glancing header past Howard in the Everton net.
34 mins: Scholes smashes a cleared header from a corner and it takes a wicked deflection with Howard adjusting just in time and hanging o to it. Video up.
33 mins: GOAL Everton! Jelavic gets his head to it at the back post and lobs it over de Gea giving him no chance. Video up.
31 mins: The efforts on Howard's goal are increasing in number if not quality. Video up of another one from Nani.
30 mins: Gibson with a mile of room outside the United penalty area and he accepts the invitation to shot and it's not a bad effort. Video up.
29 mins: A sweet turn from Rooney gets his around Jagielka and United moving in the right direction... he lays off to Nani but it gets trapped under his feet and the play breaks down.
27 mins: Great wee triangles from Everton and Ferdinand calls on all his experience to clear for a corner under pressure from Jelavic. Everton's first corner and de Gea shouts for it but doesn't get there... lucky it fell to a United player.
24 mins: First corner of the match to United but Wayne Rooney bends one right into the hands of the keeper Howard.
22 mins: United now streaming forward and it was Welbeck that took the ball away from Jagielka beautifully and in one fluid motion but his shot is covered by the defender.
19 mins: Neville sets up for a long throw and then goes short, back to Neville and he delivers with Valencia just doing enough to force Distin's header off target.
16 mins: Everton give Scholes some room from distance and they will do that at their peril... he positions the ball with a couple of touches and then lets fly. Video up.
14 mins: Rooney does well to get above Jagielka but can't get his header on target.
12 mins: Valencia bending a cross away from goal to the edge of the box but it's a tad behind Rooney and finds Nani loose at the back, one touch, a push to the right and he tries to bend one into the bottom corner, but wide. Then Nani finds half a yard of room in a similar position and cracks another one straight at Howard. Video up of both shots.
7 mins: Geez this is a real 'unlike United' start for united. passes being wellied into touch by yards, short balls going to opposition players... and because of it the 50:50s are falling for the men in blue too. Everton are pressing the game.
4 mins: A couple of stray passes from the usually precise United so far. Jelavic makes a great diagonal run and Osman finds him, he shoots as he's running on the angle and De Gea is forced into action. Video up. It's been mostly Everton.
2 mins: Casual start to the match until Everton's Pienaar plays the ball into Osman and he shoots, blocked by Ferdinand and he climbs again to head wide.
Everton on the ball... and we're underway...
Sir Alex applauds the crowd and we're nearly there folks... kick off...
Here are the official teams...
Man Utd (4-4-1-1): De Gea; Rafael, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra; Valencia, Scholes, Carrick, Nani; Rooney; Welbeck. Subs: Amos, Jones, Smalling, Park, Giggs, Young, Hernandez.
Everton (4-2-3-1): Howard; Hibbert, Jagielka, Distin, Neville; Heitinga, Fellaini; Osman, Gibson, Pienaar; Jelavic. Subs: Mucha, Barkley, Cahill, Stracqualursi, Anichebe, McFadden, Gueye.
What a day we have ahead of us, first Manchester United v Everton, then manchester City v Wolves. Will the Premiership title race take a giant leap forward at the end of today?
Kick off is not far away so in the meantime watch highlight and all goals as Man U thrash Aston villa 4-0.
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Teams
United (Probable, 4-4-3): De Gea; R Da Silva, Evans, Ferdinand, Evra; Valencia, Scholes, Carrick; Nani, Rooney, Welbeck.
Everton (Probable, 4-4-1-1): Howard; Hibbert, Heitinga, Distin, Neville; Osman, Gibson, Fellaini, Pienaar; Cahill; Jelavic.
Referee: Mark Clattenburg
Pregame banter
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has told winger Ashley Young to stop diving in an attempt to win penalties in the final stretch of the EPL title race.
Second-place Manchester City is at struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday (UK time) so United almost certainly needs victory over visiting Everton the same day to maintain its five-point lead at the top of the standings.
The matches are the last for the leading pair before they go head-to-head on April 30 and the margins are so fine that the eventual outcome of the title could hinge on as little as one goal.
But Ferguson has still warned Young and acknowledged that he crumpled too easily under a challenge against Aston Villa last week.
"I'm not sure Ashley tried to get the penalty kick but he certainly went down quickly," Ferguson said. "I've had a word with Ashley and he understands where we're coming from. Hopefully it makes a difference."
Ferguson quickly pointed to where Young should look for advice on how to model his game.
"We have a player here who stays on his feet and he's been doing that for 20 years," Ferguson said. "How many penalty kicks has Ryan Giggs won for Manchester United? He's won five in 20 years. That's some record. Do you know why? Because his balance is so good and he never goes down. That's the amazing thing about him."
Young's former Villa teammate, Nathan Delfounesco, publicly accused Young of lacking respect for diving and the danger for the United winger is that referees may become over cautious in turning down genuine appeals for kicks if he maintains his reputation.
"You get bad decisions and you get good decisions. It evens itself out, believe me," Ferguson said. "It's the same for everybody."
Young and Giggs are both in the squad for Sunday's game against Everton, which has not won in 19 trips to Old Trafford since the inaugural Premier League season in 1992-93.
Michael Owen has been training again with the first team after five months out injured but Ferguson said this weekend's match is too soon for the former England striker.
"If there's a player who can score an important goal at any stage of the match, it's him," Ferguson said. "When he gets an injury it's never an easy one: it's months rather than weeks. It's unfortunate because he's a fantastic striker."
Everton left back Leighton Baines is out with a hamstring injury but
midfielder Steven Pienaar can play after he was ineligible for last weekend's FA Cup semifinal loss to Liverpool.
City is desperate for victory to keep up the pressure on United, which will win a 20th English title if it wins its next two matches. A victory for City would relegate Wolves but would prove difficult for City's former Wolves defender, Joleon Lescott.
Lescott said Wolves manager Terry Connor was a hugely important figure for him.
"I owe a lot to everyone connected with Wolves, none more so than Terry Connor," Lescott said. "When Terry first arrived, I was just coming out of the youth team and was just going into the reserves. He was the development coach at the time and I still believe he has been the single biggest influence on my career.
"Once the whistle goes on Sunday, of course, it's all down to being professional."
Also Sunday, Liverpool hosts West Bromwich Albion.
3 News/AP