Howard was the hero of the day for the Merseysiders, following a goalless 120 minutes. The American goalkeeper, who joined the Toffees from United in 2003, saved penalties from Dimitar Berbatov and Rio Ferdinand to help his team win 4-2 in the shoot-out and book their place in the FA Cup final.

"It probably means more to me than I expected," he said.

"I still have got friends there whom I look up to.

"I want them to do really well and win the league, but when you go head to head, I am a competitor."

He added: "There are no hard feelings there, but it is nice for me, Louis [Saha] and Phil [Neville] who have all had the privilege to play for Manchester United."

(Soccer365.com)