Premier League Match Report: Everton 1-1 vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers
Another disappointing result for manager David Moyes, as Everton failed to secure all three points against Mick McCarthy’s Wolverhampton Wanderers. Everton promised its fans and others so much in the pre-season, as it produced a string of good results, but just simply couldn’t live up to the promise.
For the first time in nearly two years, David Moyes didn’t have to worry about fitness concerns. The entire squad was fit and available for selection, but the team lacked one very special thing: luck. Many expected the Merseyside club to secure an easy win over the Wolves, owing to the sheer quality, depth and image of Everton. A team which finished 8th last season, just a few points behind archrivals Liverpool, Everton was expected to bounce back from their disappointing performance against Bolton Wanderers last weekend. Wolves, however, dominated most of the proceedings on the day, before a Tim Cahill goal just before the interval changed the entire outlook of the match. Many expected that the goal was an obvious signal of a comfortable victory for David Moyes, but that was not to be.
Everton looked impressive, feeding from the energy of the loyal supporters. With Mikel Arteta, Steven Pienaar and Tim Cahill interchanging positions almost at will, it looked like things were wrapped up for the men in blue. The visitors just couldn’t cope up with the sheer class of David Moyes’ eleven, who moved the ball almost at will. A traditional 4-4-2 was employed by Everton, which looked too much for the Wanderers to cope up with. With Fabio Capello sitting comfortably in the stands, a beautiful football spectacle was expected by the hosts.
Even though Everton maintained most of the possession, they struggled to create clear chances. This can be blamed to the employment of Jermaine Beckford up front, who was making his home debut and his first start for the club. The inexperienced lad only had 30 minutes play time in the Premier League, that too coming last week while playing against Blackburn. The player didn’t even feature in most of the games during his Championship games, with just one start to the youngster’s name.
The player, however, did fairly well in the opening exchanges, nudging a Mikel Arteta free kick towards Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, which was the best opportunity he got at that point. Cahill and Pienaar came close to scoring as well in the first half, while John Heitinga’s low drive created much trouble for the goalkeeper. However, the Wolves kept their calm and didn’t let Everton pass through. Controversy soon followed as a legitimate penalty appeal by Arteta was refused by referee Lee Mason. It was a straightforward one though, as a clumsy tackle by Stephan Ward made Arteta fall hard, well inside the penalty box.
However, a free kick was awarded to Arteta, right at the edge of the six yard box. Arteta tried lobbing the ball above the wall, but failed, only to land the ball perfectly in the feet of the advancing Cahill. A cool finish followed and the Australian put the hosts in the driving seat. The goal led to intense celebration from the fans. That goal should’ve given a much needed confidence boost to the men in blue, but they still struggled to break the strong Wolves' defence down.
Bilyaletdinov took an audacious shot from the edge of the six yard box and should have done better than putting the ball clear. Later, Beckford was denied by Ward in a good attempt at goal and former Manchester United striker Louis Saha’s header found nothing but the roof of the net. Everton just couldn’t manage to find the winning goal, but there was still a lot left in the Wolves' tank. In what was the Wolves' third attack, the visitors managed to pull one back. With Kevin Doyle pacing on the right wing, the midfielder passed the ball to Mathew Jarvis, who made fool of the Everton defence. Jarvis found Ebanks-Blake, whose calm finish earned Mick McCarthy a surprise one point.
For David Moyes, the frustration and disappointment mounts. Wolves manager on the other hand would be delighted by the team’s performance, as visiting Goodison Park has never yielded good results for his club. This gives Everton just a single point from a possible six, while Wolves have 4 now from their 2 Premier League matches so far.
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