Another game, another United win, another record.
This hard-fought victory extended the champions’ lead at the top of the table and, in keeping another clean sheet, Edwin van der Sar has now broken the all-time record in the entire English football league.
Like last season, the game was settled by a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty. This one, which came just before the interval, was the winger’s 14th goal of the season.
And the Reds held off a determined Everton side to end the visitors’ nine-game unbeaten run and go five points clear of Liverpool and Chelsea, who face off on Sunday.
United had made one change from the side that demolished West Brom in midweek, with Darren Fletcher, scorer at Goodison Park earlier in the season, replacing Ryan Giggs.
The champions took to the field in black armbands as this was the closest home game to the 51st anniversary of the Munich air disaster of 6 February 1958.
Everton were boosted by the availability of Tim Cahill and Marouane Fellaini after the influential forwards passed fitness tests.
It was a decidedly more cagey opening to the game than United had experienced at The Hawthorns, with both sides preferring to test the water rather than dive-bomb into it.
