Oop the East Lancs Road for a jaunt to the Eastlands Stadium.  Cra ppy weather in Manchester (no change there then really), and some pretty cra ppy football from Manchester City.  Everton played very well and ran out fairly comfortable two goal winners.  Howard gets tested late, Hibbo stifles Petrov, Elano is cr ap, Benjani is AWOL in the second half and we have a red for the petulant Bulgarian.  Stiles, well some quite good and some pretty awful. 

 

Short trip North East ensures a good away turnout in Manchester.  The weather didn't douse the fans' enthusiasm or voices.  Spark is added to the match with Everton old boys Dunne and Ball playing for City and the stadium is a regular haven for managers and ex managers.  Taking a pew are Big Sam, Peter Reid, Roy Keane, Steve Bruce and Fabio Capello.  On the pitch it's a European six pointer. 

 

Moyes changes the side that thrashed SK Brann and opts for a familiar 4 4 1 1.  Howard keeps goal, Hibbert slots in at right back, Yobo, Jagielka and Lescott operate to his left.  Carsley and Neville sit deep with Pienaar Osman and Cahill getting licenses to attack with Yakubu as the main forward.  Some might call this 4 2 3 1 or 4 5 1 or 4 2 2 1, really just ignore them. 

 

A SCOT AND A SWEDE WATCH THE BLUE ACTION AT EASTLANDS!

Hard to change a winning team so Sven doesn't.  The Swede selects the same eleven that beat Manchester United.  Hart keeps goal with a back four of Onuoha, Richards, Dunne and Ball, the five man midfield is Petrov, Ireland, Fernandes, Hamman, Vassel with Benjani up front on his own.  A pretty standard 4 5 1, although perhaps best suited to the away side. 

 

City starts off on the front foot and gets nowhere.  All half they had plenty of possession and did nothing with it, Howard had to come and punch or claim a few balls but didn't have to save.  Everton defended thirty yards out and a narrow City just kept mindlessly bashing up against a blue wall. 

City's best cross came just before the interval when Fernandes whipped a ball between Howard and the defenders, Benjani spent too much time wondering what it was and the chance went. 

The visitors threatened Hart all the first half, crisply bringing the ball out of defence or from a ball won in midfield and going straight at City with pace and bags of ideas. 

Richards probably didn't give Everton it's first penalty of the Premier League season as Stiles was blind or just unsighted. 

Hart saves well from Yakubu at the near post. 

Pienaar hits the bar. 

Finally the traveling fans get their goal.  Feed the Yak and he Will Score! 

A deep throw in down the right comes infield to Yakubu, Cahill's running off Hamman finds the diminutive Ozzie in space, he beats the first man and whips a cross through the legs of the second, Yakubu had continued his run and finishes with clarity and clamness over Hart.  Great move, super finish and a well earned 0-1.

FEED THE YAK AND HE WILL SCORE - THAT'S SIXTEEN FOR THE SEASON SO FAR!

City's response, Petrov; stifled all night by Hibbert; blast one wide from twenty five yards. 

Carsley is feeling up for the game and starts an attack from his own half, he is fouled by Hamman on the edge of the area and Stiles is just poor. 

Everton keep cutting through the City midfield and back line and win a corner, it goes way too long and the Irishman is a willing runner.  Carsley looks up and lobs a ball to wards the back post, Dunne and Hart are ball watching as Lescott adds to his excellent tally for the season with a neatly finished looping header back over Hart and into the far corner.  Sloppy defending seals the game. 

 

GOAL SCORER AND GOAL PROVIDER CELEBRATE THE FORMER WOLVES DEFENDER'S EIGHGTH OF THE SEASON!

Eriksson removes Hamman; well played by Cahill; and opts for the more fluid attacking verve of the Brazilian, Elano.  Moyes keeps his side the same, just asks them to sit a little and take the pace out of the game. 

 

Ball's challenge prevents Cahill from giving Everton and early 0-3 lead after good work with Yakubu off a throw in. 

City mount some pressure but continue to be easy to defend, they lack width, Elano and Petrov aren't delivering good balls into the area, Benjani is barely a threat and the substitutions don't really change much.  It's only in the final ten minutes when City start to try playground football that Howard actually has some saves to make. 

Mexican Castillo gets onto a loose ball and fires through a crowd, Howard gets down well and Jagielka clears. 

Petrov fires one straight at Howard, meat and drink. 

A cross sees Howard punch the ball against Benjani, Jagielka clears the loose ball. 

Other than one Dunne chance; off a dodgy free kick decision that Petrov delivered well; City were pretty dire really. 

Everton continued to threaten and defend extremely well, Jagielka being outstanding alongside Yobo. 

Pienaar is replaced by Fernandes who is in turn replaced by JJohn son, perhaps worrying Moyes in terms of upcoming games with Carsley suspended after a fifth Yellow. 

JJohn son and the Yak had half chances but Everton's best second half chance fell to Carsley, the midfielder took advantage of Stiles' play on call and walloped the ball goalwards before City had even organized a wall, Hart was equal to the shot and parried it over. 

Petrov's petulance lands him in hot water at the end of the match, an odd whistle from Stiles; although play still goes on; see Yakubu run away from the Bulgarian who aims a kick at the Nigerian.  Nothing is given for that one.  Almost at the end of the game Petrov looses out to Osman and tries to play some footsie with the back of Osman's calf. Stiles thinks, "EH! I CAN GET IN THE HEADLINES TOMORROW LETS GIVE HIM A STRAIGHT RED!" and dishes out an automatic three match ban.  Even I thought it a bit harsh and I support Everton. 

PETROV TAKES AN EARLY BATH! 

Everton outplayed and out thought City in every department tonight.  Bloody brilliant performance from a team full of beans ('swagger' as Tim Sherwood describes it).  Threatening goals all game and solid at the back, it could have been three or four nil instead of just two nil.  Many this season have talked about how the team is pretty 'workmanlike' without Arteta.  No Arteta tonight and hardly workmanlike!

 

Beating Manchester United was a bit flukey and it showed.  City tried exactly the same stuff that didn't work at Goodison and got beat.  Substitutions didn't work and moving from a 4 5 1 through to something resembling a 1 1 8 in the final minutes they still barely troubled the visitors.  Pretty poor in all areas of the pitch.  What can be done to stop this malaise at home?

 

Stiles, headline grabbing arse!  He can play a good advantage sometimes!  How can the man who has given more penalties than any other Premier League referee not point to the spot at least once tonight?  Burley slaughtered him and I pretty much agree with most of what the Scot said.  Still at the end of the day even cra ppy refereeing couldn't deny a thoroughly enjoyable win. 

 

Everton:-

Howard

Hibbert

Yobo

Jagielka

Lescott

Osman

Carsley

Neville

Cahill

Pienaar (Fernandes 55, John son 66)

Yakubu

 

Bookings:-

Carsley

 

Goals:-

Yakubu 29

Lescott 37

 

 

Manchester City:-

Hart

Onuoha

Richards

Dunne

Ball

Vassel (Castillo 74)

Ireland (Caicedo 67)

Hamman (Elano 46)

Petrov

Benjani

 

Bookings:-

Petrov (R )

 

Goals:-

 

Attendance:-

41728

 

Referee:-

Rob Stiles

 

 

Images courtesy of Evertonfc.com