New Boys Feature as Everton win it Leight-On

A 94th minute penalty and Louis Saha goal were enough to overturn Wigan and finally get Everton's campaign underway. Having been flattened by Arsenal on the opening day and losing to new boys Burnley, many were brandishing the match a must-win encounter. The blues did win it, but not without the typical Goodison drama.

Tim Cahill flashed the ball dangerously across the penalty area to Louis Saha, who pounced on to the ball but could only find the Wigan goalkeeper with his effort when it seemed easier to score. Rodwell reacted first off an Everton corner to fire the ball towards the top corner, but his effort was also saved.

A poor Wigan team struggled to handle Everton in the first half, with a few of their players going into the referee's book before the interval. Wigan showed little adventure in the first half as they struggled to keep the ball.

However, it was hard to see how they could be so poor in the second half as well, and it is fair to say they definitely improved. Everton were not as good after the break, as Wigan started to get on the ball more, and remained strong at the back.

The Latics took the lead, slightly against the run of play, shortly after the restart. Paul Scharner evaded Hibbert at the back post to nod home and maintain his impressive goalscoring record against the Toffees. It seemed to be the classic coup d'etat match as Wigan looked to smash-and-grab all three points.

With Everton propping up the Premier League and trailing 0-1 at home, the home crowd began to grow extremely restless. Just after the hour mark, the in-form Louis Saha finally brought some perspective to the Goodison crowd, rising highest to nod home a Leighton Baines corner and restore parity.

Marouane Fellaini came on for Leon Osman in a quite puzzling change. At first, Cahill moved to the right wing, and then Fellaini swapped with him. The players seemed as confused as the fans by it. The natural option, Bilyaletdinov, was on the bench and waiting for his chance, but Moyes relied on the Belgian International instead.

“Billy”, to his mates, has been playing competitive football since March so it cannot be his fitness that concerned Moyes. Whether Moyes thought it was a rather big occasion, and did not want to give his new man a baptism of fire, is unknown, but the £10 million man is a Russian International who has played in International tournaments.

In the end, however, Moyes was to be proved right in his decision, as Fellaini produced a game-changing performance off the bench. After his introduction, Everton went into the ascendancy. First, Hibbert's cross met Cahill's head in the box, but the Australian steered far wide with a trademark opportunity.

Then, Fellaini put Jo through on the left-hand side but the Brazilian fired straight at Mike Pollitt with his opportunity. The ball rebounded to Rodwell, who got a bit too excited and snatched his effort over the bar with the goal gaping.

As Everton pushed for the winner, they were always susceptible to conceding a goal and it looked like the worst fears would come true when Wigan sprung a 5-on-2 counter attack. Phil Neville did an excellent job in shepherding Scott Sinclair wide into taking a shot, which he fired straight at Howard.

Jo was put through in injury time, and showed a little bit of trickey to fly past Emmerson Boyce, who clumsily brought the Brazilian to the floor. The referee pointed to the spot to send elation all around Goodison. However, minds were cast back to Saha's penalty miss against Burnley the week previous. But to quote a line from the FA Cup Semi Final shoot-out, “Baines...bang!”. Elation.

Sylvain Distin put in an excellent performance to have Evertonians saying “Joleon who?” after the ninety minutes, and Dini also saw three minutes of football. And David Moyes will be given a slight selection problem ahead of the Fulham game in two weeks, because of Marouane Fellaini.

It is fair to say Everton looked far more comfortable in possession when the 21-year-old was not on the pitch, as the boys at the back were not tempted to lump it forward towards the target man. Also, Fellaini's impact coming off the bench was far greater than his impact in his previous performances this campaign.

Also, accomodating Bilyaletdinov will be a hard task it seems, as he prefers to play in the middle or the left than on the right, which would be the obvious choice. Putting him on the left will mean splitting the effective Baines-Pienaar partnership up.

Any new faces brought in to L4 in the coming days will give the Scot more selection problems, and a lot of uncertainty surrounds Everton's best formation. One thing is for sure, the season is looking a lot brighter after today's result and performance.

Man of the Match: Distin (8)

Have City 'Cott the Message Finally?

It seems the Joleon Lescott soap opera is finally over, for this transfer window at least, following Bill Kenwright’s meeting with City officials. According to Sky Sports, the Everton chief told the Mancunian side that he had no desire to allow Lescott to leave the club, and especially not to a potential rival.

The Birmingham-born defender signed for Everton in 2006, for a fee of £5.5 million, having been named in the Championship Team of the Season in the previous campaign. Such was Lescott’s impact on the Everton team, he was voted Players’ Player of the Season in the next two consecutive years.

Despite a shaky start to the 2008/09 campaign, Lescott enjoyed another very good season, only this time, he was to be over-shadowed by the man next to him, Phil Jagielka. His passion, athleticism and general ability were what had endeared him to the Everton faithful, but lately, general opinion seemed to waver.

