Man Utd’s title bid dented by Everton

Everton dealt a potentially telling blow to Manchester United’s attempt to retain the Premier League title as David Moyes’s side claimed a shock 3-1 win over the champions on Saturday.

Goals from Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, Dan Gosling and Jack Rodwell cancelled out Dimitar Berbatov’s strike at Goodison Park and left United one point behind Chelsea, having played a game more than the leaders.

Berbatov gave United an early advantage with an emphatic finish but Bilyaletdinov levelled just two minutes later with a long-range drive for his seventh of the season.

Gosling touched in at the far post with a quarter of an hour remaining for Everton and Rodwell came off the bench to fire in Everton’s third to inflict a sixth Premier League defeat of the season on United, who came back down to earth with a bump after their mid-week Champions League win over AC Milan.

It was also just Everton’s second win over United in their last 30 Premier League matches.

Jonny Evans found life difficult in Milan and the United defender had another awkward moment when he was easily beaten by Leon Osman, only for the Everton midfielder to scuff his shot in the early moments.

Wes Brown was forced to head over his own bar to prevent Louis Saha reaching Bilyaletdinov’s flick as Everton continued to shade the opening exchanges.

Saha also hit a drive from 25 yards that Edwin van der Sar palmed away.

After 15 minutes, United pulled ahead through Berbatov. Wayne Rooney found Antonio Valencia with a cross-field pass and the Ecuador winger’s cross was controlled by Berbatov and thumped in off the bar.

But Everton hit back just two minutes later with a strike of real quality.

A long ball forward from Johnny Heitinga was won by Saha against Evans, allowing Bilyaletdinov to hit a shot from 25 yards that left Van der Sar with no chance.

The Russian should have given Everton the lead when Landon Donovan lifted the ball through to Leighton Baines and Saha dummied the cross from the left-back, only for Bilyaletdinov to slice well wide from six yards.

South Korean star Park Ji-Sung then cut in from the left and had a low shot saved by home goalkeeper Tim Howard.

Donovan also wasted a great opportunity when Baines’s cross from the left was not dealt with by Brown but the American failed to get a shot away.

From a Rooney lay-off, Darren Fletcher just failed to hit the target with a powerful effort from just outside the area.

In-form Rooney was struggling to influence the match against his old club and poked wide after he was played through by Fletcher.

Fletcher also glanced wide with a header from Patrice Evra’s cross as United failed to work Howard, before substitute Gosling produced the breakthrough that shattered United’s resolve with a quarter of an hour remaining.

Donovan played Steven Pienaar in behind the United defence and the South African crossed for Gosling to touch in ahead of Evra.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson threw on Michael Owen as United desperately searched for an equaliser.

And they threatened when a deflected Michael Carrick shot ricocheted around the Everton area.

Rooney also had a free-kick deflected wide but Rodwell made the game safe with a fine late strike.

The midfielder was fed by Mikel Arteta and burst past Evans before driving low into the bottom-left corner of Van der Sar’s net.