Evra targets winning run for United

Patrice Evra has called on Manchester United to win every game between now and the end of the year after starring in the victory over Everton.

Evra: Celebrates Carrick's strike
Evra: Celebrates Carrick's strike

A stunning strike by Darren Fletcher and further efforts by Michael Carrick and Antonio Valencia handed the three points to Sir Alex Ferguson's men, who have moved back up to second in the standings, five points behind Barclays Premier League leaders Chelsea.

With United safely qualified for the knockout stage of the Champions League and international matches on the backburner until the spring, focus now turns to matters domestic, and Evra believes United must stay perfect if they are to reel in Chelsea at the summit.

"It is a good win, a great result, it was not easy against a tough team like Everton," Evra told ESPN.

"I think when we scored the second goal it killed the game and that's why we won.

"It was not easy after the international break, we are a little bit tired, but I think we played with a lot of experience tonight.

"We are five points behind [Chelsea] now and we have to win every game into December now as we have already qualified in Europe and the internationals as well are finished.

"We need to focus on the league because we want to win it four times in a row."

Reflecting on Fletcher's 20-yard effort which opened the scoring, Evra added: "Fletcher is a great player and it was an unbelievable goal."

Fletcher was rather more humble in the appraisal of his 35th-minute goal, saying: "I just concentrated on getting a good connection on the ball and luckily it went in the back of the net."

The Scotland international added: "The Champions League is important but we've done our job in that now. It's a busy period now. It's all club, club, club, and we really need to kick on and put a run of wins together.

"Everton came and made it difficult for us, but we kept the ball and were patient and we took our chances when they came."

United boss Ferguson praised his side for a solid display in their first league outings since suffering a 1-0 loss against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge before the international break.

"I was pleased. It was a controlled performance and we showed a lot of patience, particularly in the first half when you try to open them up," he said. "Fortunately we got the goal at the right time.

"The second goal put us in the comfort zone and from then on I didn't think we could possibly lose it."

Ferguson added that he did not feel now was the time to be overly concerned about United's league status relative to Chelsea, saying: "If we get to New Year within a point, or a point ahead, or level, or roundabout the top of the league, we've a big chance in the second half of the season."

 Man Utd 3 - 0 Everton

Your Comments

liverpool_liam (Liverpool fan)

"Have nothing against Evra but im sick of hearing him talking!"

darkhaze90 (Manchester United fan)

"Great performance from United's midfielders. Strikers should've scored."

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