Opinion soon was split on Merseyside, as to whether or not Moyes should cash in on Lescott. Some saw him as a replaceable player, and someone who was definitely over-priced at £25 million. Then, there were those who questioned the 26-year-old’s commitment, and even berated him for wanting to go to Eastlands, regardless of the fact that all of this was sheer speculation.

Having a left-footed centre back, who can score up to ten goals a season, is always beneficial, especially when they can defend as well as Lescott can. And the England international, last year, forged a formidable partnership with Jagielka, at the heart of the Everton backline. The composed and assured manner of Lescott’s defensive work contrasts wonderfully with Jagielka’s gladiatorial nature.

To the purists, however, it was not about the player at all. Selling a star asset to a rival team would only consolidate Everton’s standing as a selling club. After last year’s solid league position and run in the FA Cup, Evertonians felt it was time the board reciprocated the collective ambition shown by both the manager, and the players. Allowing Lescott to move to a team who could easily rival the Toffees next year would not have emitted any such ambition.

Moyes’ defiance in the matter has been something admirable, as has his dignity in dealing with Manchester City. The two official bids, of £15 million and £18 million, were rather unethical, according to Moyes, given that he had already stated that no-one was for sale. The offers were merely used as a tactic to push Everton’s hand and unsettle Lescott.

With Phil Jagielka sidelined until November, Moyes only has two fit centre-halves available to him- Lescott and Yobo. The pursuit of Phillipe Senderos, earlier this month, had suggested that Moyes may have been willing to part with Lescott if the fee was right, but Moyes insisted Senderos was merely for reinforcements, given the centre-back crisis he found himself in.

Moyes’ would have been in somewhat of a desperate situation had Lescott wanted a move down the M62, as was widely reported to have happened in the meeting between the two. Moyes would have tried to be defiant and tell Lescott he wasn’t moving to City, but the Scot is a man who centres all of his management around team ethics. And having a player at the club, who doesn’t want to be there, is not good for morale.

However, if Sky Sports is to be believed, Moyes is not going to part with Lescott at any price, and Joleon is happy at Goodison, for the time being. It seems that Mark Hughes is starting to give up hope on Lescott, now, too, stating that “If we feel a certain deal has run it‘s course, we will look elsewhere”. He went on to add, “Whether we have reached that stage with Joleon, only time will tell.”

Lescott could not be blamed for wanting to move to Eastlands; he was not born on County Road, he could at least double his wages at City, and play at a club whose owners have no bottoms to their pockets. However, this is the clearest indication, in a long time, that the centre-back is happy where he is, and that he will not be going anywhere just yet. To turn such an offer down from City is something that will make him a fan favourite at Goodison during the following campaign.

FA Cup Final Tastes Bitter-Sweet for this Evertonian

Up until yesterday, Everton were the only team in English football to win something in every decade of it’s existence; a statistic which had been playing with my head ever since Dan Gosling bagged his winner against Liverpool in the fourth round. To lose such a record hurt my pride; just one of the many emotions I felt as Cup Final Fever swallowed me up.

There was a belief instilled in Everton, after the extra-time win over Liverpool, that I had never witnessed before as an Evertonian. It was a belief which soon poured onto the Goodison terraces as the fans started to believe that maybe, just maybe, the Gods of Football were going to afford the Toffees a rare moment of celebration.

This belief was fortified by Everton’s triumph over Aston Villa, the best away team in the country at that time, in the fifth round, with Tim Cahill’s goal becoming a symbolic moment of the 2008/09 season. The only time this belief wavered was when the Australian blazed the opening penalty, of the semi-final shootout, over the bar.

The semi-final was a glorious day for the club. The first trip to the New Wembley for the blue half of Merseyside, and against one of the best teams in the World, we knew this was an occasion to remember. From the club banners, carried onto the pitch by military men, to the atmosphere generated by the fans, the game was of epic proportions.

So when Everton progressed into the FA Cup final, I silently felt that the Cup had our name on it. Compare the teams we had knocked out, to the ones Chelsea knocked out, and there was only one team who deserved to take that trophy home. Of course, we knew that the team we were facing were not exactly going to give it up easily.

Since Andres Iniesta pummelled them out of the Champions League a few weeks ago, a massive injustice had hung over Stamford Bridge, and they were desperate to make amends. With one of the best and most proven managers in the world at the helm, they had the tactical know-how to upset the Evertonian party, too.

