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Post by Avinalaff on Mar 30, 2013 21:07:47 GMT
 He may be public enemy No 1, but the plaudits have to lie with Callum McManaman. His goal, 31 minutes into an FA Cup quarter-final on this ground three weeks ago, sank Everton to depths they hadn't imagined possible.
Out of the FA Cup and adrift of Europe, some fans were even questioning the management of David Moyes. McManaman and Wigan ended up inadvertently galvanising this club.
Football's a bit fickle – not in the stands but results – and two clean sheets and comfortable wins later, Everton go into the final weeks of the season harbouring real ambitions of toppling Arsenal or Chelsea and finishing in the coveted Champions League places. If they continue in this vein, they could surpass both.
Beating teams like Stoke should be second nature to this side and doing just enough to take the points is all that is necessary now. Stoke did have fleeting chances but their midfield stubbornness renders taking hold of a game virtually impossible.
Fresh from his two goals for Ireland on Tuesday, Jonathan Walters did have the game's first chance though, reacting to Tim Howard's poor parry of Robert Huth's glancing header. But Walters' touch could only find the bar from close range.
It stemmed from one of the visitors' quintessential long throws, hurled by Ryan Shotton, as they sought to hem Everton in areas they'd rather not be. One wonders whether a prerequisite for Rory Delap's fall from favour and subsequent loan move to Barnsley was that Shotton put in the hard yards to master the art.
At one point, the midfielder wanted to take a quick throw but was ordered by Tony Pulis – arms out in front of him – not to do so. It's a percentages game after all.
Somewhat surprising, given the noise coming from the Potteries earlier in the season had been that they wanted to forgo the physical onslaught that had served them so well in the past in a bid to appease supporters with a brand of football befitting a club aspiring to break into the Premier League's top 10.
As it stands, they still have that chance to once again finish higher than before. Credit to them for that alone, but the frustration festering among supporters is that Pulis has wasted millions on attacking players – a staggering spend of £80m in the last five years – without evolving their style. So when they won a free-kick in the home final third, the rigidity of Pulis' set-up should have equipped them to pick up a second ball and continue aerially probing.
The worrying soft centre that has suddenly surfaced, however, allowed Everton to break. Kevin Mirallas picked up possession before halfway and slalomed his way beyond five defenders at a fast pace, dumping Marc Wilson on his backside, before sliding past Asmir Begovic.
A thing of beauty that would never be displayed by a player in red and white.
Exasperation was then etched on the face of Pulis when Walters saw a wonderful bending effort well saved. Who knows whether that was a reaction to the quality of the stop or Walters having the audacity to shoot from distance.
Despite being only two points behind Fulham in the top half of the table, Stoke have won only once in 2013. It is admirable that they could still improve on the previous season with seven games left, but the congestion beneath in a desperate scramble for safety threatens to engulf them.
With four games to play against sides scrapping for their lives to come this month, April will provide answers on the sort of credentials that Stoke possess.
Huth went close again from a Glenn Whelan set-piece and they really should have equalised soon after. Wilson's whipped cross found Shotton all alone at the back post but he fluffed his lines, heading over the bar from inside the six-yard box. It would have been Stoke's 12th goal from open play this season.
There was Michael Owen sat on the bench, pondering how it came to pass that this was the 250th club game he has missed since joining Newcastle United in 2005.
It is not beyond the realms of possibility that his career may end with relegation.
Source: Independant |
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Post by Avinalaff on Mar 30, 2013 21:12:15 GMT
Everton 1 Stoke 0: Mesmerising Mirallas moves Moyes' men closer to top four
Kevin Mirallas' incredible 70-yard run and finish was enough for Everton to edge past Stoke at Goodison Park and move closer to Champions League qualification.
The Belgian scored a brilliant winner in the first half on Merseyside as David Moyes' side closed the gap to fourth-placed Chelsea, who were beaten 2-1 by Southampton, to just four points.
Their quest to play among Europe's elite for only the second time remains a possibility and the first half of next month is crucial to their hopes as they face Spurs and, more importantly, Arsenal - the team who stand between them and the top four.
 Stunning: Kevin Mirallas ran 70 yards before slotting the ball past Asmir Begovic to give Everton the lead
MATCH FACTS
Everton: Howard, Jagielka, Heitinga, Distin, Baines, Coleman, Gibson, Osman, Mirallas (Barkley 80), Jelavic, Anichebe.
Subs not used: Mucha, Oviedo, Naismith, Hitzlsperger, Stones, Duffy. Goals: Mirallas 28. Booked: Barkley.
Stoke: Begovic, Cameron (Adam 79), Shawcross, Huth, Wilson, Shotton, Whelan, Nzonzi, Walters, Crouch (Jones 79), Jerome.
Subs not used: Sorensen, Owen, Whitehead, Kightly, Wilkinson. Booked: Shawcross, Whelan, Shotton.
Att: 33,977.
Referee: Mike Jones (Cheshire) Latest Premier League results, fixtures and table Stoke, however, are looking over their shoulders with increasing anxiety as one win in 12 league matches has brought the bottom of the table into closer focus than manager Tony Pulis would have expected after finishing 2012 unbeaten in 10 games.
Goals, or a lack of them, are the Potters boss's concern with just six in 11 league games, which has contributed to a Premier League worst tally of 14 matches this season without scoring.
With Phil Jagielka returning from a three-match absence with an ankle injury to captain the side Moyes, without the suspended key duo of Marouane Fellaini and Steven Pienaar, unusually opted for a back three.
It took a while for the side to settle in this new and unfamiliar formation and as a result Stoke should have gone ahead within three minutes.
