Everton hold off United

Manchester United FC's slow start to the season continued today as Sir Alex Ferguson's men were held to a goalless draw by Everton FC at Old Trafford, while Portsmouth FC beat Fulham FC 4-3 in a thriller.

Ronaldo miss
Cristiano Ronaldo, Alan Smith and Paul Scholes all hit the post for United, who struggled to break down an Everton side that worked hard and defended well throughout. United were fortunate not to concede a penalty when Mikaël Silvestre handled in the area in the second half, and have now won just once in four Premiership matches.

Rooney talks
Talks between the two clubs over the possible transfer of the England striker Wayne Rooney dominated the build-up to the game, which completed a successful weekend for Everton who beat West Bromwich Albion FC on Saturday. David Moyes's team are seventh in the Premiership with seven points from four outings.

Portsmouth triumph
Meanwhile, Portsmouth rose to 12th place with their exciting home win. Portsmouth, who only had one point before today, took a 19th-minute lead after a super Eyal Berkovic volley and by the half-hour mark Yakubu Ayegbini had converted a penalty and added another to put Portsmouth 3-0 up - only for Andy Cole and Luis Boa Morte to pull two goals back before the break.

Nervous finish