And given just what a club Everton is, the Gods of Football had to stack everything against us, with Yakubu, Arteta and Jagielka all suffering innocuous injuries. These three players consitute the spine of the Everton team, and given that none of them had ever suffered a long-term injury before, there had to be some force at work to sideline them. Compare these injuries, for example, all caused by minor twists and knocks, to Joey Barton’s horror tackle on Xabi Alonso a few weeks ago at Anfield. The Spaniard was okay after a few weeks, whereas the Everton trio were sidelined for long periods; it’s the little things.

I walk down Wembley Way for the second time in the space of one-and-a-half months, in the knowledge that this is where our club needs to be. As you walk towards the England national stadium, you cannot help but be attracted to it’s beauty and it’s stature; it is representative of English football, and it is where very professional aspires to be. Simply knowing that, soon, eleven Everton players were going cross the white line in such a glorious arena, packed with famous figures e.g. Kofi Annan, filled me with an incredible amount of pride. Unlike Pompey and Cardiff last year, however, I knew that this was not going to be the one and only time I would travel down Wembley Way.

National anthems are sung, flags waved, horns blown; this is really heating up now. And the game kicks off. I had hardly taken my seat and readied myself, for what was to be a nervous ninety minutes, when the ball is bobbling dangerously around the Chelsea area. Bang! 1-0. Elation. Louis Saha, the enigma of Everton’s season, has produced the magic Moyes had wanted from him all season, to give the Toffees a dream start. We are bouncing, dancing, jumping, singing, and simply not believing what is happening before us. Surely, the Gods of Football, those who gave us such a horrible FA Cup draw and injured our key players, were not going allow me to smile. Were they?

We’re on the cusp. We’re going to win this. Phil is going to lift the cup and we’ll be back here for the community shield. Then, suddenly, Hibbert is caught completely out of position and Malouda is given space on the wing. His ball finds Drogba in the box, and the Ivorian makes no mistake in powering his header past Tim Howard. 1-1. Gosh darn it! You could just see that coming…

Come on Blues! Let’s get to half-time, eh? The next twenty-five minutes fly by, to leave the scores level at the break. I am standing, completely still, staring at that Wembley pitch, and wondering if these eleven blues have the quality needed to finally beat this resilient Chelsea team. They are not lacking passion, nor enthusiasm, but the long hard season is definitely showing here. We need inspiration from somewhere, but our name is on this trophy, isn’t it? Somehow, we are going to win, and Cahill is going to be punching the flag fifteen metres from me.

Being honest, the inspiration did not arrive. Everton were largely uninspired in the second half, and Chelsea’s midfield completely dominated the play. It seemed the cup may have been moving away from us, but Saha had other plans. Rising in the box completely unmarked, he should’ve directed his header into the net, but instead, blazed it over. Compare this header, to Drogba’s clinical finish in the first half, and therein lies the difference. In terms of financial support, it’s ocean-liners versus rubber ducks.

Lampard turns Phil Neville on the edge of the box, but Howard has got that. Oh no, he hasn’t. The sea of Chelsea supporters erupt behind the goal as dejection comes over the Evertonian faithful. Maybe this isn’t our time after all. Our grip was weakening, our star was dimming, our hope was fading. And many thoughts raced through my mind, as quick as the Wembley clock, which seemed to be moving far too quickly.

Will we ever be what we were? How long will it take to get back to that? How much money do we need? Can we afford another summer with Kenwright at the helm? Yet the most prevalent thought in my mind was not about Everton at all, but rather about the fans on the other side of Wembley. A hatred was growing inside me for this team we were playing; a completely bank-rolled team that had bought it’s way to success and still had a much inferior history to ours. Their racist fans and their hooliganism are well-documented, so why did they deserve this victory over me? Most of them did not follow Chelsea until Abramovich came but now they are there in their glory.

A Chelsea fan of my age, will have seen so many glorious moments for his team, yet for me, this was not the case. I had seen Everton progress slowly but surely, and just when I thought I was going to see some silver, it was being snatched away from me by this dross. The final whistle went, but the tears would remain long after. I applauded the efforts of the boys in blue, just to show some dignity, but in all honesty, I was unsure what I was clapping for.

The walk back to the station took it’s time, as did the collection of luggage and journey to Euston Station. So many sentiments and emotions swirled around my head endlessly, and one startling thing remained. I looked back to 1985, and wondered if you asked an Evertonian, then, where they saw their team in the future, what answer you would get. I severely doubt they would have predicted just what a downward spiral the club would go on.

Just two final appearances in as many decades is a far cry from what we were before 1990; in those days, a final was our bread and butter. And there was just too much of a small-time attitude in the air for my liking. The applauding of the players after they collected their medals, whilst dignified, was also rather tame. Of course, you have to applaud your team’s efforts, but we had just lost to a team who hasn’t a mark on our history, yet. However, keep walking along the road of no investment, and they will soon catch us.

