Match report: Jelavic at the double as Blues beat Blackburn
27 Jul 2013 16:03
Jelavic fires two second-half goals to help Martinez's men to another pre-season victory
Nikica Jelavic scored twice as Everton's pre-season preparations continued with a 3-1 win at Blackburn Rovers.
Jelavic emerged as a half-time substitute, and quickly added a brace to Kevin Mirallas' deflected first-half strike, to give Roberto Martinez's men their second successive win of pre-season.
Leighton Baines, nursing a minor hip injury, missed out, but £6.5m striker Arouna Kone made his first outing since his move from Wigan Athletic, playing the first 45 minutes.
It was Championship side Rovers who had the first chance of the afternoon, new signing Chris Taylor sending a free header inches wide from Josh King's right-wing corner on six minutes.
Moments later Ross Barkley, one of a number of young hopefuls looking to impress Roberto Martinez this season, drew a sharp save from Jake Kean with a low 20-yard strike.
Barkley was enjoying his afternoon in an advanced support role, and it was another break from the teenager which brought the game's opening goal on 25 minutes.
Collecting Steven Pienaar's pass on the edge of the Blackburn box, Barkley turned Matt Kilgallon inside out but saw his effort cleared from the line by Grant Hanley. The ball, though, broke to Mirallas 18 yards out, and his left-foot strike clipped the recovering Hanley, wrong-footing Kean.
Mirallas saw a 20-yard free kick pushed round the post by Keen soon after, before Hanley again denied Barkley.
Blackburn, by contrast, were offering little by way of an attacking threat. A hooked effort from Jason Lowe that sailed over the bar, was the best they could muster.
Kone, who worked hard in a lone role up front, dragged an effort off target from the edge of the box as the half drew to a close, and then crashed a strike against the crossbar after latching on to Marouane Fellaini's header.
Martinez made seven changes at half time, introducing the likes of Leon Osman, Seamus Coleman and Jelavic, as well as new goalkeeper Joel Robles.
Jelavic's Goodison future has been in doubt recently, with reports suggesting the Croatian is being targeted by German side Hamburg.
But the striker notched his first goal of pre-season within nine minutes of his arrival, timing his run perfectly to meet Pienaar's corner from the right with a firm header at the near post.
Jelavic should have added to his tally six minutes later after being played in by Osman, but clipped his effort over the bar with the outside of his right foot. He then saw his header from Coleman's clever cross well handled by Kean.
Rovers sub Mauro Formica had the home side's best chance of the second period, but failed to make a telling connection with Josh Morris' low cross from the left. Jason Lowe also sent a hopeful long-range effort over the bar.
Jelavic was looking sharper than he has for some time, and grabbed his second of the afternoon 13 minutes from time, finishing at the second attempt after Osman and Coleman had cut Blackburn to shreds with two passes.
Blackburn, whose league campaign begins in a week's time, pulled a goal back four minutes from time as Scott Dann headed home, after Robles was caught under a Morten Gamst Pedersen corner.
BLACKBURN ROVERS (4-4-1-1): Kean, Kane, Dann, Hanley (Pedersen 80), Kilgallon (Morris 46), Taylor (Formica 64), Lowe, Marrow (O'Sullivan 80), King (Rochina 64), Judge (Rosado 72), Rhodes (Best 72)
Substitutes: Eastwood, Fabio Nunes
Goals: Dann (86)
EVERTON (4-2-3-1): Howard (Joel 46), Hibbert (Coleman 46), Jagielka (Stones 46), Distin, Oviedo (Garbutt 88), Gibson, Fellaini (Heitinga 46), Barkley, (Naismith 46), Mirallas (Osman 46), Pienaar, Kone (Jelavic 46)
Substitutes: Anichebe, Vellios
Goals: Mirallas (25), Jelavic (54, 77)
Referee: Graham Salisbury
Attendance: 9,142
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