Match Summary
Everton were back to "full strength" with Carsley returning from suspension, and Bent declared fit. But the first half of this one was a pretty horrible advert for the Premiership, with both sides determined to defend doggedly and do their utmost to prevent the other side from showing any shape or fluidity that even came close to good attractive football.
Everton were put under pressure from the off by an aggressive and physical Birmingham side. Defence occasionally looked a little panicky but held firm despite Heskey's usual antics and unstable balance problems.
When Everton did get the ball, there were a few movements forward on the ground, Osman getting a few opportunities to show his skill down the inside right channel. But too often Everton resorted to the wild hack up field from a defensive position under pressure, and inevitably lost possession to invite even more pressure from the home side.
While Everton showed every intent of soaking up that pressure through disciplined defending, the Brummies' strategy clearly involved attrition rather than skill although they did look threatening as Everton backed off when Birmingham elected to play it on the ground, but there were few clear-cut chances at either end.
Everton benefited most from calm and seemingly accurate referring by Rob Styles, with the free-kick count something like 12 - 6 in The Toffees' favour. But at least three of those kicks in excellent dangerous locations were wasted, in equal proportions by Carsley, Gravesen and Kilbane right before the break.
The second half was much the same as the first... until Steve Bruce decide to change the game by bringing on Lazaridis. And change the game it did as Birmingham stepped up three gears and really carried it to Everton with a series of corners.
But the match turned five minutes later in an Everton attack that built well from the left, Taylor getting to a Cahill header that in fact came off Melchiot and away for a corner. The ball in from Gravesen was good, forcing Taylor to punch out but only as far as Carsley, whose ferocious shot zoomed in, dipping under the Birmingham bar, only to be intercepted by great two-handed save from Muzzy Izzet. Sadly for him, he was not the goalie! Red card: PENALTY!
Funny as it was so unnecessary; the diving Taylor behind him had it well covered. Whatever! Up stepped Thomas Gravesen to side-foot it home, sending Taylor the wrong way, and sending the traveling Everton army into raptures; yes, we really could win this one!
Birmingham huffed and puffed, but the next golden chance fell to Osman, who had done well in this game despite being constantly assaulted by the physical Brummies. He was left all alone on the right, picked his spot high and to the left of the Birmingham goal... and lashed a superb shot high and marginally to the left of the Birmingham goal... DOH! At the other end, Hibbo did well to clear off the line from one corner.
Subs came on in droves for both sides, and one of them, Dwight Yorke, really should have done better when in on Martyn, but blasted over. On came Dunc for the last 5 mins and held things up well for Everton as they played off the clock. One worrying moment was sickening clash of heads between Stubbs and Pistone when the both went for the same ball, Pistone coming off the worst.
But Everton hung on for a very important win on a day when Arsenal scored 5 and Chelsea scored 4, both away from home, while Bolton lost to Villa at home. And made more than full recompense for last season's abysmal display in this fixture.
Onward, but not upward: with one-third of the season now in the books, we are clearly the third-best team in the country at the moment... The realistic short-term objective is to retain that position. Well done, David Moyes and all the lads!
Michael Kenrick
Birmingham 3-0 Everton
Unavailable: (Injured:) Li Tie
Match Preview
If the win at Manchester City earlier in the season atoned for a truly dreadful performance in the corresponding fixture last season, then this weekend's trip to Birmingham City offers a similar chance at redemption for a dire 3-0 reverse at St Andrews in 2003-04. It was an example of Everton at their worst.
By contrast this season, we have at times seen Everton at their best, and against all the odds and predictions of the pundits. This game comes, however, at somewhat of a crossroads for David Moyes's side. Winless now in three games and having lost their unbeaten away record in the Premiership last weekend, they reached a nadir on Tuesday with the 3-1 Cup defeat to Arsenal's reserve team. Defeat here and the seeds of doubt could start eating away at our fine start to the campaign.
The suspension of Lee Carsley was the first major disruption of the unit that has driven them to the top three in the table but a more devastating loss could be that of Marcus Bent, who took a knock to the knee at Highbury and is rated doubtful.
With Duncan Ferguson and Kevin Campbell also struggling with injuries, the manager may be forced to employ James McFadden and Nick Chadwick up front, arguably his least convincing attacking partnership available to him.
McFadden's crisis of confidence continues; while he is eager to be involved and often is when the Blues are going forward, he is frequently found wanting in the final third. It's a shame, because many of us had high hopes that he would make the grade whereas now, hand on heart, it doesn't look as though he will, even taking his relative youth into account.
Chadwick, on the other hand, just hasn't been able to break into the first team despite a consistent goals return at reserves level. He has made just one league start in 15 months and yet, when Moyes first arrived, he looked one of the Blues' most promising youngsters. Unlike McFadden, he hasn't really had many chances to show what he can do. When he has, he has found the going hard... although his goals-to-appearances ratio over the past two seasons stands at two to seven (only two of those were starting appearances).
