In-form midfielder Darren Fletcher gave United the lead on 20 minutes perfectly timing a run into the box to despatch a Giggs pass through the legs of Everton keeper Tim Howard.

Cristiano Ronaldo had a chance to edge the game beyond Everton’s reach minutes later but this time Howard saved well.

Everton were much improved after the break and secured a deserved equalizer when Marouane Fellaini - a thorn in the United defence’s side all game - rose to nod Phil Neville’s cross past van der Sar.

Everton should have taken the lead moments later when Yakubu latched on to Ferdinand’s mistimed backpass to drive in a shot which van der Sar pushed on to the post.

The draw sees United stuck on 5th place with 15 points from 8 games. With the majority of Premier League matches being played tomorrow United could fall to as low as 7th place and find themselves 7 points adrift of top spot.

Goals:

Ronaldo Chance

First Half Highlights

Yakubu chance

Ronaldo, clearly not back to full fitness yet and of limited impact on the match overall, demonstrated why - even below par - he is such an integral member of this team.

Whether or not the Portuguese winger dived to win the stalemate-breaking goal is a moot point - his defenders would argue it was more a case of Rob Styles making a howler than Ronaldo playacting. Either way, Ronaldo has clearly learned some lessons about penalty-taking since May, minimising his staggered run up and despatching the ball comfortably.

There was little debate about the magnificent second, Ronaldo and Rooney combining in the area and the England striker feinting a shot to bamboozle the defence before sweeping home expertly.

Full Highlights below:

Utd: Van der Sar; Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo (Nani 80), Fletcher, Anderson (Scholes 71), Park, Tevez (Rooney 71), Berbatov
Subs not used: Amos, Evans, O’Shea, Giggs

Bolton: Jaaskelainen; Steinsson, Cahill, A O’Brien, Samuel, Davies, Muamba, McCann, Nolan, Gardner (Smolarek 73); Elmander (Vaz Te 67)
Subs not used: Al Habsi, J O’Brien, Shittu, Taylor, Riga
Booked: Elmander, McCann, Davies

Attendance: 75,484
 

Ronaldo was given another opportunity to improve his fitness ahead of Saturday’s must-win home game against Bolton and the prodigal son - now warmly welcomned back into the fold by most - didn’t disappoint, providing United with the breakthrough goal, heading home a Giggs corner on 25 minutes.

Boro pulled a goal back in the second half with sub Adam Johnson volleying passed Ben Amos.

The game swang back into United’s favour, however, shortly later when Emmanuel Pogatetz was sent off for a shocking challenge on Brazilian youngster Rodrigo Possebon. The tackle left Possebon with a deep gash on his shin and his lengthy on-field treatment meant nine minutes of extra time was added to the game at the end of normal time.

United made the most of their numerical advantage and regained the lead through Ryan Giggs’ deft chip.

Nani capped a fine personal performance by taking advantage of some woeful Boro defending in extra time.

1-0 Ronaldo

1-1 Johnson

2-1 Giggs

3-1 Nani

Teams:

Man Utd: Amos, Rafael, Brown, Vidic, O’Shea, Nani, Anderson, Possebon (Gibson 69), Giggs, (Manucho 84); Ronaldo (Tevez 61), Welbeck

Subs not used: Zieler, Cleverley, Gray, Eckersley.

Middlesbrough: Jones; Hoyte, Wheater, Pogatet, Taylor; O’Neil, Digard (Riggott 69), Shawky (Johnson 46), Downing, Alves (Emnes 84), Aliadiere

Subs not used: Turnbull, Arca, Walker, Craddock

Booked: Johnson.
Sent off: Pogatetz

Attendance: 53,729

Much as at Anfield, United were shocking for two-thirds of the match. For the first twenty minutes they passed well, controlled possession and had Chelsea on the back foot. Park-Ji Sung pounced to give United a deserved lead on 18 minutes, after a marauding run from Patrice Evra.

Thereafter, however, United were a shadow of themselves, unable to string more than three passes together, edgy at the back and manifestly not sure about how they should shape up, up front.

It’s been a tough two games for Dimitar Berbatov, but the talented Bulgarian is going to have to work a hell of a lot harder than he did today to keep Carlos Tevez out of the line up. 

Rooney had another of his less effective games, expecting way too much time on the ball and slowing down play just when it needed quickening up. 

Also slowing down play was whistle-happy referee Mike Riley who had a shocking match, fragmenting play as often as he possibly could for even the most minor infringements.

Chelsea dominated the second half without being impressive. United’s defences were eventually breached on 80 minutes, when an unnecessary tackle by Rooney gave Chelsea a free kick in a dangerous area. Mikel swung the ball in to the box for Salomon Kalou to head past replacement keeper Tomasz Kuszczak, who stood rooted to his line when he should have been meeting the ball in the melee.

Given how poorly they played, United will consider this a point gained, rather than two lost. Yet they must begin to play much, much better - starting at home to Bolton next week.

0-1 Park

1-1 Kalou

First Half Highlights

Ronaldo chance second half

Given that United’s previous two meetings again the Spanish side had failed to produce any goals, the gathered Old Trafford throng might have quietly hoped for a glut of sorts to kick-start the season.

It wasn’t to be.
Villarreal were pedestrian in the first half and clearly, only two games into their season, slightly behind the pace of the European champions. Decent chances fell to Ferdinand and Tevez in a first half in which the Spanish side struggled to get out of their own half.

United should have had a penatly five minutes before half time when JS Park was clearly felled in the box - not, however, according to the referee (no doubt not improving SAF’s currently rock-bottom estimation of match officials.)

The visitors improved dramatically in the second period and should have taken the lead when Franco’s cheeky back-heeled flick from Lopez’s cross beat Edwin van der Sar all ends up - only to bounce back into the big Dutchman’s clutches off the far upright.

The highlight of the evening was the return of the prodigal son - Cristiano Ronaldo, who received a rapturous welcome from the selfsame fans who were ready to string him from a lamp-post just months earlier.

The fleet-footed star had a couple of chances to win it for the home side himself and also set up two further chances which ought to have been buried - from Tevez and Jonny Evans, who headed the Portuguese winger’s cross against the foot of the upright.

Ronaldo returns

Ronaldo chance

Ronaldo header

Evans header