Ahead of Manchester United making their first trip to Hill Dickinson Stadium, we look back at a classic Everton home match against them
15:55, 22 Feb 2026
Duncan Ferguson celebrates his winning goal against Manchester United in 2005 with his Everton team-mates(Image: Photo by John Peters/Getty Images)
A decade on from when he first felled Manchester United, Duncan Ferguson repeated the trick to earn a result that put Everton on their way to securing their highest-ever Premier League finish.
The date in question was April 20, 2005, and over two decades on, David Moyes recalled it as one of his favourite nights at ‘The Grand Old Lady’ when recalling the explosive encounter to this correspondent in his episode of Goodison Park: My Home.
The Everton boss told the ECHO: “I always remember them saying that they didn’t like playing against Duncan. They didn’t like Duncan’s physicality.
“I think that night Sir Alex had a bit of a go at me because we were tough and rough. We had to beat them.
“That was a brilliant night, a 1-0 victory and Duncan scores the header. That was showing that we were beginning to challenge those bigger clubs, Liverpool and Manchester United.
“We were able to show the supporters that this is going in the right direction. I’m not saying that we were top, but we were getting better.”
The Blues’ march to fourth place in 2004/05 was remarkable considering how they went into the campaign. There was talk that Moyes had lost the dressing room when Everton slumped to finish 17th with just 39 points the previous season despite getting themselves safe at Easter and not being in any kind of realistic relegation battle all year.
Over the summer, the club’s home-grown hero went on to play a starring role at the European Championship but, all of a sudden, he went from being Everton’s Wayne Rooney to England’s Wayne Rooney and the 18-year-old new national treasure was soon on his way to Manchester United for £27million – a world record fee for a teenager at the time.
Fellow striker Tomasz Radzinski had also departed and in their place came journeyman Marcus Bent and a prospect from the Championship in the shape of Tim Cahill for less than £2m combined.
A season of struggle seemed to lie ahead after the Blues were beaten 4-1 at home to Arsenal on the opening day but five wins out of their next six Premier League games saw them climb to third in the fledgling table. Indeed, the Merseyside derby win at Goodison Park in December saw them rise to second and while there was something of a post-Christmas slump with seven losses in 13 matches, they were still clinging on to the final Champions League qualification spot above neighbours Liverpool – who would ultimately win the competition.
Ferguson might not have developed into the latter-day Dixie Dean he’d been compared to by Joe Royle a decade earlier but after returning to his beloved Blues in 2000 – having been sold by chairman Peter Johnson, behind Walter Smith’s back according to the manager, in 1998 – he remained the darling of the Gwladys Street.
By now, the 33-year-old had become an effective Plan B off the bench for Moyes with the likes of Bent and then new record signing James Beattie, who arrived for £6million from Southampton in January, usually leading the line at the start.
Some 29 of Ferguson’s 35 Premier League appearances that season came as a substitute but perhaps alive to the ‘Braveheart’ spirit for the grand occasion that his old warhorse possessed, Moyes chose to pair him with Bent against Sir Alex Ferguson’s men and leave Beattie on the bench.
Scott McLeod of the ECHO was in no mood to play down the importance of the encounter and wrote: “Superlatives cannot do last night justice.
“Even before you take into consideration the wider context, it equates to one of the most thrilling nights Goodison has witnessed for many years. Bayern Munich, 1985, anyone?
“As with that famous night, the mix was perfect. The crowd were rocking, the players were outstanding, and the outcome was ridiculously satisfying.”
Everton’s Duncan Ferguson scores to make it 1-0 against Manchester United
He added: “There was even something poetic about the identity of the man who proved Everton’s talisman on the evening. Only Alan Shearer has scored more goals against United since the Premier League came into being than Duncan Ferguson.
“It was one of those goals which provided Everton with their last league victory against them before last night – way back in 1995. That was when Ferguson was in his prime. In recent times he has been a shadow of the player who waltzed his way into the hearts of Evertonians all those years ago but here he was gargantuan.
“His monumental frame cast a shadow over the most successful English team of the modern era – and made Rio Ferdinand look more like a £120-a-week player than the £120,000 one his agent claims he should be.
“Ferguson towered over the England man, winning more battles in the air than Douglas Bader. And he left Ferdinand in his slipstream for the 55th minute header beyond Tim Howard which secured the victory.”
While Ferguson’s head brought Everton victory, United lost theirs as both Gary Neville and Paul Scholes were sent off in the second half.
As for finishing the job at hand, McLeod said: “There is humility within the Goodison ranks which prevents them from blowing their own trumpet too loud. But this performance illustrated beyond any doubt that such humility is masking an unwavering belief they are more than good enough to keep hold of fourth place.”