Moyes will be hoping that one of his walking wounded will recover in time to be passed fit, with a number of bruised and battered players to worry about following Tuesday's game. If his first-choice players in the rest of the team do shake off their respective knocks, we should see a return to the five-man quintet of Osman, Cahill, Gravesen, Carsley and Kilbane, with Weir and Stubbs back in defence at the expense of Joseph Yobo. Alessandro Pistone and Tony Hibbert will assume their usual full-back roles in front of Nigel Martyn.
Birmingham had been going through an uncharacteristic lean spell until their unlikely victory at Anfield last weekend. That will provide Steve Bruce's men with ample confidence going into this live televised game. That solitary goal against Liverpool was their only goal in almost eight hours of Premiership football, however, so they are clearly struggling to find their rhythm in attack a good omen for Everton's stingy rearguard.
Clinton Morrisson is rumoured to be in line for a surprise return to action following knee surgery, and he joins Muzzy Izzett and Stan Lazaridis on the list of newly available players for the Midlanders.
The combination of Birmingham's buoyed confidence, home-field advantage, and Everton's recent blip will make this a difficult game for the Walton Blues, but there has been plenty of fighting talk from Bellefield this week, with Steve Watson and Kevin Kilbane vowing to silence the renewed murmuring from the critics and get back to winning ways.
With our cushion above fourth placed reduced to just a point and the chasing pack gaining ground, three points are vital if we hope to stay in this seemingly impossible position sitting immediately behind Chelsea and Arsenal. Much depends on who is available to lead the line and just how much self-belief the Blues have.
Lyndon Lloyd
Matchday Stats
This will be the 113th meeting between Everton and Birmingham City in all competitions, and the 57th at Birmingham. This match will be the 5th meeting in the Premier League and the 3rd at Birmingham.
Everton's full record against Birmingham City is:
P
W
D
L
F
A
Premier League
4
1
2
3
5
Division One
98
52
26
20
192
120
Division Two
6
8
14
FA Cup
TOTALS:
112
57
30
25
209
144
Our record away to Birmingham City is:
0
49
19
15
72
64
10
56
17
80
78
The last match between the sides was on 11 February this year, when Birmingham ran out comfortable 3-0 winners at St. Andrews.
There have been 6 Everton hat-tricks against Birmingham. The last was on 31 August 1985, when Gary Lineker scored 3 in Evertons 4-1 victory at Goodison Park. Alf Milward, on 7 December 1895, and Alex Latta, on 3 November 1894, are the only Everton hat-tricks at Birmingham.
The most common victory for Everton is 2-0, which has happened 10 times in Everton's 57 victories. Birmingham's most common victory is 1-0, which has happened 5 times in their 25 victories. The most common draw between the teams is 1-1, which has occurred 13 times in the 30 draws between the sides.
Everton's record for 13 November is:
12
22
This is the first time these sides have met on this day. Also, this will be the first Premier League match played by Everton on this day, as all previous 12 matches on 13 November have been in the old Division One. The last match played on this day was in 1982, when Everton drew 1-1 with Arsenal at Highbury, with Andy King getting Evertons goal.
Derek Temple was born on this day in 1938 in Liverpool. Derek signed professional forms with the club in August 1956. He made 277 appearances and scored 84 goals during his time at Everton, with his most famous goal being the winner in the 1966 FA Cup Final. During his time at the club, Derek made his only appearance for England in a 1-0 victory over West Germany in 1965. After 11 years with the club Derek moved to Preston North End in September 1967.
Neill Rimmer was also born on this day in 1967 in Liverpool. Neill signed professional forms in April 1984 and made just 1 substitute appearance for the club before being sold to Ipswich Town in August 1985.
Billy Cook won his second Northern Irish cap whilst at Everton on this day in 1935. Scotland went on to win the game 2-1. Alex Stevenson was also in the Northern Ireland team that day.
In 1946, TG Jones was in the Welsh side that lost 3-0 to England in the Home International Championship.
Peter Corr and Peter Farrell were in the Republic of Ireland team that lost 3-1 to Sweden in a World Cup qualifying match on this day in 1949.
Paul Bracewell made his third and last England appearance on this day in 1985 in a 0-0 draw with Northern Ireland. This match also saw Gary Lineker and Gary Stevens in the England line up.
On the same day in 1985, Kevin Sheedy was in the Republic of Ireland team that was comprehensively beaten 4-1 by Denmark in a World Cup qualifying match. Six years later, in 1991, Kevin played in Irelands 3-1 victory over Turkey in a European Championship qualifying match.
