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John Peters/Getty Images Javier Hernandez headed home the late winner in United's 1-0 win over Everton. Javier Hernandez headed home the late winner in United's 1-0 win over Everton.

If you've ever played tennis against a wall, you know one thing: The wall always wins. It was a lesson Manchester United was being reminded of in its match against Everton at Old Trafford on Saturday. David Moyes' side came to town as the hottest team in the league according to the form table -- four wins and two ties in its past six matches -- and with a singular mission against the Red Devils: park the bus.

The Toffees defended resolutely, creating a sea of blue behind the ball to stymie United. The tactic worked wonders, thanks in particular to the center back pairing of Phil Jagielka and Sylvain Distin, who repelled wave after wave of attack. (If Distin has a clause in his contract that awards him a bonus for every header, he made a fortune Saturday.)

But United finally found a way through. After banging their collective head against Everton's defensive fortress, the Red Devils popped the tension building inside the Theatre of Dreams in the 84th minute, when Javier Hernandez headed Antonio Valencia's cross into the near post past Tim Howard. Up until then, the English Premier League title race was on a knife's edge. If United tied, dropping two points, Chelsea and Arsenal would be primed to pounce. Indeed, one scenario would have seen United travel to the Emirates on May 1 with just a one-point lead.

Instead, Sir Alex Ferguson's side saw the game out against Everton to inch ever so closer to a record 19th league title.

Wayne Rooney certainly earned his keep. At times positioning himself behind Hernandez to serve as the playmaker, at others dropping deep into midfield to get the ball and launch another attack, there was hardly a play that Rooney didn't have his footprints on.

But if you subscribe to the theory that the hardest thing to do in football is score goals, it's easy to reach another conclusion: Chicharito is United's most valuable player, and certainly should be on anyone's short list for MVP in English football.

It's not just that the Mexican international has found the back of the net 19 times in all competitions for Manchester United this season. After all, teammate Dimitar Berbatov is still the leading scorer in the Prem with 21 goals. But many of those tallies have come in bunches, and Ferguson has clearly indicated through his team selection that he doesn't fancy playing the Bulgarian in the biggest matches. Hernandez, in short, has moved up the pecking order to become United's go-to striker, the man counted on to get on the end of crosses and hit teams on the break.

And Chicharito has repaid the faith by scoring critically important goals. Consider: He tallied in United's 2-1 win over Chelsea in the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinal; he was responsible for both goals in United's 2-1 win over Marseille in the CL, a match in which the Red Devils' defense was an accident waiting to happen; he scored the only goal in the 85th minute of United's 1-0 group-stage victory over Valencia in Europe; he helped ensure that United didn't drop points against the Baggies; and both goals in a 2-1 victory against Stoke City at the Britannia in October were credited to Hernandez's account.

That Stoke match was the first real indication that Hernandez was going to be a special player for United. He opened the scoring with the back of his head. Then, after the Potters equalized on a Tuncay Sanli strike in the 81st minute, Chicharito rescued his team. Nemanja Vidic headed the ball across the face of the goal, and Hernandez was able to flick home his header despite facing away from the net.

Of course, Hernandez doesn't play in a vacuum. He profits from the energy and vision of players such as Rooney, Ryan Giggs, Nani and Valencia. But as United's victory over Everton on Saturday once again proved, Ferguson has found himself a goal-scoring poacher in the mold of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer -- someone who just knows how to be in the right place at the right time. Hernandez's runs off the ball are well-timed, finding that little bit of space to exploit, and when presented with a chance to score, he doesn't hesitate.

And all Hernandez cost United was about 7 million pounds. That's the kind of return on investment that Roman Abramovich or John Henry can only dream about right now.

With Rooney becoming more of an enabler with each passing match, dropping back as Hernandez pushes forward, Ferguson has forged a dynamic partnership that is difficult to contain. Rooney is creating chances for the team, Hernandez is finishing them.

Even if the opposition parks the bus.

If Hernandez continues his timely scoring, his nickname -- "Little Pea" -- might need to be changed. Does anyone know the Spanish word for "clutch"?