Confusion soon became an issue. On the train I sat, unable to make anything out of the day. It was a bag of snakes. Should I be happy? Should I be upset? Should I be asking questions? Should I be looking forward to next season? Or backwards at the twenty lost years of Everton Football Club’s history.

To talk to my Uncle before the game and hear of how we were United’s equivalent in the 80’s, is to wonder whether we will ever reach the summit once again. Can I honestly see Everton competing in the latter stages of the Champions League? Honestly? Only time will tell, I suppose.

Do I commend the players and the manager for their terrific efforts this season? Or do I berate the Chairman for not supporting the club enough financially? After all, it’s not Kenwright’s fault he has not the money to take us to the top.

Seldom have I thought more about the future of our club. Truth be told, there is not a quick answer to what the future holds for us. We thought this year was our time, and for whatever reason, it was not; be it injuries, the FA Cup draw, the lack of investment, or a culmination of the lot. When Portsmouth reached the Final last year, it was Cardiff who awaited for them, but such was not Everton’s luck.

The day, in all, was a cocktail of happiness, elation, disappointment, confusion, pride and a knock to said pride. Such is a day, in the whirlwind life of an Evertonian.

Hammertime: Same Ol' Song and Dance

A Radoslav Kovac first-half strike was cancelled out by a brace from Saha, punctuated by a rare goal for Joseph Yobo, to lift Everton to fifth in an eerily similar match to that of the reverse fixture at Upton Park. On that day, Collison gave West Ham the lead, only for Saha to strike twice, and a defender to put himself on the score sheet. It was Joleon Lescott’s header that day, but Yobo’s goal struck a similarity with Saha’s first, as it took a deflection before nestling into the West Ham net.

The game started with Everton on top, controlling the ball, and playing some good football. Pienaar continued his good form as he spun away from the West Ham midfield before showing the confidence to go for goal. It whistled, dipped and curled, but narrowly missed the far corner.

Soon, however, nerves may have crept in, and so ‘hoofball’ was prominent. This hoofball continued for a good ten to fifteen minutes, until Kovac awoke Everton. His long range strike, at first seeming special, was largely conceded due to poor goalkeeping by Tim Howard. It may have been the sun, he may have seen the ball late, but he should not have been getting beat from that range, considering the shot was not powerful, nor accurate. Yet it seemed a tactic West Ham were keen on, as Noble and Tristan also tried to test Howard from range in the first half. Whether this was panic fire, or a deliberate ploy from Zola, remains unknown.

After the goal, Everton woke up. They started to keep the ball again, and started pulling the strings. They would have their equaliser seven minutes before the interval, when they were awarded a penalty for a foul on Tim Cahill. The contact seemed negligible, but referee Phil Dowd not only saw it as a penalty, but also as a red card for Tomkins. The game changed in that moment.

There was a rather large delay of the taking of the penalty, but after long last, Saha stepped up and sent Green the wrong way, rifling his effort low and hard into the bottom right corner. The match was level, and news was filtering around Goodison of Middlesbrough’s lead against Villa. The half-time updates confirmed the score to be 1-0 in favour of the Riverside team, and the 38,000 inside Goodison saw this as an opportunity.

It only took the Toffees three minutes of the second half to grab the lead. Yobo controlled the ball with aplomb, off a Pienaar corner, and followed this up with a low drive across Green. It took a deflection as it treacled through a sea of claret and blue. The net bulged, Yobo pointed to the skies, and the crowd erupted, knowing that as it stood, fifth was theirs.

Boa Morte, who was largely anonymous, had a chance to level the match again. Using his pace to latch on to a beautiful through ball, the Portuguese man could not beat Tim Howard with his tame effort. For Everton though, who had held a high line throughout, this was a warning sign. Carlton Cole soon evaded the Everton offside trap but could not beat Howard in what can only be described as a scramble. Cole and Howard both fell to the floor, but it was the American who come out on top, getting to the ball first.

There was an uneasiness and sense of anxiety growing around Goodison, as the fans recognised the game was on a knife-edge. The Everton players, however, seemingly wanting to make up for their first half hoofball, could not resist the olé passing. The chants of olé with every pass seemed to egg the players on, as they just aimlessly passed it around the West Ham box. Everyone likes to see good football, but as the match was not won, it was too much too soon.

The match was soon put to bed, though, and as has so often been the case since the injury to Arteta, it was the Steven Pienaar show. After receiving the ball on the left hand channel, he executed his dummy beautifully to leave his man dead-on-his-feet. He charged into the box, but when so many would fall down, Pienaar kept his head to calmly pick Saha out, and the Frenchman simply could not miss from two yards out. Saha’s ‘worship’ gesture to Pienaar before the lap of honour, taken from Wayne’s World, said it all.

