That’s all from me, but don’t go anywhere – instead consider joining Daniel Harris for Chelsea v Arsenal here. Thanks for everything. Bye!

Angel Di Maria speaks (via an interpreter): “I think David De Gea deserves the Man of the Match award rather than myself. He saved us throughout the game, not only at the end.”

David De Gea speaks: “In the last 10 minutes they pressed a lot and they had some chances, but I saved the chances and I’m happy for that, for the win. I think the back four, defenders, all the team played very well. A great match and great three points.”

If the teams had only played stoppage time, and not the other 90 minutes, Everton would have done nothing but attack, they would have missed a penalty, and David de Gea would have pulled off a handful of incredible saves. It would have been an incredible 14 minutes, one of the great away performances.

As it is, though, United go fourth, and beyond the league table there was plenty of promise for them here: Falcao scored, which might encourage him to play a little better in future, Di Maria was super, Rafael, Blind and McNair were all excellent and De Gea shone when called upon. Everton were not at their best, but for all that one of Baines (pen), Osman, Barry or Oviedo should have scored, and they should thus have claimed a draw.

90+7 mins: Baines takes the corner, and Lukaku heads it wildly over at the near post.

90+5 mins: Somehow in that melee Stones has hurt himself, and he’s being loaded onto a stretcher. Everton will end the game with 10 men. Van Persie, meanwhile, obviously wasn’t booked after all for his little argument with Howard, because it would have been his second booking and he would have been sent off. Howard certainly was, though.

90+4 mins: Miss! Block! Save! Great ball in from Baines and it falls to Barry, whose shot from seven yards is blocked by a desperate Blackett. The ball falls to Oviedo on the edge of the area, whose volley would have flown into the top corner but for De Gea’s excellent diving save!

90+3 mins: Baines falls into the penalty area after Wilson gave him a little shove. The shove, however, was outside the area. Free-kick, and a yellow card for Wilson.

90+2 mins: We are now in the second of at least four second-half bonus minutes.

90+1 mins: Super save! Everton break, and Naismith plays Osman into head-scratching amounts of space on the edge of the penalty area, but De Gea Stops his powerful drive!

90 mins: Di Maria tries to release Van Persie, though Stones should really have stopped the ball reaching him. He doesn’t, but races back to stop him cutting inside and shooting. Van Persie could have gone down and perhaps won a penalty, but instead he and Howard growl at each other a bit and both get booked.

87 mins: The corner reaches Osman, on the edge of the penalty area, and his low shot through a scrum of bodies would surely have flown past an unsighted De Gea had it not flown straight into his arms.

87 mins: Half-chance! Another Browning cross from the right, and Naismith heads over at full stretch! It’s a corner, though, so someone else must have touched it at some point.

84 mins: Everton need to be working up a head of steam roughly nowish. Instead Browning and Oviedo take turns to send inaccurate crosses into the penalty area, and United have a goal kick. “I once asked the colourful player question in The Knowledge a few years ago after Leeds fielded Paul Green, Aidy White, Michael Brown and Andy Gray in the same game,” writes Adam Nelson. “No answers were forthcoming.”

83 mins: United keep the ball for a while, but it all ends when the ball is nicked off Mata’s toe on the edge of the penalty area.

80 mins: “The “Goal Attempts” stats in the column to the left of your MBM are always a mystery to me,” huffs Stephan Kroll. “Currently Everton’s “Goal Attempts on Target” stat stands at 1, despite De Gea’s penalty save and Naismith’s goal. Which one of these two was considered off target?” It’s a very fair point. That number is not the right number.

79 mins: Antonio Valencia has come off, and Fellaini has come on. There will be no more substitutions.

78 mins: We now have a Browning and a Blackett. What’s the all-time colourful-player record? Where’s Jonathan Greening when you need him?

