For those who have a bit of time to kill- these are the last 17 minutes of the match. The calm before the storm with absolutely no indication that the match would be turned topsy turvy.
A good question would be how on earth does Tim Cahill do it?
A stunning cross by the previously homesick Leighton Baines and Cahill with timing, precision, and power buries a superb header in stoppage time to bring Everton a goal away from tying. Cahill giving inches away but still manages to rise above players get head to ball. His head is a homing device and surely a question for physics.
Now it is a minute and a half left- surely Man Utd with their experience know a thing or two about keeping the ball away.
But Gary Neville makes the crucial mistake of lofting a long ball to Berbatov instead of passing it around and letting the clock run out. The ball comes back to Everton and they push forward though Fellaini and Pienaar. The South African holds back and waits for the onrushing Baines down the left channel.
The wingback launches another impeccable cross which Cahill again manages to find and nod back to an unmarked Arteta who blasts the ball through a maze of bodies. Van Der Sar could not have looked more disgusted. Everton have done the improbable. Man Utd like they did against Fulham drop points.
The match ends controversially as Phil Jagielka on the threshold of pulling of the impossible by winning it for Everton tests Van Der Sar. But a goal would have been moot as Martin Atkinson inexplicably blows the whistle an instant before. A livid Moyes storms into the field and remonstrates with Atkinson.
Just another wrinkle in an afternoon full of them including the missing Wayne Rooney, a decision taken by Sir Alex to protect the present poster boy of bad behaviour from being exposed to the baying Everton mob. A ridiculous decision – Rooney is one of the best paid footballers in the world and he is kept back because the manager feels he won’t be able to take a few taunts? He better start earning his paycheck instead of wasting it on keeping the oldest profession alive.
For the full highlights >>
3 comments on “Everton rocks Man Utd in a scintillating finish, 3-3”
Timmy apparently made two awesome saves but I have not seen the highlights yet. As a Man Utd, I was gutted but any kudos for Tim Howard makes me psyched for him, especially, against his old squad.
Kev, I heard about it too. There are some longer highlights that might have his saves which I’ll try and post up later. Looks like Man Utd is having problems stopping these late goals- and I’m not the first one to point out but Jonny Evans really has major problems dealing with crosses and corners.
Thanks. Agree Evans is suspect and Neville, why oh why, does Neville play? Da Silva, or perhaps even O’Shea, would have had the speed to match Arteta on that first goal.
Good signs though: Vidic header goal and Berbatov in good vein of form.