Momentum Shift Pushes Blues On to Another Vital Win

Kevin Mirallas served up another slice of precision artistry to turn on its head a contest that, for long stretches, had looked as though it was going to end in utter frustration.

Everton 2 - 1 Aston Villa

Depending on what happens between now and May, it may prove to have been a pivotal moment in Everton's season but there was no doubting its quality. Kevin Mirallas served up another slice of precision artistry from an 84th-minute free kick to turn on its head a contest that, for long stretches, had looked as though it was going to end in utter frustration.

Of course, frustration is a feeling that has dogged the Blues at times already this season – in most of the team's nine draws to date and the fruitless bombardment from a depleted position of Sunderland on Boxing Day – but , in the context the debacle at Anfield on Tuesday evening, the injury crisis afflicting the forward line and the lack of new arrivals before last night's transfer deadline, defeat today would likely have dealt a significant psychological blow. It would also have put a potentially crippling dent in the hopes of finishing in the top four.

Steven Naismith's equaliser 16 minutes from time therefore represented a vital shift in momentum for Everton – in terms of this match and, perhaps, the season as a whole. The substitute levelled the match with a confidently-taken goal and set the stage for Mirallas to put some gloss on what had been an otherwise difficult afternoon leading the line in the absence of Romelu Lukaku and Lacina Traore.

The Ivorian striker was paraded in front of the Goodison faithful before kick off but watched the game from the stands bundled up against the cold and the wet as he continues his recovery from a hamstring strain, leaving Mirallas as the obvious choice up front. The Belgian had been one of very few bright spots amid the misery across the Park on Tuesday but he quickly found himself locked down by Paul Lambert's supremely organised rearguard.

He wasn't the only one; despite a predictable dominance of possession, Everton found precious little room in which to work in the final third, although home debutant, Aiden McGeady, was able to engineer some very early on following a Leighton Baines free kick when he came inside Ryan Bertrand and curled an excellent shot off the face of the post. That chance was notable given how few would follow in what was a turgid first half from Everton's point of view.

While Lukaku has come in for criticism lately – his shortage of goals can be largely attributed to a lack of service but there is validity to concerns over his movement up front – his ability to pull defenders out of position was visibly missing today. That meant the likes of Mirallas and Ross Barkley kept running into a claret wall – when the former wasn't being thrwarted by the offside flag, that was – and a worrying paucity of chances.

Indeed, for the first hour, it was hard to see where an Everton goal was going to come from and what was already set up to be a diffcult afternoon took a turn for the even worse 11 minutes before half time. Barkley was barged off the ball in central midfield by Fabian Delph and Christian Benteke took advantage of the hole behind Baines by threading a pass to the overlapping Leandro Bacuna. He advanced on Tim Howard and slotted a shot between the American's legs to open the scoring with Villa's first meaningful attack.

The fact that the Dutch winger's goal would be Villa's only shot on target for the entire game told the story of the visitors' lack of attacking intent and they were forced back even more in the second half as their hosts steadily ratcheted up the pressure. All too often, though, Everton were found wanting for sufficient blue shirts in forward areas. Perhaps because of their inherently defensive nature or a desire to prevent being caught on the counter, Gareth Barry and James McCarthy remained deep, while Baines and Leon Osman were being throttled by Villa's tenacious defending on the left and Bertrand was making McGeady look decidedly ordinary on the other flank.

The two best half-chances fell Osman's way, the first when he nicked the ball off the toes of Ashley Westwood but dragged a left-foot shot across the face of goal with Mirallas ready to pounce had he knocked it square; the second when collected a nice pass from John Stones and turned neatly in the area but could only scuff a shot straight to Brad Guzan in the Villa goal.

Steven Pienaar had already made a difference to the tempo after coming on at the break but the change in shape when Stones came off with 20 minutes left and was replaced by Naismith proved to be the difference. And it was a lovely interchange with Steven Pienaar that carved Villa open for the equaliser – the Scot alive to the South African's first-time touch beyond his marker and he had time to look up and plant his finish past the on-rushing 'keeper with aplomb.

The Blues now had the platform to go and win a game that for so long had appeared to have annoying defeat or salvaged draw written all over it. And when Ciaran Clark went through Mirallas challenging for the ball 25 yards from the visitors' goal, the stage was set for the Belgian to produce his magic with a direct free kick. Baines stood over it with him to keep Guzan guessing but it was Mirallas who stepped up and curled a beautiful shot inside the American's right-hand post before racing away to celebrate with Martinez on the touchline.

Having broken the resistance of Lambert's side, Everton were unshackled now and a better header from Naismith would surely have made it 3-1 five minutes later as Pienaar picked him out with a pin-point cross from the left edge of the box. Unfortunately, he planted his effort straight into Guzan's arms.

At the other end, a long-range effort by Mark Albrighton flashed inches over Howard's crossbar via a deflection off Phil Jagielka but the points were going only one way by that point and that was onto Everton's tally for the season, which now stands at 45 – enough to lift them back into fifth place in the table.

It was a result that, once again, epitomises the character and never-say-die attitude that permeates this team, even when depleted by injuries. It was what earned a draw at Stoke on New Year's Day, drove them on at Anfield despite an insurmountable deficit and keeps them in touch with the top four when it looked as though that chase was going to be beyond them given the injuries ravaging key areas of the team.

Indeed, in that context, this was a vital win to achieve and was central to Martinez's gamble to perhaps not pay over the odds for players in the January window and wait for his walking wounded to return over the coming month. Sylvain Distin made a welcome return to the back four this afternoon and Seamus Coleman's place on the bench as an un-used sub means he is primed to start in the crucial game at Tottenham next Sunday.

Certainly, the Blues will need more incisiveness and imagination at White Hart Lane than they showed here but it's unlikely they will find their attack as suffocated by Spurs as they were today and that bodes well for Mirallas – and, perhaps, Gerard Deulofeu – if Traore is unable to play any part. A draw or defeat to Villa would have had many looking to the cup and next season for comfort but a victory next week and more results going their way elsewhere and things really could be on for the race down the stretch.

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