77 mins: I’m sorry if I’m giving you the impression that nothing interesting has happened in the last 10 minutes except for substitutions, but … Osman comes on for McGeady, and Browning comes on for Hibbert.

75 mins: With the arrival of Wilson, United have now used as many players this season as they did last. Thirty, if you’re counting.

73 mins: Another change for United, with Falcao – who really hasn’t been very good, goal excepted – coming off, and James Wilson coming on.

71 mins: Tyler Blackett comes on for Shaw.

70 mins: Luke Shaw, who’s been limping for some time, finally takes a sit-down. The physio runs on and promptly does the universally-recognised spinny-armed sign for “substitution please”.

67 mins: “Falcao – terrific throughout – what a player!” writes Charles Antaki. “surely no one doubted his innate class, pedigree, talent etc and so on?”

65 mins: Oviedo’s first action involves him scything down Rafael and getting away with it.

64 mins: At which, Everton take off Pienaar and bring on Oviedo.

61 mins: A couple of minutes of excellent Everton possession end with Besic passing to Hibbert, who unfortunately was 30 yards away from where Besic thought he was. Throw-in. “This new fellow, Falcao – not heard of him before – but he doesn’t seem up to much, does he?” wonders Charles Antaki. “That’s, what three sitters he’s missed? Back to the stiffs for the next game.”

59 mins: Off the line! Baines takes the corner, Jagielka at the near post heads across goal and it would probably have gone in had Falcao not been on the post to boot it clear. So Falcao isn’t completely useless then.

59 mins: Now Everton, wind in their sails, attack again, but Naismith’s low cross is blocked. Corner.

58 mins: Lovely cross from Baines, that. Super.

55 mins: Valencia concedes a free-kick for a pretty innocuous foul on Pienaar, but when he concedes another for a nastier foul on Lukaku a minute later, he’s booked.

52 mins: Chance! Shaw gets to the byline on the left and pulls back to Falcao, and suddenly space opens up in front of him … but his shot was heading wide before the leg of a desperate diving defender deflected it wider still.

51 mins: Tactical shift: Lukaku, having been far from influential when played out wide against Liverpool last week, started in a central position this week. But having been far from influential there, he’s gone out wide again.

47 mins: Chance! Di Maria’s corner is cleared back to him, and this time when he sends the ball in, left-footed from the right, it curls practically onto Falcao’s boot, three yards from goal! But not quite perfectly onto his boot, and somehow he misses it.

Tim Cahill considers this the perfect moment to post a moodily edited picture of himself. Curious, but not as curious as his decision to delete his tweet before I could post it here. Oh well. Players back out. Loins re-girded.

That was Leighton Baines’ first ever Premier League penalty miss, but it was the kind of penalty that relies entirely on the goalkeeper diving the other way if it’s to go in. United deserve to lead at the interval, and though none of the centre-forwards on either side has particularly excelled, Di Maria can win matches on his own and none of Everton’s players look capable of holding a candle to him, or even willing to try.

45+1 mins: We’re into the first of two bonus minutes.

44 mins: Been a super game this – fast pace, lots of attacking endeavour, some dodgy tackling. Everton have look at times a bit like a tired team missing a few key players who have just come back from Russia.

42 mins: Chance! Di Maria takes a corner from the left, and Falcao meets it on the volley, eight yards out, but gets it wrong and it comes off his calf and flies over.

40 mins: Everton speed down the other end, where Lukaku finds some space for the first time, and spears a shot wide.

39 mins: United win a corner, eventually crossed from the right by Di Maria, to Van Persie beyond the far post. I’m not sure what exactly the Dutchman is trying to do, but I’m guessing it’s an attempted reverse double-axel backheel spin volley. Whatever, it was a little overambitious. Goal kick.

35 mins: Baines’s corner almost finds Lukaku, is half-cleared back to Baines, whose cross almost finds Lukaku again. McNair, I think, stopped the ball reaching him on both occasions.

