After a season when Manchester United have been on another planet they almost came down to earth with a bump against Everton.

The end result was another United victory. But on the balance of play the champions elect should probably have suffered their second home defeat in succession as they produced their worst display at Old Trafford for many a month.

Words like awful and supine are not usually associated with United performances, but they would have been justified in describing this display.

Unusually for them, they created almost nothing against an Everton side which was totally transformed from the one humbled by Tranmere in the FA Cup a week previously.

Even United's goal in the 52nd minute, which was just about their only shot on target, owed much to luck - and Everton goalkeeper Paul Gerrard had Andy Cole's shot covered before it looped off Steve Watson and past him into the net.

Perhaps United's poor showing was down to complacency or the fact that Gary Neville and Roy Keane had been rested.

But whatever the reason there was no getting away from the fact that they were hugely disappointing.

But the most important fact from the match was that United won to inch ever closer to their seventh title in nine seasons.

They need just 22 more points to guarantee the championship, and some pundits believe they could breast the finishing tape as early as next month.

It had all looked so different before kick-off when Sir Alex Ferguson felt so confident he left Ryan Giggs and Teddy Sheringham on the bench.

The chances of Everton recording their first win at Old Trafford in nearly nine years looked slim, and they appeared even more remote with the news that Duncan Ferguson - so often the scourge of United in the past - had failed to make their squad.

Yet all these pre-match pre-conceptions went out of the window when the real action started.

The United players, who were wearing black armbands to commemorate the 43rd anniversary of the Munich air crash, had begun confidently enough.

David Beckham registered their first decent attempt on goal with a 40-yard free-kick which Gerrard, back in place of Thomas Myhre, shepherded over his crossbar.

Then slowly but surely Everton began to push out of their half and take control.

Mickael Silvestre made a telling challenge on Watson, who was bearing down on goal, before Thomas Gravesen shot wide from a decent opening.

Everton were growing in confidence and they went close again from a free-kick 25 yards out.

When Gravesen's shot rebounded off Luke Chadwick the Blues knocked the ball over the top to Gary Naysmith on the left, who centred for Kevin Campbell - and when he failed to connect Joe-Max Moore blazed over.

Beckham then swung a quickly-taken free-kick out to the left to Cole, who just hours before had signed a new four-year contract at United. But he fired over.

At half-time, Giggs came on for Paul Scholes who presumably was injured, and Beckham moved inside.

Everton began the second half in the same confident way they had ended the first and they again put United under pressure.

Then totally against the run of play United took the lead in the 52nd minute.

Dwight Yorke fed Cole in the box, and his shot came off the covering Watson and looped over Gerrard into the Everton goal.

Undaunted by this unlucky break, Everton picked themselves up and continued to push forward.

On the hour mark they almost netted what would have been a deserved equaliser. Campbell brought the ball down in the box, and when he laid it off to Moore the American's shot was deflected just over the bar for a corner.

Cole then sensed he might score a second for United when the ball fell to him in the box, but as he pulled back the trigger the impressive Naysmith knocked the ball away.

Everton went close again when Campbell headed just over from Idan Tal's corner.

United did improve towards the end, but their shooting was way off target - and both Yorke and Cole blazed over to put the seal on an instantly forgettable performance.

Teams:

Man Utd Barthez, Phil Neville, Brown, Stam, Irwin, Beckham (Wallwork 72), Scholes (Giggs 46), Silvestre, Chadwick (Sheringham 80), Cole, Yorke.

Subs Not Used: Van Der Gouw, Solskjaer.

Goals: Cole 52.

Everton Gerrard, Steve Watson, Gough, Weir, Ball, Naysmith (Unsworth 72), Tal (Jevons 84), Gravesen, Gemmill, Moore (Cadamarteri 77), Campbell.

Subs Not Used: Simonsen, Clarke.

Booked: Gravesen, Gemmill.

Att: 67,528

Ref: J Winter (Stockton-on-Tees).