Saha could have soon bagged a hat-trick, as Everton sprung a quick counter attack, leaving two-on-one at the back. Cahill slipped Saha through down the middle, but he hit Green with his effort. Rodwell had already been brought on to replace Fellaini, and soon after Moyes withdrew Cahill and Saha, for Vaughan and Jo.

Jo may have been taking his final bow at Goodison yesterday, and he seemed eager to make a lasting impression. He was slipped through by Pienaar near the end, and when he looked certain to score, Neill got back at him to snatch the ball away from danger.

The final whistle blew, the news of Villa’s result had filtered through, and there were smiles all around. The smiles were short-lived, however, as Evertonians recognise how much of a bogey ground Craven Cottage is for them. That is where they travel to on the last day, to play an in-form and seventh-placed Fulham side, knowing a win will secure fifth place regardless of what Villa do. Villa need to beat a battling Newcastle side to stand a chance of reclaiming fifth.

Man of the Match: Yobo (9)

Topping off a solid defensive performance with a rare goal, Yobo proved his doubters wrong yesterday. Many eyebrows have been raised in the Nigerian’s direction since Jagielka was stretchered off, with many not thinking he is fit to lace his injured team-mate’s boots. Time will tell, I suppose, but going on yesterday’s performance, he can do a job on the 30th May.

Priceless and Well-Deserved Victory for Toffees at Stadium of Light

If there was any doubt over Everton’s commitment in the final league games of the season, following their shock 2-1 defeat to Manchester City last weekend, it was completely removed today at the Stadium of Light. Everton travelled to the North East to record a 2-0 victory, earned with a terrifically professional performance.

A win for the Toffees was essential, considering West Ham, Manchester City and Tottenham had all took three points in their fixtures yesterday. David Moyes knew a win would not only widen the gap with the chasing pack, but also heap pressure onto Aston Villa, who host the struggling Hull at Villa Park tomorrow night.

It must be highlighted that Sunderland were simply not up for the match, at least, not as much as Everton. Rather surprising, given that Everton already have Europa League football guaranteed next season, whereas Sunderland are still embroiled in a relegation battle.

Sunderland failed to create many opportunities and hold the ball for meaningful periods, but Everton had no such problems. For the first time since Arteta was stretchered off at St. James’ Park, Everton were able to play the game at their own pace and control possession. Jo put in another magnificent shift up front in the hope of a permanent deal, meaning Everton posed Sunderland problems every time they went forward.

A well-worked corner on the 10-minute mark could have given the visitors the lead. Dan Gosling shipped his ball out to the penalty spot, where Cahill flicked the ball goal wards. Lescott was charging down on the ball dangerously in front of Fulop, but the goalkeeper managed to get enough on it. Everton’s set pieces have bore the most fruit out of any Premiership team this season, but given the height and power in the Sunderland team, Everton did not rely on dead ball situations so much today.

One of the most powerful and tallest players in the Sunderland ranks is Kenwynne Jones, and he had an opportunity just seconds after Cahill’s header. He evaded the Everton defence in the penalty area, but, on the stretch, could only manage to blaze his effort over the bar. It was a rare sight at goal for Sunderland, whose strike patnership, of Cisse and Jones, failed to deliver.

Jo, on the other hand, was a handful throughout, and he should have given Everton the lead after a quarter of an hour. After some good link-up play between Baines and Pienaar, the Brazilian was magnificently slipped through on goal. Charging down on Fulop’s goal, he reduced the angle for himself, and could only slice disappointingly wide of the target. Some may criticise Jo’s lack of a clinical touch when presented with goal-scoring opportunities, but the mere fact he finds himself in so many good positions points to the man’s undoubted talents, and inconsistency is something which plagues many young players.

Home-grown talent Grant Leadbitter combined well with Jones thirty yards from goal, and he showed no hesitation in shooting as he tried to test Howard from range. The American, however, remained untested as Leadbitter’s drive was dragged wide of the target. This, and Jones’ early chance, was all the relegation-plagued home side could muster in the first half.

For Everton, it was a different story. Seven minutes from the interval, Pienaar picked the ball up on the edge of the box and fired across goal. Youngster Dan Gosling, who was brought in to replace Leon Osman, made contact with the cross-cum-shot, from just two yards out. The ball had different ideas, mind, as it bounced off Gosling’s hip and away from danger.

It was hard to see how Sunderland could play so bad in the second half, and therefore, it seemed Moyes may have ended up ruing the missed opportunities, but it was not to be, as Sunderland managed to played even worse in the second half. This heartless second half showing from the home side only catalysed an Everton side determined to put things right after last week’s disappointment.

One man, in particular, would rise considerably to the occasion. Steven Pienaar revealed in his post-match interview that Moyes has often given him ‘stick’ for not getting enough goals, and despite being the best man on the pitch in the first half, Pienaar still was not content.

