Ferguson unhappy after United held

By Martyn Herman

LONDON (Reuters) - Manchester United wasted the chance to close on the Premier League leaders when a poor second half display resulted in a 1-1 draw at Everton on Saturday.

Midfielder Darren Fletcher put the champions in front after 22 minutes and the Old Trafford side should have had the points in the bag before the break but a second-half header by Marouane Fellaini gave Everton a deserved point.

Hull City's remarkable start to life in the top flight continued with a 3-0 win at West Bromwich Albion that put them level on 20 points at the top with leaders Chelsea and Liverpool who meet at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. United are five points behind.

Sunderland beat Newcastle United 2-1 at the Stadium of Light, Kieran Richardson's thunderous free kick 15 minutes from time earning Sunderland a first home victory against their north east rivals for 28 years.

The end of the match which left Newcastle second from bottom was marred by skirmishes between rival sets of fans and riot police moved in to restore order.

Mid-table Blackburn Rovers scrambled a 1-1 draw at home to Middlesbrough thanks to a stoppage-time header by Benni McCarthy after Afonso Alves had given Boro the lead.

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was critical of his side's second-half display, although he also accused referee Alan Wiley of failing to protect his players.

"We didn't deserve much at the end and it was a case of hanging on," Ferguson told Sky Sports. "They unsettled us in the second half and we started to give the ball away."