United 3 Everton 0

MUCH-CHANGED Manchester United took another stuttering step forward in their bid to land the Barclays Premiership title but the manner of their win over Everton left lingering question marks over the depth of Sir Alex Ferguson's squad.

Cristiano Ronaldo put the Red Devils in front before the break, before Patrice Evra, with his first for the club, and John O'Shea netted to maintain a three-point lead over Chelsea.

But the decisive scoreline could not mask the lacklustre nature of some of United's play and the imbalance in Ferguson's side at the final whistle only emphasised the desperate requirement for striking reinforcements in the January transfer window.

Not that Ferguson will be too bothered, getting the victory he wanted - in a fixture United have not won for the past two seasons - after being able to give some of his key men a rest ahead of Saturday's trip to Middlesbrough and next week's make-or-break Champions League encounter with Benfica.

With the Neville brothers lining up as opposing captains, Wayne Rooney playing against his old club for the first time since Everton manager David Moyes launched legal proceedings against the striker and Ferguson's numerous changes, there were plenty of sub-plots.

One more emerged in the build-up to kick-off as rumours circulated of a bust-up between Ryan Giggs and Ferguson, which was said to have been triggered by the Welshman's contribution to Chelsea's equaliser at Old Trafford on Sunday.

That Giggs did not even get to celebrate his 33rd birthday on the bench only fuelled the gossip, until that is, he emerged in the directors' box, laughing and joking, showing no sign of a recent hairdryer blast.

There was not too much for Giggs to giggle about in the opening stages as United struggled to impose themselves on the contest.

Fortunately, Ronaldo had identified himself as a man the Toffeemen needed to stick to, skimming one long range effort wide before uncharacteristically ballooning a free-kick so high it almost ended up in the second tier of the East Stand.