PL Collection: United's best games v Everton

The Toffees are, alongside United, one of six ever-presents in the top-flight since the Premier League was established, meaning there are plenty of great games for us to look back upon - 60, to be exact.

Everton actually inflicted an early Premier League defeat on us, in August 1992, but we have largely had the upper-hand on the Merseysiders since, losing only nine further games and finishing above the Blues at the end of every campaign, bar one.

Our PL Collection look-back starts with an afternoon at Old Trafford when Ole ran riot…

UNITED 5 EVERTON 1 (1999/2000)

The Reds were at our imperial best in late 1999 and this thrashing of Walter Smith’s side arrived in the middle of a 12-match unbeaten run which effectively sealed the title by February. This game wasn’t all plain sailing, as Francis Jeffers struck after seven minutes to give the Toffees an unexpected lead. Denis Irwin was unerring from the spot to equalise, though, and it was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s day after that, the Norwegian netting his second four-goal haul within nine months to wrap up our biggest victory over Everton since the 1970s.

UNITED 4 EVERTON 1 (2001/02)

Sun-soaked early-season wins always imprint themselves upon this memory and this 4-1 success was kickstarted by Juan Sebastian Veron’s first goal in a Reds shirt, in his fourth appearance since a big-money summer move from Lazio. Andy Cole and Quinton Fortune ramped up the feel-good factor at Old Trafford with goals either side of half-time and even Kevin Campbell’s response to make it 3-1 wouldn’t dampen the mood for long, as David Beckham made it 4-1 with a sidefooted finish from 25 yards out in injury time.

EVERTON 3 UNITED 4 (2003/04)

A truly crazy game of two halves was settled by Ruud van Nistelrooy’s crashing back-post header, following an unlikely Everton revival. Louis Saha had struck a double, either side of van Nistelrooy’s first, in the opening half-hour and it looked as though Sir Alex Ferguson’s side were coasting to a fourth successive league win at Goodison Park. The Everton faithful always back their team, though, and when David Unsworth headed home on 49 minutes, the atmosphere cranked up a notch. A John O’Shea goal reduced the deficit further and, when Kevin Kilbane made it 3-3 with 15 minutes to go, the Gwladys Street must have been dreaming of all three points. Thankfully, Ruud was on hand to deny them.

EVERTON 2 UNITED 4 (2006/07)

The afternoon when the 2006/07 title was won? We led Chelsea by three points going into this late April weekend, although that advantage looked like vanishing when the Toffees pulled two goals clear through Alan Stubbs and Manuel Fernandes. An Iain Turner mistake, leading to John O’Shea’s goal, and a Phil Neville own goal restored parity, before Wayne Rooney coolly finished against his former club. Chris Eagles added a fourth in injury time and, as news filtered through that Chelsea had been held at home by Bolton, travelling Reds could almost taste a first championship in four years.

UNITED v EVERTON: PL RECORD

Games played: 60
United wins: 37
Draws: 13
Everton wins: 10
United goals: 109
Everton goals: 59
Top scorer: Ryan Giggs/Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (7)