Three minutes into the second half, his run married up well with Jo’s pass, leaving him through on goal. Showing terrific graft to outmuscle Sunderland’s Phil Bardsley, Pienaar homed in on goal, before poking the ball underneath Fulop, finishing off a terrific Everton move. The beauty of such a finely-crafted goal was only matched by Pienaar’s acrobatic celebration. It was a lead that Everton thoroughly deserved, as they showed much more ambition and bravery throughout the game.

Sunderland, however, could have undeservedly snatched a goal back within a few minutes. Collins met the ball off a corner, but his powerful header was directed straight at a grateful Tim Howard. Tim Cahill, forever the master of headers, wanted to show Collins how to do it ten minutes later.

Gosling, never afraid of running at players, got down the touchline and pinged a ball towards the back post. Cahill was unmarked and looked set to double Everton’s lead, but the ball took the slightest of touches just before the Australian made contact. It deflected just beyond Cahill’s reach, who could only header high, wide and handsome. It was this slight touch that kept Sunderland in the match for another ten minutes, but then, they were buried.

Jacobsen, making only his fourth appearance this season, chipped a ball down the line towards the man of the match, Steven Pienaar. He picked the ball up and turned towards the Sunderland goal, before picking out Fellaini in the box. The Belgian finished beautifully to tie up the match, and redeemed himself for a previously missed opportunity.

The last thing we saw from Sunderland as an attacking unit came ten minutes from time, and even that was a mistake. Steed Malbranque’s cross-cum-shot almost caught Howard out in the Everton goal, but he punched over for a corner. As excellent and professional Everton were, Sunderland were poor and toothless.

Maybe it speaks of the character of David Moyes’ side that they have gone sixty-two league games without losing consecutive matches. It was the perfect response to an extremely disappointing result and performance last weekend, in which maybe fatigue was a major factor. They looked fresh and potent in the North-East today, as they recorded a priceless win to take fifth place of Villa. Hull travel to Birmingham tomorrow in the knowledge that the Villains will be wanting to reclaim their position as ‘best of the rest’.

Man of the Match: Pienaar (10)

The heart, commitment and most importantly, class, shown by Pienaar today was rewarded with an outstanding goal. Arguably his best performance ever in the blue and white.

Laboured Everton punished by City, but Wiley Centre of Attention

It was Alan Wiley who grabbed all the headlines this afternoon, as Manchester City beat Everton 2-1 at Goodison. A late, well-taken goal from Dan Gosling was not enough to cancel out goals from Stephen Ireland and Robinho, as the visitors left L4 with all three points. Dismay at the final whistle now turns to anxiety, as all eyes turn to Phil Jagielka, who was stretchered off in the second half after stretching for a high ball.

The first half was absolutely abysmal, and one of the worst Everton have played through this season. A laboured, make-shift team struggled to create opportunities as a seeming hangover from last week's Wembley triumph plagued Goodison Park. And it was Manchester City who took the lead in an incident that would start all of the controversy surrounding the man in black.

Robinho's apparent push on Joseph Yobo went unseen by Wiley, and left the Brazilian clean through on goal. As the Nigerian was picking himself off the floor and dusting himself off, Jagielka came across to close down Robinho, but his efforts were in vain as the Brazilian calmly finished past Tim Howard. It was a well-taken goal, but the decision from Wiley, as did his seeming hesitation in timing and stopping the celebration, left a lot to be desired.

One can understand Robinho's joy at scoring away from home; something he hasn't been able to do with regularity since his move to City, but the theatrical Samba dance routine that followed lasted just under one minute. Alan Wiley seemed reluctant to hurry the Manchester City team up during their routine, and the one minute of added time was a rather baffling decision.

It is quite disgraceful that in a modern Premier League match, a player can waste so much time through celebrating, especially, when one considers how much money a match ticket costs in the current economic climate. Had the Evertonians, and the City supporters for that matter, wanted to watch a theatrical dance routine, performed by out-of-rythym artists, they are more than welcome to go to watch Strictly Come Dancing or Britain's Got Talent.

And the half time interval did not seem to spark new life into Everton; Saha and Fellaini were just as lazy and ineffective the midfield was completely passive and struggled to get into the game. They pushed for an equaliser, but as they did, City caught them with another swift counter-attack. Robinho ran at Yobo and Jagielka was covering, but his ball found Stephen Ireland in acres of space in the penalty area. Ireland simply tapped the ball into the corner of the net and celebrated in front of the famous Gwladys Street end.

The defensive frailties shown in conceding the goal can only be answered to by Phil Neville and Segundo Castillo, who both showed no desire to track Ireland's run. Whether the players were too tired to track back, or just could not be bothered, fingers need to be pointed. If it is the latter, the players need to answer, and if it is the other, the manager needs to be held accountable.