34 mins: Lukaku’s cross is cleared behind by Blind. I mainly mention it because I haven’t had any other reason for mentioning Lukaku today.

31 mins: Blind gets booked for another foul on Naismith (who actually wasn’t touched, just fell over convincingly).

30 mins: Di Maria takes a 35-yard free-kick pot-shot that flicks the wall and heads towards the top corner until a diving Howard pushes it clear. United’s attacking stars are really attacking stylishly today, with the Argentinian the best of them.

26 mins: Another booking: Pienaar gets the ball in a good position on the left, miscontrols horribly and Rafael nips in, takes the ball and heads upfield – so Pienaar kicks him.

25 mins: Di Maria’s 30-yarder is deflected over the bar for a corner, which is eventually worked to Blind, 25 yards out, whose shot also flies over the bar, only this time without the deflection.

24 mins: I’ve had quite a few messages from Hibbert-doubters today, and so far United’s best attacks have indeed come down the left. Though I’m not sure Januzaj is any more likely to profit from any weakness than Di Maria.

21 mins: High-tempo, feisty stuff this, and very watchable it is too. Blind is the latest to attract the referee’s ire, for sliding in late on Naismith.

19 mins: Shot! Shaw chips the ball forward, Di Maria flicks it back into the path of Falcao – brilliantly, it has to be said. The moment of the match so far – but the Colombian sends a bobbly shot wide from the edge of the area.

18 mins: “Van Persie has to play 80 minutes with a yellow card today, which is why I’m wondering what odds you’d get on United ending the day with the unwelcome record of being one of the few clubs in history to have had two different captains sent off in two consecutive matches,” writes Michael Cosgrove. I have absolutely no statistics on the subject, but I do imagine it’s pretty unusual.

17 mins: Besic clips Falcao on the heel, and United’s players bully the referee until he agrees to show a yellow card (which, this being the Everton midfielder’s second offence, he might have been planning to do anyway).

16 mins: Good spell this for Everton, who have had the ball for a couple of minutes, pushing down the right, moving it back, across to the left, and then kicking it out of play for a throw-in.

13 mins: Kind-of-chance! Di Maria crosses from the left to Mata, beyond the far post. He could have rocketed the ball goalwards on the volley, but instead he controls it and then gives it away.

12 mins: Rojo dallies on the ball this time, and in the end only just shuffles it away to a team-mate before he is leapt upon by two blue-shirted foes. Everton though get a little too excited by the closing-down stuff, and Besic promptly runs straight into Shaw to concede a free-kick.

9 mins: Turns out the first thing the referee’s got to jot in his notebook isn’t the time of a United goal, as was starting to appear likely, but the name Robin van Persie, who is booked for fouling Gary Barry.

7 mins: Not just the full-backs: Di Maria crosses from the left, John Stones is snoozing at the near post and Van Persie darts in front of him and volleys over.

5 mins: Now Rafael crosses from the right, but doesn’t get the ball off the ground and it’s cleared. Still, some space for both United full-backs in attacking positions.

4 mins: Save! Shaw crosses well from the left, Falcao wins the header and sends it towards the corner of goal, but there’s not quite enough pace on it and Howard saves.

3 mins: McNair dallies on the ball near the right touchline, is closed down and concedes a throw-on unnecessarily. Nothing much comes of it, though.

I do think it’s ironic that a flag reading “get on with the game” is displayed when Premier League players come onto the pitch – before the official anthem, the handshakes, the broadcaster-pleasing ad-break pause etc and so forth.

The players are in the tunnel. Gird your loins.

Head-to-head latest: Everton have won three of the last four matches against United, including the last two. The last time they won three league games on the spin against United was in 1921.

… it’s Sir Alex Ferguson. That’s disappointing, I thought it would be a star of stage or screen. And it’s also Park Ji-Sung, who has been signed up as a club ambassador. “As part of his role, the highly decorated player will attend various events and functions on behalf of the club, promoting the work it does within the community and with its partners, sharing anecdotes from his time at Old Trafford,” apparently.

