Wayne Rooney was handed the cruellest lesson of his young career at Goodison
Park as the eight-times Premiership champions wrecked Everton's UEFA Cup dream.
The teenage wonderboy failed to convert three golden chances to put the
Toffees back in front after David Beckham had brilliantly levelled Kevin
Campbell's early opener.
And the price he paid was high as Ruud van Nistelrooy blasted home his 44th
and final goal of an incredible campaign, becoming the first Manchester United
player in history to score in 10 successive games and ensured they collected
their hard-won trophy as winners and holders of an 18-match unbeaten record.
It was all pretty tough on Everton boss David Moyes, who has done so much to
revive the fortunes of the ailing Merseyside outfit but ultimately ends the
season without a tangible reward.
The same is obviously not true of United, who six days after Beckham
re-affirmed his commitment to the club, were given a timely reminder of what
they would miss if the England skipper did eventually leave for Real Madrid.
With his team struggling to create chances, barring a couple of Paul Scholes
efforts - one of which crashed back off a post - Beckham took aim with a 25-yard
free-kick shortly before the interval which should have been the wrong side of
the penalty area for a right-footed player.
Those factors clearly did not come into Beckham's thinking though as he lofted
his shot over Richard Wright, who came to his side's aid on four separate
occasions after half-time.
If they have a star in Beckham, Old Trafford has a sensation in van
Nistelrooy.
The Dutchman had a quiet game by his own standards but when referee Mike Riley
compounded a string of controversial decisions against the home side by awarding
a penalty against Alan Stubbs for a foul on the forward, there were few betting
against van Nistelrooy finding the net, equalling his own Premiership record by
scoring in his eighth successive game.
With Blackburn winning at Tottenham, Moyes' men will find themselves looking
at European football from the outside again next season - which was not how it
looked after just eight minutes.
Amid all the talk of van Nistelrooy's assault on a clutch of goalscoring
records and the on-going row over Rooney's availability for England friendly in
South Africa later this month, Kevin Campbell had been completely overlooked.
The former Arsenal striker has had a decent season though and when Gary
Naysmith fed Thomas Gravesen with a short corner, the Dane fired a cross to the
near post which Campbell muscled his way onto before beating Carroll with a firm
header.
It was his 12th goal of the campaign and threatened to wreck United's title
party as the visitors' defence struggled to deal with Campbell and Rooney in
particular.
Mikael Silvestre and Rio Ferdinand were given a torrid time, while Wes Brown
was literally twisted inside out, catching his studs on the turf as Rooney
brushed past him and sustaining what appeared to be an ankle injury which
resulted in his season ending on a stretcher.
Sport though has a strange way of making even the greatest look humble at
times and when Naysmith fed the 17-year-old with a perfect cross along the edge
of the six-yard box, he was presented with the kind of opportunity it is easier
to score than miss.
Even the scoreboard flashed goal, although by then Rooney had his face buried
into the ground, struggling to take in how he had failed to put his team back in
front following Beckham's late first-half leveller.
The chance which came next, after he had been booked for berating the linesman
who deemed his shove on Silvestre had been worthy of a foul, was not quite as
good, but not far off as Alan Stubbs lofted a long pass over the United
defence.
There was no flag even though Rooney looked a couple of yards offside. With
Ferdinand desperately trying to make up the lost ground, the young striker took
his shot early when more composure was probably due, and promptly sent his shot
rasping wide of the post.
It did not take Laurent Blanc long to emphasise Rooney's potential. Introduced
as an interval substitute for the final 45 minutes of his illustrious
professional career, he found himself in direct opposition to the teenager
almost immediately, and promptly sent him crashing to the ground because it was
the only way he could halt his touchline run.
Still the youngster's agony was not over, although while the finger could be
pointed at him for the earlier misses, little blame was due this time as he
twisted onto Duncan Ferguson's downward header and smashed a shot on the turn
which Carroll saved with his legs.
Van Nistelrooy's late winner only increased his woes but even the United
defence will testify there are plenty of good times ahead for England's most
talented teenager.
Teams:
Everton: Wright, Hibbert, Yobo, Stubbs, Unsworth, Watson,
Carsley, Gravesen (Chadwick 75), Naysmith (Pistone 83), Rooney,
Campbell (Ferguson 40).
Subs Not Used: Simonsen, Gemmill.
Booked: Gravesen, Hibbert, Rooney, Stubbs, Ferguson.
Goals: Campbell 8.
Man Utd: Carroll, Brown (Phil Neville 40), Ferdinand,
Silvestre, O'Shea (Blanc 45), Beckham, Keane, Scholes, Giggs,
van Nistelrooy, Solskjaer (Fortune 78).
Subs Not Used: Veron, Butt.
Booked: Ferdinand, Blanc, Phil Neville.
Goals: Beckham 43, van Nistelrooy 79 pen.
Att: 40,168
Ref: M Riley (W Yorkshire).
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