Micah Richards clashed with the Everton skipper soon after, and both pushed each other. By the letter of the law, both should have left the field of play, but Wiley, applying 'common sense', decided to book the pair. The bookings proved Wiley saw the incident, and hence, both can count themselves lucky to leave the field of play.

Then, Moyes finally decided to change things. A desperate triple substitution showed intent from the Goodison chief, but it was all too little too late. Why David Moyes, manager of a team chasing 5th place, did not change things at 1-0 to turn the game around is a mystery. And when he did, the changes he made could be questioned. Why Leon Osman, who looked dead on his feet, was not brought off, is something only Moyes can answer to. Instead, he put Osman in to the centre of midfield and from that point forward, Everton's midfield was completely non-existent.

Moyes was soon punished for his drastic and desperate decision, when Man of the Match, and Man of the Season, Phil Jagielka, stretched for a high ball and went down holding his leg in agony. The stretcher was called on to the anxious Goodison Park, and the defender was stretchered off, leaving Everton to play the remaining half an hour with ten men.

Cahill clashed with Onuoha by the Manchester City penalty area, and Alan Wiley was quick onto the scene. However, he, always wanting to be the centre of attention, told Onuoha to calm down, even though he raised his hands to Tim Cahill. Again, by the letter of the law, Onuoha should have been taking an early bath. However, it was 'common sense' that once again intervened as Wiley decided to tell the defender to calm down.

Wiley, for once, did not apply 'common sense', as he added 7 minutes of injury time, and comatose Goodison crowd was feebly brought to life in the 94th minute. Youthful Dan Gosling sprung onto Pienaar's pass before slotting the ball beautifully into the far corner. Couple that goal with the one he scored against Liverpool in the FA Cup, and one must ponder why Gosling is not at least pushing Osman for a place.

There was one more moment of controversy when Gosling kicked Shay Given in the heels. He turned and slapped Gosling in the face. And once again, Mr. Focal Point ran over to the incident and told both players to calm down. The referee, desperate to impress, did not want to see card-happy, and so left both on the field of play; both should have seen red.

The game meekly ended in a City win, and the officials were booed off the pitch, and rightly so. Credit to Manchester City, who ran out deserved winners over a labouring and makeshift Everton team, but one must analyse the role of the referee in the modern game. There was once a time, believe it or not, when referees used to go for a drink with the players after the game, but now, it is all about reputation. When there are officials in the crowd marking how the referee is performing, it is easy to see why so many referees bottle major decisions so as to not create controversy. Wiley did not want to show red and run the risk of losing control of the match, but cards, unlike 'common sense', have a place in the game.

Road to Wembley Paved with 'Upsets'

It all started on a cold January day that will easily be forgotten, and will end on a sunny day at the end of May, that will live long in the memory. Along the way, Everton have already enjoyed some joyous moments, which is a far cry from this time last season, as Everton found themselves out of all cup competitions and quickly losing fourth place.

It was Leon Osman's sweet strike that gave Everton a ticket into the 4th round of the most glorious domestic cup competition in the world. Evertonians were given shudders when the game eerily reminded them of Shrewsbury them many moons ago, and the Oldham defeat, which was not so long ago. However, as they had done for most of the season, the Everton defence stayed strong to secure the victory. And to the draw...

“Liverpool...will play...Everton”. The first two balls drawn out of the bag pitted the two Merseyside clubs against each other at Anfield. “That's Everton out” said the media, but after salvaging a deserved point in the league game just days prior, the Toffeemen did it again with another 1-1 scoreline. Tim Cahill once again proved a menace, flicking a Steven Pienaar cross onto Joleon Lescott's head, who diverted his effort beyond Reina. Lescott, who had been teased by the Liverpool fans, stood proud and defiant in front of a Kop in despair, allowing Cahill to jump on his back, who pointed and laughed at the distraught Liverpool faithful. However, just like in the league game, it was to be Steven Gerrard who would once again prove a thorn in Everton's side, as his tame shot trickled under Tim Howard for the equaliser. It was all set for a replay at Goodison...

Goodison Park is reknowned for the terrific night games that is plays venue to, and this was no exception. Again, the media believed Liverpool would win the tie, as Rafael Benitez took a phrase originally coined by Mourinho, when he said that Everton could not “park the bus” at Goodison. Steven Gerrard limped off with barely 15 minutes on the clock, to a chorus of cheers from the Evertonians, and Liverpool looked limp without him. When Lucas Leiva was sent off for a second bookable offence on Lescott, it was Liverpool who would opt to “park the bus”. Moyes, knowing Liverpool's ability in penalty shoot-outs, pressed for a winner in extra-time, and he would get it two minutes from time, but from a very unlikely source. Jagielka played the ball out wide to Van Der Meyde, a man who has barely figured and often disappointed since joining Everton, and he crossed the ball to the far post. Youngster Dan Gosling received the ball, showed excellent footwork before firing a deflected shot in off the far post. It sent the Everton faithful delirious and a chorus of “We Shall Not Be Moved” followed, and it sent the Liverpool fans, well, out of the stadium.

