FAN ARTICLES

A really bad day at the office

Without Phil Neville, David Moyes left Irish starlet Seamus Coleman on the bench and brought in the experienced Tony Hibbert at right-back as he stuck Victor Anichebe back in the first team. Phil Neville was presumably injured while the poor Louis Saha was dropped in favour of Yakubu.

An early free-kick was delivered in superbly by Baines but Distin could not reach it. Anichebe was in action too down the right. Pienaar did well to feed Cahill who decided he would be a striker today and had a poke but showed just why Everton don't shoot from distance. Hopeless. Anichebe had a better poke from wide that Carson had to save well as Everton looked to take full control of the game after dominating the first exchanges.

But of course that led to a period of more sustained possession for West Brom, although they could provide little penetration as Everton kept swinging the ball up the right to Anichebe. But it was West Brom who won the first corner, and a fantastic bullet header from Paul Scharner was poweered into the back of the net despite a hand from Howard, with Cahill nowhere to be seen.

Anichebe won a rather soft free-kick right on the edge of the area but Baines's curler was far too high as Arteta stood back and looked on. Cahill won another kick a little further out; this time, Arteta on que failed to beat the lone first defender. Heitinga needlessly passed straight to a West Brom player in the Everton half, allowing them to develop their second attack and a strike that screwed wide of goal.

Lee Mason was being very generous to Everton with marginal decisions, this time Yakubu going over very easily inside the Dee. Arteta did a lot better this time, forcing the save form Carson. Cahill then gave away a dangerous free-kick at the other end that Brunt stroked superbly over the four-man wall and into the top corner, just an inch inside the post, with Howard close to it but unable to keep it out. 0-2!!! Oh dear...

The Everton crowd now became frustrated and super critical of poor player decisions, Pienaar's pass back to a marked player who lost possession drawing howls of derision. But Mason gave them another soft kick and Brunt got booked for kicking the ball away. Everton's problems were underlined with a pathetic shot from Pienaar that dribbled well wide of the Park End goal, followed by Yakubu misplacing a simple pass from a throw-in.

Carson cleared straight to Cahill but Yakubu was clearly offside for the return ball as Everton struggled to get anything going. Pienaar looked to have stopped a cross with his arm but not for the first time, Lee Mason looked kindly on the Blues, although it actually was off his chest.

Everton won their first corner in the 42nd minute, and a beautiful outswinger delivered from Baines was met perfectly by Cahill and powered in to the far side of the goal, a superb header to put the Blues back in it. Much better football followed from Everton, winning Everton's second corner, clipped in well with real power by Baines... but incredibly no-one could convert it, Heitinga the closest at the far post.

Second half, and no need for Moyes to make any changes after that rousing Cahill strike, although Anichebe had switched to the left side, but the Baggies were not for giving up the fight easily, pressuring Everton all over the field, and making the Blues work for any meaningful possession. And when they got it, Anichebe's cross was poor.

With nothing happening for the Blues after 6 or 7 minutes of the second half, Moyes descided to make what was a for him an early and significant double change... but not completing it until West Brom had another worrying attack. Beckford on for Heitinga; Saha on for Yakubu at 56 mins!

Beckford got his chance early but Carsdon got a good piece of it, Brunt clearing it off the line, then Jara elbowed Baines in the face ? no free-kick, then Jara leapt in on Arteta for a clear red card that incensed Arteta, who stampled on his leg, and the Everton players and crowd went nuts... But Jara, the cause of all the mayhem, got off scott free, while Areta walked for his reltaliaton.

So... a goal down, now a man down... Goodison not exactly a morgue this week! Moyes then switched Rodwell on for the tiring Anichebe on the hour. Beckford took a shot too early and screwed it weakly well wide. Rodwell did well down the right and then Cahill had a pop from distance but the chances were hard to create. Pienaar pushed through a good ground ball for Beckford, just fractionally overhit, but Carson was out fast. West Brom counter-attacked with pace to keep Everton's 10 men on their toes as Di Matteo began his substitutuions to disrupt the flow as much as anything else.

West Brom had a very strong spell as they took full advantage of the extra man; Dorrans went in the book for a tackle from behind on Pienaar. Everton worked the ball forward, Hibbert over everyone to Beckford who, with the goal gaping, wellied it horribly into the top tier of the Gwladys Street. League 1 striking skills sadly in full evidence from the ex-glass-fitter.

Cahill, playing deper, tried the same Route One to Saha but nothing came of it, while at the other end, substitute Tchoi ran in easily on Hibbert, backing off, and he clipped in an excellent shot high to the far side of the goal that Howard was nowhere near close to saving. 1-3 and the fightback now surely over, with 15 frustrating minutes left.

Tchoi was dancing past Hibbert at will down the Everton right and creating havoc, Everton totally defeated, unable to do anything with the ball. Mullumbu should have been booked for a foul from behind on Pienaar. From the free-kick, the ball hit Jara's arm, but howls for a penalty were ignored by referee Mason.

Mullumbu was the next to rub salt in as, in yet another stinging attack down the Everton right, Tcjhoi waltzed inside of Hibbert to set up Mullumbo for West Brom's fourth. Mullumbo was yellow carded for his clebration, and them given a second yellow when he clipped Pienaar's heel... Red card.

Beckford squandered yet another guilt-edged chance, hooking over with only the keeper to beat, and summing up a dreadful say for him and the Blues.

An astounding confounding game of football that everyone expected Everton to dominate after a good opening, but little went right for the Blues today, while everything clicked for West Brom. Things could have been very different if Jara had been correctly penalized and dismissed for (a) elbowing Baines and then (b) diving in on Arteta. But instead, Arteta got the red card at a critical point in the game.

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