Bryan Oviedo piled the pressure on David Moyes by scoring an 85th-minute winner to end Everton’s 21-year Old Trafford hoodoo.
Not since 1992 had the Toffeemen beaten Manchester United away from home. For 11 of those years, Moyes had been the man trying. Last night, with former manager Sir Alex Ferguson watching on, Moyes’s Everton successor Roberto Martinez managed it at the first attempt.
Oviedo, signed by Moyes last year, arrived with perfect timing at the far post to condemn United to their fourth defeat of the season, which leaves them 12 points adrift of leaders Arsenal and five off the Champions League places.
United could not say Everton did not deserve their success, as the visitors played with a confidence and verve their hosts could not match.
Wayne Rooney struck a post and came close to netting a rebound before half-time. Former United goalkeeper Tim Howard did brilliantly to repel a Patrice Evra header before Danny Welbeck headed the rebound against the bar after it.
But this Red Devils outfit are a shadow of their former selves and chants of “sacked in the morning” from the gleeful Evertonians, who had waited 21 long years for this success, merely twisted the knife still further.
Nicklas Bendtner scored his first Arsenal goal since March 2011 as the Gunners stayed in control at the top of the Premier League with a 2-0 win against Hull.
The Denmark attacker was recalled to the starting XI to give leading forward Olivier Giroud a rest, and headed the hosts in front inside two minutes.
Mesut Ozil extended Arsenal’s lead at the start of the second half, finishing off a fine passing exchange with Aaron Ramsey to complete a comfortable victory.
Liverpool forward Luis Suarez scored four goals – including a superb 20-minute first-half hat-trick – to send the number crunchers into overdrive and Norwich back to East Anglia disconsolate after a 5-1 defeat at Anfield.
Bradley Johnson headed home Nathan Redmond’s left wing cross with seven minutes to go but it barely even registered with the travelling support, never mind the rest of Anfield and Raheem Sterling, ensured the night finished on a high by converting Suarez’s cross for Liverpool’s fifth and final goal in a crushing win.
Stoke and Cardiff stayed locked together in the lower reaches of the Premier League table after an uninspiring goalless draw at the Britannia Stadium.
The teams were separated by only three goals before the match and that was the way it stayed.