On the same day in 1991, Robert Warzycha was in the Polish side that drew 1-1 with England in a friendly match. Whilst, Neville Southall was in the Welsh side that beat Luxembourg 1-0 in a European Championship qualifier.
On this day in 1999, David Weir, John Collins and Don Hutchison were members of the Scotland team that lost 2-0 to England in a European Championship play-off first leg.
In 1984, Derek Mountfield won his only England B cap in a 2-0 victory over New Zealand.
John Hurst scored a goal in England u23s 2-2 draw with their Dutch counterparts on this day in 1968, along with Howard Kendall.
Trevor Steven was in the England u21 team that drew 0-0 with Turkey u21 on this day in 1984, whilst John Ebbrell was in the victorious England u21 side on this day in 1990, as they beat the Republic of Ireland u21 team 3-0.
Milestones that can be reached in this game:
This match will be the 50th away match in the Premier League, since David Moyes became manager.
If Duncan Ferguson starts the game he will be making his 150th start for Everton in the Premier League.
If Everton manage to score three goals, then the third will be the 150th scored under the management of David Moyes in all competitions.
Steve Flanagan
Birmingham pay the penalty
Everton got back to winning ways following three games without a win and two successive defeats to the monied power-houses of Chelsea and Arsenal thanks to a second-half penalty by Thomas Gravesen. When Muzzy Izzet used both hands to parry Lee Carsley's net-bound strike over the bar with 23 minutes left, referee Rob Styles was left with no option but to show the Birmingham midfielder an automatic red card and award the visitors the decisive spot kick.
The result was no more than the Merseyside Blues deserved after playing an effective game of containment and doing just enough to take all three points from a very disappointing Birmingham. This was far from Everton's best performance of the season but they could have won by two goals had Leon Osman belted a 78th-minute strike the right side of the post after being put in the clear by Gravesen.
As it was, it was Birmingham who might have scored in the closing stages when Hibbert had to head off the line from Emile Heskey and Dwight Yorke finished off his side's best move of the game by blazing over from close range with just Nigel Martyn to beat. But, the Blues held on comfortably in injury time to earn their fifth away win of the campaign so far.
David Moyes was buoyed before the game by the fact that Marcus Bent was passed fit after recovering from a knee injury and, with the return of Lee Carsley from suspension, was able to field his first-choice eleven for the first time since the victory at Norwich City — not coincidentally his team's last victory.
It was Birmingham, though, who made the early running as Everton ceded possession in the first quarter of an hour. Jesper Gronkjaer had the first effort on goal, cutting inside and firing wide left of the goal after three minutes while a low cross caused Everton hearts to flutter before Hibbert blocked the danger. Midfielder Julian Gray then fired wide off the stanchion and, from a Gronkjaer cross, Izzet headed down but his effort was comfortably smothered by Martyn.
Everton began to assume control midway through the half, though, and Leon Osman flashed in their first shot on goal after 18 minutes but it was dealt with well by Maik Taylor. On the half-hour mark, the goalkeeper had to recover after spilling a Gravesen free-kick but then almost presented Osman with the opener in the 38th minute when he flapped at a couple high balls — Osman's shot was blocked by Cunningham.
Despite their territorial and technical superiority, however, the Blues offered little going forward. Thankfully, their hosts were even worse, exemplified when Heskey dropped a shot over the bar just before the interval.
Half time brought no changes in either personnel or the pattern of the game, which continued in pedestrian fashion until 20 minutes after break when Heskey shrugged off the attentions of David Weir but half-volleyed well over.
A minute later, Cahill met a Hibbert cross with a glancing header that deflected goalwards off Melchiot and was shuffled around the post by Taylor. From the resulting corner, the ball broke to Carsley just outside the area and, after one touch, he despatched a terrific shot that was dipping under the bar until Izzett's volley-ball style save denied him. Izzett was sent off and Gravesen stepped up to stroke the ball into the corner with Taylor diving the other way.
Kevin Kilbane had an opportunity to double the advantage two minutes later with a volley from the edge of the box but it was too close to the 'keeper. Two minutes after that, Hibbert denied Heskey on the line and Upson then headed a corner over the bar as Steve Bruce's 10 men tried to get back on level terms.
After Osman had missed his wonderful chance to seal the game, Everton did an effective job of shutting the game down until, with their best move of the match, Birmingham put Yorke through on goal but Martyn did enough to distract the striker into firing over the bar. And that was it, bar a couple of Everton substitutions that saw Ferguson replace Osman in the 88th minute and Watson come on for Bent in injury time that was extended because of a clash of heads between Stubbs and Pistone.
In the end, Everton did just enough to win this one. Not to take anything away from them because a win is a win, but this had goalless draw written all over it for long periods because clear-cut chances were at a premium. But the Toffees were clearly the better side; this victory restores the four-point cushion between themselves and Bolton and brings Moyes that much closer to his 40-point target.
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