David De Gea and Radamel Falcao help United to a hard-earned three points

David De Gea's fine form in net kept Everton at bay and Radamel Falcao finally found net for Manchester United to orchestrate a 2-1 victory on Sunday at Old Trafford.

David De Gea and Manchester United rose to a provisional fifth, with 11 points from seven matches, on Sunday with their win over Everton. Michael Regan / Getty Images / October 5, 2014

MANCHESTER UNITED 2 EVERTON 1

Manchester United - Di Maria 27', Falcao 62'

Everton - Naismith 55'

Man of the match - David de Gea (Man United)

English football correspondent

MANCHESTER // Louis van Gaal criticised his Manchester United team for their second-half display against Everton but wondered how much they will achieve when they can perform for the whole game.

Angel di Maria and Radamel Falcao scored in a 2-1 win that took the Dutchman’s team into the top four, and he said: “We are not playing good but we are already fourth in the table. What is coming when we are playing well? We have played very good for 45 minutes already, sometimes for 50 or 60 but we have to do it for 90.”

Van Gaal praised David de Gea, who saved a Leighton Baines penalty and made injury-time stops to deny Leon Osman and Bryan Oviedo an equaliser.

“When you hold the penalty, and then in the dying seconds you make three magnificent saves, then you are great because you win the game because of that,” Van Gaal said.

Di Maria opened the scoring with a curling shot.

Van Gaal said: “When you give assists and also score goals what more can you ask of a player?”

United had been comfortable but almost conceded on the stroke of half time.

Luke Shaw was deemed to have fouled Tony Hibbert but De Gea dived to his right to become the first goalkeeper to save a penalty from Leighton Baines in the Premier League.

Baines recovered and delivered a curling cross that Steven Naismith flew in for the equaliser and, a minute after Falcao cleared Phil Jagielka’s header off his own line, he scored the winner from Di Maria’s mishit shot.

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