Everton vs. Manchester United: 5 Things United Learned at Goodison Park

Manchester United overcame their demons of last week's 6-1 thumping by rivals City to record back-to-back wins over Aldershot in midweek and Everton today at Goodison Park, by virtue of a single Javier Hernandez goal to nil.

Alex Ferguson made a few changes to his starting lineup, sending out a team Phil Jones, Nemanja Vidic, Tom Cleverley and Javier Hernandez were returned to, and got the win he desired—though it was far from pretty or plain sailing for the away side.

Here are five things United will have learned from today's win.

Manchester United's Defence Is Secure...As Long as Nemanja Vidic Plays

Probably not something Ferguson is learning today, but the point has certainly been reinforced somewhat.

Missing from last week's teamsheet, Vidic watched from the sidelines as his teammates shipped six against City.

Back in the team today in place of Rio Ferdinand, Vidic controlled his back line and ensured that no gaping holes were left at any point—particularly in the face of the late Everton onslaught.

To be fair, the word onslaught is only loosely applied to Everton's rather tame attempts to fashion a chance out of hoisting repeated high balls towards de Gea's goal, but Vidic stood tall nonetheless and made sure each of his teammates did too.

Javier Hernandez Is the Archetypal Predator in the Box

Good movement and anticipation was the order of the day for Hernandez to make his mark at Anfield two weeks ago to salvage a late point, and he repeated the feat when given the chance to start today, netting the only goal of the game in the first half.

Javier Hernandez might not be Ferguson's first choice to start every game, but when he does, he offers United such good off-the-ball work in the box that opposition defenders have a nightmare trying to track him.

His actual finishing is pretty good too, which always helps.

Nani: Still Too Inconsistent to Be a World-Beater?

Statistically, Nani's time at United has been very impressive.

Huge assist numbers alongside a more than respectable goal return have made him a fan favourite and someone that United look to as a real game-changer—but is that what he really is?

Yes, he has games where he is untouchable and can score from ridiculous distances and angles. But against Manchester City last week, he was utterly anonymous despite being given the rare chance to start a big game like that, while today against Everton he again failed to spark when entering from the bench.

Is it a confidence issue, or does Nani merely go through spells of good and indifferent form?

Either way, he is not the consistently brilliant player United want him to be.

Yet, at least.

Ferguson's Side Can Still Grind out a Victory

Questions were asked last week whether the "balance of power" in the Premier League was undergoing a shift.

With City going five points clear at the top, United could ill-afford to continue dropping points at this stage, even with a long way to go in the season.

United have not been at full pelt for a few weeks, but this victory shows again that Ferguson's side can get the points when it matters, even without being at their best—and in needing to get back to winning ways following a 6-1 defeat, today definitely mattered.

Wayne Rooney: Not the Creative Midfielder United Were Looking for

In an attempt to flood the midfield and perhaps break quickly from deep, Wayne Rooney was played in a more central midfield role today with Hernandez alone up front.

Rooney didn't have a particularly poor game, no more so than any other United midfielder, but neither did he have a big impact on the game.

Following on from his substitute appearance as a withdrawn, creative-from-deep midfielder against Liverpool, Rooney has also figured in similar positions against City and now Everton.

While he will no doubt create the odd chance if he continues in a similar role, he is not the creative deep player United were rumoured to be looking for in the summer—and thought they had found in their own Tom Cleverley, prior to his injuries—and he should be returned to an attacking role sooner rather than later, where he was performing with such devastating effect earlier on in the season.