Ryan Shotton's long throw picked out Robert Huth, whose header was well saved by Tim Howard - but Jon Walters crashed the follow-up against the crossbar from close range.  Congratulations: Mirallas celebrates his wonder goal with team-mate Victor Anichebe
Aside from two Nikica Jelavic headers, one straight at Asmir Begovic and the other deflected wide by Robert Huth, Everton produced little in the opening 25 minutes.
Goalkeeper Howard was returning to the starting line-up after recovering from two broken bones in his back but no-one expected him to provide the assist for the opening goal in the 28th minute.
Marc Wilson's cross from a short free-kick was punched clear by the American and landed at the feet of Mirallas, the Everton player highest up the pitch.
 Closing in: Everton finished the day four points behind fourth-placed Chelsea
Although the Belgium international gave Steven Nzonzi a chance to nick the ball in the centre-circle the midfielder could not accept the invitation, got in a tangle and his opponent raced clear.
There are few who can match Mirallas in full flow and although Stoke scrambled to get back the £6million summer signing could not be caught, clipping a shot which Begovic got a hand to but could not stop.
With his confidence boosted the former Olympiacos forward then thrashed a shot across Begovic's goal and wide of the far post from the right corner of the penalty area.
 Threat: Everton striker Anichebe unleashes a shot at goal
 Form: David Moyes' side recorded their third straight league win on Saturday
 Shouting instructions: Stoke manager Tony Pulis The best Stoke could muster in response was Walters' curling shot which was palmed away acrobatically but theatrically by Howard.
In the second half Huth planted a header wide from Whelan's free-kick when he should have hit the target - and therein lies Stoke's problem.
When their considerable strengths, the physicality which grinds teams down and the aerial ability which often causes opponents so many problems, fail them there is nothing else in reserve.
Shotton also squandered a more difficult effort, Wilson's inswinging cross deflecting off Sylvain Distin's back, from a similar position.
Ryan Shawcross' rugby tackle on Jelavic to prevent the Croatian running clean through on to Leon Osman's pass earned the Stoke captain a booking and Everton a free-kick on the edge of the area but Leighton Baines blasted into the wall.
Fortunately for the hosts this was not a day when they needed the cushion of the extra goal as Stoke surprisingly hardly tested Howard and his recently-repaired broken back.
 Tussle: Stoke's Ryan Shawcross engages in a physical battle with Anichebe
 Quiet word: Shawcross and Ryan Shotton talk to referee Mike Jones Source: Daily Mail |
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Post by Avinalaff on Mar 30, 2013 21:17:40 GMT
Kevin Mirallas' stunning solo goal illuminated an often drab and uninspiring 1-0 victory for Everton over Stoke at Goodison Park. David Moyes' men remain in contention for a top-four Premier League finish and are now just four points adrift of Chelsea in the battle for UEFA Champions League football next season. Stoke, meanwhile, have now lost eight times in their last 11 Premier League outings and have slipped to 13th in the table, only four points above the increasingly congested battle against the drop. Best of the match- Man of the match: Kevin Mirallas. His stunning solo goal was the difference between the two teams and the one moment of quality in the contest.
- Save of the match: Asmir Begovic got a slight finger-tip to a Nikica Jelavic free-kick in the second half. So faint, in fact, that the officials missed it.
- Miss of the match: Ryan Shotton headed over when unmarked at the far post with the goal at his mercy, although he had little time to react as the ball flicked off Sylvain Distin.
- Shout of the match: The crowd were unusually quiet at Goodison Park with Stoke boss Tony Pulis often heard bellowing instructions to his players.
- Talking points: Can Everton secure Champions League football next season? Are Stoke in danger of being sucked into the relegation battle?
Everton welcomed goalkeeper Tim Howard and Phil Jagielka back into their starting line-up and they were joined in the team by Nikica Jelavic as Moyes made three changes and opted for a 3-5-2 formation with Marouane Fellaini and Steven Pienaar suspended. Stoke selected centre-back Robert Huth after his three-game ban as he replaced the injured Matt Etherington, with the German helping the Potters go close to opening the scoring with just three minutes gone. Ryan Shotton's long throw into the box was met by Huth's head with Howard palming it away as he threw himself to his left, with Jon Walters, who lined up in midfield in Tony Pulis' 4-4-2 formation, scrambling his follow-up effort against the underside of the bar. Leighton Baines had come close to providing Jelavic with the ammunition to test Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic on more than one occasion before Everton took the lead courtesy of a majestic solo effort from Mirallas. The Belgian collected possession deep inside his own half as Howard fisted away a Stoke free-kick, wriggling away from the attentions of Steven N'Zonzi before switching on the after-burners and embarrassing Geoff Cameron as he turned the last defender inside and out before slotting under Begovic. Howard had to be alert again as the interval approached, plunging away to his left to push away a stinging effort from Walters from outside the box with Stoke remaining a threat to Everton's back three. Stoke continued to create decent openings after the interval with Huth's downward header from Whelan's free-kick in the 57th minute whistling the wrong side of Howard's upright, while Shotton could not control his chance at the far post soon after as Marc Wilson's cross flicked off Distin. Everton could have extended their lead in the 63rd minute when Jelavic's far post header from Darron Gibson's cross went straight at Begovic, before the Croatia striker brought a finger-tip save out of the Potters keeper with a free-kick from the edge of the box. Cameron Jerome flashed over the bar after Shotton's back-heel before deep into added time substitute Charlie Adam stung Howard's palms at the near post after a free-kick had incorrectly been awarded following Leon Osman's challenge on the former Liverpool player.
Source: Sky |
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