PICTURES

WEBMASTER'S COMMENT

"Gary Neville found the net with a rare goal to help Utd to a 3-1 win over Everton. Beckham's free kick was an absolute cracker from over 30 yards while Everton's goal was merely a consolation goal it was stuck well too."

MATCH REPORT

By David Anderson, PA Sport

Another league match, another three points. That's the increasingly familiar outcome for Manchester United after they recorded their ninth win in their last 10 Premiership outings. Even at half pace Alex Ferguson's treble-chasers were far too good for Everton.

United gave one of their worst first-half performances of the season at Old Trafford before they slipped up a couple of gears after the interval to take a Sunday afternoon stroll to victory with three goals in a 12-minute burst. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Gary Neville and David Beckham scored the goals before a Don Hutchison consolation strike. And an important win it was too for United because it re-opened their four-point lead at the top of the Premiership over Arsenal going into the two-week break for the Euro 2000 qualifiers.

Everton boss Walter Smith will be a busy man during the coming fortnight as he tries to figure out a way of keeping his side in the Premiership and they are now just two points above the drop zone. If Everton's job had not appeared hard enough against United, it looked even more difficult after two minutes when Ibrahima Bakayoko pulled a hamstring in a tussle with Henning Berg and went off.

Fortunately for Everton, the expected United onslaught did not materialise. Instead, just as manager Alex Ferguson had feared, his players were not focused on the job in hand following their midweek heroics against Inter Milan. United's 4-3-3 formation with Solskjaer partnering Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole up front was making little impression on the massed ranks of the Blues' defence.

Ferguson had opted for three up front because Jesper Blomqvist was missing with an ankle injury and Ryan Giggs had a calf strain, while Roy Keane and Paul Scholes were suspended.

United, who have been so devastating down the flanks in recent wings, were clearly a poorer team for having their wings clipped. Solskjaer did force one save from Thomas Myhre at his near post on 24 minutes in a rare moment of excitement.

Everton, encouraged by their hosts' dour display, pushed forward. Peter Schmeichel parried a 25-yard free-kick from Marco Materazzi and Berg completed the clearance with David Unsworth lurking.

Apart from these two efforts, though, it was a game which brought a new meaning to the word dull. No doubt spurred on by a few choice words from Ferguson, United finally put the visitors' defence under some pressure and Myhre saved a rasping drive from Gary Neville following a poor clearance by Unsworth.

The home side did not have much longer to wait to make the breakthrough and it came in the 54th minute courtesy of Solskjaer.

The Norwegian striker played a one-two with Yorke just inside the Everton penalty area before unleashing a shot past Myhre for his 16th goal of the season. Without really trying United doubled their lead on 63 minutes. Yorke jinked his way into the Blues' box before slipping the ball to Gary Neville on the right who fired home his first goal in nearly two years and only his second in the league for United.

Beckham really brought the United crowd to life with a free-kick special three minutes later. Myhre got a hand to his 25-yard curler from in front of goal, but he could not keep it out.

It was Beckham's fifth of the season, four of which have been free-kicks, and his first strike since November 4. With yet another three points in the bag, Ferguson brought on Jonathan Greening and Teddy Sheringham with 20 minutes remaining.

Greening seems set for a bright future at Old Trafford and within two minutes of coming on he demonstrated why when he hit a shot against the post.

Everton skipper Hutchison salvaged some pride for the Merseysiders when he scored a great 25-yard free-kick 10 minutes from time. It was never going to change the outcome of the game and Yorke almost added a fourth only to be denied by a fine save by Myhre.

POST MATCH REACTIONS

Alex Ferguson is daring to eye an unprecedented treble for his European heroes.

The Manchester United boss, whose men beat Everton 3-1 at Old Trafford on Sunday to make it nine wins in their last 10 Premiership games, is a confident man as his team embark on the final stretch of a bid to claim the Champions' League, FA Cup and championship this season.

"The evidence of the last 18 days when we have played six games and done so well is excellent," said Ferguson, whose team would become the first to claim the domestic Double along with Europe's premier club title - although Liverpool won the League Cup, championship and European Cup in 1984.

"We are looking very powerful, very strong. I can see the players approaching the games in the right way," he added.

"They are focusing on winning every game, and the evidence of how they are going about it is very encouraging."

United have put together a 19-match unbeaten run and now face just eight more league games - with the FA Cup semi-final and possible final plus a two-leg Champions' League showdown with Juventus and another possible final - to complete what could be a historic season.

Ferguson praised United's ability to shake off the emotional tiredness of their midweek triumph over Inter Milan, saying: "The way we responded after a dull first half, in which the plan of playing Dwight Yorke behind the front two didn't work, was magnificent.

"When we switched back to our more normal style we were superb, particularly the first and third goals.

"It was good too that (David) Beckham got back on the scoring charts.

"He hasn't scored for a while, which is unusual for him because we can normal expect a dozen or so from him.

"But the whole team have responded superbly to the six games in 18 days.

"A lot of them are off on international duty now - some will play, some won't - but I hope they will come back in a fortnight looking very strong for the run-in."

Beckham has a calf injury and will join up with England's squad to play Poland, while Ryan Giggs - with a hamstring injury - will meet up with Wales on Thursday.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's knee injury won't stop him playing for Norway in Greece next Saturday.

But Giggs' fitness could be a problem for Wales boss Bobby Gould, who desperately wants him to play in Switzerland on Wednesday week.

Ferguson said: "Ryan, like David, will be going to join up with his international colleagues.

"It will be up to them to decide.

"If I stopped Giggs going they wouldn't let me back into Wales again!"

Giggs' availability for his country has been a constant source of criticism from Wales over the years, and it now looks like there is going to be another worrying situation to contend with.

Everton boss Walter Smith, meanwhile - with his team in deep relegation trouble now - said: "We defended well without really causing United any problems.

"When they stepped up the tempo after the break the game was lost in a 25-minute spell in which they played very well and deserved to win the match.

"We were not getting out of defence to any great effect, and you are always going to be under pressure defending like we did.

"You can't do it for 90 minutes without expecting to lose a goal, and it wasn't a surprise when it finally arrived.

"The second one was a killer. It was always going to be hard to get one back, let alone two."

Ibrahima Bakayoko, who left the field injured after just five minutes, has picked up a hamstring problem which could rule him out for three weeks.

TEAMS

Manchester United: Schmichel, P Neville, G Neville, Beckham, Butt, Johnsen, Yorke, Solskjaer, Cole.
Subs: Sheringham for Cole, Greening for Beckham
Scorers: Solskjaer (54), G Neville (63), Beckham (67)

Everton: Myhre, Ball, Materazzi, Unsworth, O'Kane, Dacourt, Short, Weir, Grant, Hutchinson, Bakayoko.
Subs: Cadamateri for Bakayoko.
Scorers: Hutchinson (80)

Referee: M Riley