Anthony Martial’s winning goal kept Manchester United in the chase for a Champions League place on the day they named a stand after Sir Bobby Charlton.
Martial turned in Tim Fosu-Mensah’s cross from close range early in the second half to send Everton to a third straight Premier League defeat.
Phil Jagielka headed against the bar for the visitors, and later had a snapshot saved by David De Gea.
Victory leaves United one point behind fourth-placed Manchester City.
Manchester United’s modern-day young players combined to set up victory on a day when the club honoured as great a home-grown talent as they have ever had.
Before kick-off, the South Stand was renamed after Sir Bobby Charlton, the Busby Babe who won the 1966 World Cup with England, and who remains United’s record goalscorer.
Accompanied by his wife Norma, a visibly emotional Charlton watched from the pitch before kick-off as fans held up sheets to spell out his name.
The United team of 2016 follows strongly in the club’s tradition of blooding young players – three of which were involved in the goal that provided a breakthrough after a turgid first half.
Marcus Rashford has been a revelation since breaking into the United team in February; scoring four times in his first two appearances and hitting the winner at Manchester City two weeks ago.
This time, his backheel freed fellow academy graduate Fosu-Mensah to play a low ball across goal, which 20-year-old Martial – signed from Monaco for an initial fee of £36m in September – touched in at the far post.
From his seat in the stand, Charlton applauded warmly, a smile breaking across his face.
Earlier, the locals were giving the opportunistic peddler selling scarves declaring “Leicester City, Premiership champions 2016” outside this arena short shrift pre-match, but belief is welling uncontrollably in these parts. The most dramatic of title wins looms ever larger, with this latest narrow success a dagger to the hearts of the chasing pack. The lead now gapes at seven points, after Tottenham Hotspur could only draw at Liverpool on Saturday. Claudio Ranieri, usually so manic in his delight on the touchline, was calmness personified at the final whistle. Even he looks as if this is all becoming routine.
Five of the last six games have now been claimed with a solitary goal and, for all that this team defend frenetically for long periods of games, they keep emerging unscathed. Wes Morgan was their match-winner here, an improbable scenario in itself, but so many of this Leicester side are surpassing expectations at present. Their collective is utterly unshakeable, their methods still flummoxing all-comers. Southampton tested them for long periods but they the home side simply would not be breached.
Just as at Crystal Palace in their previous fixture, it had actually been Leicester’s resilience that had caught the eye once their initial urgency, swarming all over their visitors at source, had petered out without reward. Southampton went on to create the better chances while the contest remained goalless but, even when individual mistakes offered rare glimpses of the leaders’ vulnerability, another of the hosts’ number summoned up a challenge, block or save to stave off the threat. Kasper Schmeichel tipped over José Fonte’s long-range attempt at full stretch, and there was enough urgency in N’Golo Kanté or Danny Drinkwater to leave Steven Davis or Jordy Clasie snatching at shots from distance, reports The Guardian.
