Killer Touch Delights Carrick

Some Old Trafford matches have been too close for comfort this season - thankfully Everton wasn't one of them as the Reds racked up a three-goal lead heading into the last 15 minutes.

The cushion was certainly appreciated by second goalscorer Michael Carrick, who admitted to being vexed by games such as Arsenal (2-1), Birmingham (1-0), Bolton (2-1) and Sunderland (2-2) when the Reds have been unable to rest for a second.

"I think it was very important for us to bounce back with a good win," Carrick told MUTV.

"Everton always had a threat with Louis Saha up there and Yakubu coming on, so we had to keep pushing for another goal. It was nice to see the second and third go in. It meant we could play our football and relax a little bit.

"It's been a tad frustrating when we haven't been able to kill teams off at home. We've been creating enough chances to do it, but the goals just haven't been going in for us.

"Thankfully they did against Everton and although we could have had a few more, I think the scoreline reflects fairly on the game."

United's killer second goal came from Carrick's left boot, and although it was a cool finish from Ryan Giggs' pass, it couldn't rival the thrill created by Darren Fletcher's opener.

"It was a stunning volley," praised Carrick. "I thought it was going to be a bit too high for him to keep down but he managed to get his shoulder over it, his technique was spot on.

"You can see how much it meant to Fletch to score. His performances are really at the highest level now. He's one of the best midfielders around at the moment and it's great to play alongside him. He's really on top of his game.

"It was nice for the midfielders to chip in and help the strikers. We've got to score goals to win matches and we can't just rely on the front two to do it every week.

"The midfielders have started the season well and we need to contribute a few more but as long as we're winning, who scores is really not an issue. It's winning that matters.

"United's ninth win in thirteen league games so far means the champions are well-placed to assail Chelsea's lead at the top of the table over the next two months, even after losing the so-called six-pointer at Stamford Bridge.

"Losing to Chelsea was a blow," says Carrick, "but we took a lot of confidence from the game. Today (Saturday) showed that result (0-1) didn't knock us off our stride. We know what we can do and we know we can still be up there where it counts in the league."