Edwin van der Sar – Might have spent the first half in a deckchair, but made an absolutely crucial save when he brilliantly turned Rodwell’s drive past the post.

Fabio – A tenacious, positive input from the young Brazilian. He grows in stature with every appearance and played with the air and decisiveness of an old stager.

Rio Ferdinand – On his 350th start for the Reds, the skipper enjoyed halves of differing difficulty against Beckford and then Cahill. Possibly fortunate to escape a penalty shout, but Anichebe appeared to play for contact before tumbling.

Jonny Evans – Back in the fold for a rare start, but did nothing wrong all afternoon and looked calm and composed in the face of Everton’s sporadic forays.

John O’Shea – Another solid outing in which he defended well and made countless decoy runs in support of Nani, before being withdrawn with an apparent injury.

Antonio Valencia – A powerhouse display from the flying winger after a couple of quiet recent outings, and he was central to the winning goal – first winning possession, then crossing for Chicharito.