Mirallas magic completes superb turnaround

, 1 February, 0comments  |  Jump to most recent
Everton 2 - 1 Aston Villa

Steven Naismith scored the equaliser and set the stage for Mirallas' winner
Kevin Mirallas pulled off another moment of dead-ball brilliance five minutes from time, curling home an inch-perfect free-kick that helped Everton to the League double over Aston Villa for the first time in the Premier League era.

The Belgian's goal completed a fine fightback, sparked by substitute Steven Naismith's well-taken goal and earned three priceless points that for long periods of this match looked as though they were going to elude them.

With the game heading into the final 20 minutes, Paul Lambert's gameplan had been working to perfection and frustration was building among a Goodison crowd desperate to see a return to winning ways after Tuesday's disaster at Anfield.

Leandro Bacuna had put the Villains ahead after 34 minutes with what might have been their only meaningful attack of the entire match, at least until a late flurry once they had fallen 2-1 behind.

Fabian Deplh muscled Ross Barkley off the ball in a central area with a borderline-legal challenge before feeding Christian Benteke and he held the ball up until Lacuna arrived on the overlap whereupon the Dutchman fired through Tim Howard's legs.

Everton, who could have been a goal up inside three minutes had Aiden McGeady's curling left-footer crept inside the post rather than cannoning off it, briefly rallied but were continually frustrated by Villa's well-marshalled defence who denied the home side any space within to operate in the final third.

The Blues were largely restricted to a succession of corners from which they failed to unduly threaten Brad Guzan and there were precious few signs in the first half of where an Everton goal might come from.

The pressure would build gradually in the second half but it wasn't until the introduction to the front line of Naismith with 20 minutes left that the breakthrough came.

Steven Pienaar, a second-half substitute himself after Ross Barkley had been forced off with an apparent knock, touched the ball on brilliantly into the Villa area where Naismith, alive to the opportunity, met the pass and knocked it confidently past the advancing Guzan.

Seizing the initiative now, Everton kept up the pressure and when Mirallas was bundled over, he stepped up to take the resulting free kick and produce a sublime match winner.

The win moves the Blues back into fifth place with Tottenham's draw at Hull City and keeps them in the Champions League picture, a point behind Liverpool who play tomorrow.

Quotes or other material sourced from ToffeeWeb Match Reports





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