According to BT Sport, “a special guest” is going to be making an appearance on the Old Trafford pitch before kick-off. Whoever could it be?

“Why is the Press Association update in the past tense? Are they so all seeing that they also know the result?” wonders Ian Copestake. I think, Ian, that they probably expect media outlets to paste all their various updates together and then publish them after the match, and I’ve just cheated a little.

Roberto Martínez has just been having a quick chat with BT Sport, largely about why players who aren’t in the squad aren’t in the squad (they’re injured), and whether they’ve got no chance because they played in Europe midweek (no). “This squad is ready. It’s these moments you need to show your strength in numbers and character, and we’re looking forward to facing one of the best teams in the competition.”

So Juan Mata is back, back, back! For at least as long as Wayne Rooney is suspended, anyway. Here’s the Press Association’s take on the teams:

Robin van Persie captained Manchester United as Louis van Gaal looked to earn his third win as manager against Everton at Old Trafford.

Juan Mata replaced the suspended Wayne Rooney and Antonio Valencia came in for Ander Herrera, who was ruled out with a broken rib.

Romelu Lukaku, Muhamed Besic, Steven Pienaar and Steven Naismith came in for the Toffees, but there was no place in the matchday squad for Seamus Coleman, James McCarthy or Sylvain Distin.

Hello world!

Here is something we won’t beat around:

And so, the teams!

Man Utd: De Gea, Da Silva, McNair, Rojo, Shaw, Blind, Valencia, Di Maria, Mata, Falcao, van Persie. Subs: Januzaj, Lindegaard, Fletcher, Fellaini, Thorpe, Blackett, Wilson.
Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Stones, Jagielka, Baines, Barry, Besic, Pienaar, Naismith, McGeady, Lukaku. Subs: Robles, Gibson, Eto’o, Oviedo, Osman, Browning, Alcaraz.
Referee: Kevin Friend.

Leafing through the history books, it seems most of the classic matches between these teams have been played at Goodison Park, with the 4-4 in 2012 standing out among those fixtures played at Old Trafford in the last 40 years or so. So here’s a classic from Merseyside, when United went three up, Everton scored with three headers from set pieces to level, and then some Portuguese bloke came off the bench to set up a late winner. In the same season a far-from-vintage United side (their scorers that day: Butt, Kleberson, Bellion) won 3-2 at Old Trafford, though the scoreline was given a sheen of not-really-there excitement by Duncan Ferguson’s stoppage-time consolation.

Simon will be here shortly. In the meantime, why not read about Rio Ferdinand’s ruck with Kick It Out:

Kick It Out, football’s leading anti-racism organisation, has told the Guardian it deserves better than to be turned into Rio Ferdinand’s “punchbag” after discovering he has attacked it as “useless” in his latest autobiography for allegedly not supporting his family enough during therace trial involving his younger brother, Anton, and John Terry.

Herman Ouseley, the chairman, decided to speak out after the serialisation of Ferdinand’s book, #2sides, stated that the former England international’s decision not to wear a Kick It Out T-shirt in defiance of Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United was taken out of principle because the group had “refused to come to the courtroom with us, so I wasn’t willing to go through the charade … My parents probably wouldn’t have spoken to me if I had.”

A representative of Kick It Out had actually attended the court every day with Ferdinand’s parents, Julian and Janice, sitting alongside them as a show of unity in the public gallery, and Ouseley said he felt compelled to “set the record straight” over what his organisation considers damaging inaccuracies.

Ouseley believes the anger should be directed higher up the chain to “the real power brokers” and he also revealed he resigned from the FA council because it had refused to issue a public apology to the families of Ferdinand and Patrice Evra for the way it handled not just the Terry case but also Luis Suárez’s disciplinary hearing for racial abuse.

Read the full story here.