VIEW: United vs Everton. 1-0

Good.

Passion. From the proud British stalwarts in the side,  Rooney and Ferdinand, to the newer continental members, Fabio, Valencia and Hernandez, I was so unbelievably proud with the levels of commitment and passion we showed yesterday. There is no denying that as the minutes ticked away and yet another golden chance went begging, frustration and lethargy naturally began to kick in. But with this United side, unique to any other, the sense of desire and undying will to win is overpowering. Van der sar, at the spritely age of 40 made the sort of save you'd expect from a 'keeper 10 years younger - instead it was made by one of the greatest the game has ever seen, and one who knew that his side's title challenge was in the balance had he not stretched for his life and pushed Rodwell's deflected effort away. Rooney was dominating the game, wherever on the pitch he roamed, and gave his team-mates a bollocking when he felt the desire was lacking. Ferdinand, captain on the day, showed the same incredible passion that he always does whenever slipping on the red of United (#stayonyourfeet Cahill!) and impressively mentored his partner, Evans, throughout the game, ensuring he had a confident, composed game alongside the legend.

As for the winner, Antonio Valencia's masterful closing down of Distin regained his team possession, getting the ever-present Anderson involved in the process, and finally one of Tony's crosses were successfully converted by the little man. The scenes that followed can be summed up by one word: relief. Ferdinand's trademark jumping on top the huddle celebration, Ferguson uncharacteristically hugging Phelan and then proceeding to encourage the crowd to 'COME ON!', and the overall reaction from the faithful informed the watching world, as if they didn't already know, that United are so so nearly there.

Viva Hernandez. '...call him Little Pea, he shits on Wayne Rooney, Viva Hernandez'. Surprisingly, this chant composed amidst the Rooney saga in October didn't quite catch on. But Chico's form and reputation as one of the world's best strikers that didn't cost £50million has gone from strength to strength. Just like Ole, the United legend, and bargain, that he is inevitably compared with, Hernandez has scored match winning goals and saved United far more than he should of as a 22 year old in his first season in the Premier League. And yesterday, with the game moulding itself into an equally frustrating encounter to the Newcastle game days earlier, we needed a goal and a saviour more than ever. Credit to Everton for their resilience, but even though part of me felt like it was going to be one of those days, my less pragmatic side knew that 13 shots on target and 62% possession will amount to something. It simply had to.

Anderson. One of the best performances of the season. His passion and commitment to the cause, combined with his skilful, elegant passing and vision that contributed to nearly every meaningful United chance, epitomised United on the day. We had to win and needed the three points, and at the centre of our desire to conquer Everton was Anderson.

Bad.

Frustration. As with St James' Park on Tuesday, we struggled to convert the chances and do anything productive with 

Overuse of our resources. Ferguson's team selection had Schalke next week in mind, as Vidic, Evra, Giggs and Carrick were all left out. This decision nearly backfired as we were facing a detrimental draw with less than 10 minutes to go. And because of that, we were indeed forced to enhance the strength of the weary looking starting XI. Owen's, Giggs' and especially Evra's introduction were indeed beneficial and enabled us to seek the victory we needed, but at what cost? Rooney, Hernandez, Anderson, Valencia and Ferdinand, with his injury record, were made to play the full 90 minutes. Not ideal preparation for a Champions League semi final...

Player Ratings.

Van der sar 8; Fabio 7, Ferdinand 6, Evans 7, O'Shea 6; Valencia 7, Anderson 9, Gibson 6, Nani 7; Rooney 8, Hernandez 8.