Contending for the EPL title is often about grinding out results, which is exactly what United had to do against Everton; who are currently having an above average season, sitting in the top 4.
Cristiano Ronaldo made his return from a 3 match suspension for a red received against Portsmouth.
The match started slowly with neither side putting together anything goal worthy in the finally third. Vidic for United and Yobo for Everton looked fully in control of their defensive situations.
The first moment of entertainment came when Paul Scholes slide into a rash challenge to receive a yellow card, and then only moments later slide into another which had the Everton fans scream for a red. But the referee let Scholes off with a harsh warning.
Sylvestre picked up a nasty looking injury after stepping awkwardly which saw the introduction of Nani. However the first half ended without Nani or any other players making a telling contribution.
The second half picked up exactly how it left off in the first half. The game did open up slightly more with a few half decent efforts from Tevez and Carrick.
Midway through the second half Saha was brought on to replace Giggs, but failed to make the kind of impact he had made against Sunderland in United's last match.
As the game neared completion it seemed that if either side could steal a goal it could easily be the winner. Which is exactly what United did when Vidic headed home Nani's dipping corner kick to make the score 1-0.
Everton threw a few more players forward in the last 10 minutes, which opened the game up and generated more chances for both sides.
The Everton faithful felt sure they had equalized when McFadden's parried shot landed as Victor Anichebe's feet only 6 yards out, but Rio Ferdinand made a fantastic block to deny the striker.
United ran down the clock and took home the points for their first away victory of the season. Not the most entertaining performance, but a necessary one.
Contending for the EPL title is often about grinding out results, which is exactly what United had to do against Everton; who are currently having an above average season, sitting in the top 4.