Next up, in the 5th round, was Aston Villa at Goodison Park. Villa, the media darlings, were said to have the edge over Everton as they were unbeaten in 20 plus games and had the best away record in the country. However, another upset to follow, as Everton delivered one of their best performances of the season to upset the odds. Mikel Arteta was sublime in the centre of midfield, and Everton had their lead inside the first minute, when Jack Rodwell capitalised on Petrov's handball to blast into the roof of the net. Cue choruses of “We're on the march with Moyesey's Army” bellowing around the Old Lady. However, the Birmingham side are a resilient bunch and soon found their equaliser. Tony Hibbert brought Agbonlahor down in the box before James Milner's spot kick wriggled under Tim Howard's body. Nigerian Victor Anichebe had a point to prove after his supposed backroom bust up, and he won a penalty for Everton just before half time. It was Arteta who duly converted. More “We're on the March....” was to follow. As Villa pushed for an equaliser, they were always susceptible to conceding a third, and Victor Anichebe's terrific ball evaded the Villa defence to leave Cahill with a chance to seal the match. He bundled the ball past Friedel before punching the Gwladys Street corner flag. “We're on the March with Moyesie's Army”...

Everton finally avoided the top 5 in the next round, drawing Middlesbrough at Goodison. It was viewed by many as a must-win game for the Toffees, and one that they went into as media favourites, for a change. This time however, it was to be Everton who bled first. As the end of a dire first half for the Toffees drew to a close, David Wheater's header was too powerful for Howard to keep out. Despite the American's best efforts, the goal stood. Half time came, as did Steve Round's rallying team talk, and as did the substitution of Louis Saha. It was the Frenchman who changed the game and revitalised Everton. Tim Cahill's cross found Marouane Fellaini who nodded over the on-rushing Brad Jones and looped into the net. Goodison was rockin' like in the olden days. Soon after, Pienaar's inch-perfect cross left Saha 5 yards out and he placed his header beyond Brad Jones to send the Goodison crowd into delirium. “We're on the march with Moyesey's Army, we're all going to Wembley!”

Everton were to be underdogs yet again as they drew the best team in the world (officially) in the semi-final. Some Evertonians already took the pessimistic view of “at least we got to Wembley” and such a mood was worsened when Mike Riley replaced Steve Bennett as the referee. However, most Evertonians remained positive and harboured serious ambitions at Wembley. In a rather dire 120 minutes, the current Champions of Europe could not break Everton down, and Everton struggled against United's defence. With the four best centre backs in England on display, there was going to be little joy for frontmen. And so to a penalty shoot-out against the best team in the world, in the best football venue in the world, shooting into the United end. All of this without Everton's two principal penalty-takers.

Cahill, who has so often been the torch-carrying talisman of optimism at Goodison was first up, but he blazed over the bar. Cue scenes of joy from United supporters, as they thought the Carling Cup final would repeat itself. Dimitar Berbatov, who has failed to live up to his 30 million pound price tag, was first up for Manchester United. His lackadaisical penalty was saved well by the feet of Howard. Next up was Leighton Baines, Everton's set piece specialist, and there was no doubt he would convert. Rio Ferdinand was up next for United, but his penalty was well stopped again from Howard, who was proving a point to his former club. Everton's next penalty-taker was Phil Neville, another of the so-called “United Rejects”. He stepped up and beautifully converted his penalty to give Everton a massive 2-0 lead in the shootout. Vidic's penalty luckily ricocheted into the net off the post as United's quintuple dream hung precariously in the balance. James Vaughan, who had hardly kicked a ball for Everton this season, stepped up to convert the penalty of the shootout. Pressure was put back atop United, and atop the shoulders of young Anderson, who responded with a decisive spot kick. However, if Everton scored their next penalty, United were out and Everton reached the final for the first time since 1995. And the man who took the penalty? Phil Jagielka, of course. He stepped up, with the heart of a lion, to strike his penalty past Ben Foster and redeem himself of his penalty sorrows against Fiorentina last season.

The celebrations that followed from the blue half of Wembley were something special. Flags, banners, shirts, horns and songs were all paraded around the greatest stadium in the world. The Everton crowd was arguably the loudest ever to grace the new Wembley, as they toppled the current kings of English football to cause yet another upset.

And already, murmurings point to Chelsea being favourites in the final. This, however, is not a hindrance to Evertonians, as they shall not be moved as they march down Wembley way once again. It is Everton who have all of the momentum as they have already sent three of the current top five out of the F.A. Cup. Hate it or love it, the underdogs are on top.