Everton 2 Middlesbrough 0 - post match analysis

Oct 1 2007 Ian Doyle at Goodison Park

IT wasn’t the perfume of those celebrating Ladies Day that led David Moyes to detect a change in the air at Goodison.

The return of the talismanic Mikel Arteta was reason enough for the Everton manager’s confidence fortunes could be about to turn in his team’s favour as they enter a potentially season-defining week.

Arteta’s artistry, much missed during his fortnight on the sidelines with a foot injury, helped dispose of Middlesbrough yesterday to secure the Goodison side their first home victory since the opening-day triumph over Wigan Athletic.

But the shrill of the final whistle had barely dispersed when thoughts began to focus on the impending UEFA Cup clash with Metalist Kharkiv in Ukraine on Thursday night.

Everton have to at least score to secure progress to the group stages of the competition and avoid a third successive early European elimination in arguably their most important game since the journey to Villarreal two years ago.

Arteta scored that night, and the Spaniard remains by far the most creative influence among Moyes’s armoury, the man most capable of unlocking the most miserly of defences.

It was a point underlined twice yesterday, Arteta delivering the corner that led to Joleon Lescott’s seventh-minute opener and later rolling the perfect pass for Steven Pienaar to score his first goal for the club.

Small wonder the standing ovation the Spanish schemer received on his substitution during injury time; those supporters know a result on Thursday night may depend on one moment of magic from the mercurial midfielder.

Like Arteta’s return, this victory was timely for Everton, further building on the confidence taken from the midweek Carling Cup victory at Sheffield Wednesday. Having seen successive league defeats to Manchester United and Aston Villa check the momentum of the early weeks, they are now back up to fifth place.

Of course, Arteta alone can’t shoulder the creative burden. Moyes, therefore, will have been encouraged by Pienaar’s gradual integration, the South African capping his best display in a blue shirt by putting the finishing touch to an expertly-crafted move in the 58th minute.

Pleasing too was a first Premier League clean sheet of the season obtained by a defence aided by the reassuring presence of Alan Stubbs at its heart, the veteran making his first league start in more than a month.

Centre-back partner Lescott also continues to make waves further upfield. His goal was his fourth of the campaign – all from set-pieces – and curiously makes the 24-year-old Everton’s leading goalscorer.

That it was witnessed by the lowest Premier League attendance at Goodison under Moyes was down more to the fact only 350 Middlesbrough fans made the journey to Merseyside than any protest at Everton’s current form.

In truth, while an improvement – certainly in terms of chances created – on recent outings, Everton are still short of their early-season showings.

Phil Jagielka and Phil Neville doesn’t convince as a central midfield pairing – injuries admittedly largely forcing Moyes’s hand in that regard – while there’s plenty of room for improvement from Yakubu, the club record signing substituted midway through the second half against his former club.

Boro had been upset by what they perceived as a series of lacklustre, disinterested performances from the Nigerian during his final months on Teesside, Riverside chairman Steve Gibson in particular voicing his disapproval.

A subsequently irked Yakubu wasted a golden opportunity to ram the words back down Gibson’s throat on 19 minutes yesterday when, after clever play from Arteta played Leighton Baines into space, the Nigerian headed the resultant cross over when unmarked in front of goal.

It was that kind of afternoon for Yakubu, who had retained his place alongside James McFadden in attack with Andrew Johnson sidelined by a niggling groin problem. Both Arteta and Tim Howard returned to the starting line-up having recovered from their respective foot and finger injuries, with Moyes making four changes from the team that won at Hillsborough.

Arteta didn’t waste any time demonstrating his class as Everton went ahead in the seventh minute.

After Pienaar earned a corner on the left, the Spaniard swung a trademark set-piece delivery into the area and, although Jonathan Woodgate did well to head Yakubu’s effort off the line, the ball fell invitingly for an alert Lescott to nod home.

Middlesbrough may well have then folded. Instead, the visitors contributed to a surprisingly eventful first half and could consider themselves unfortunate not to go in level at the break.

Even before going behind, George Boateng’s heavy touch prevented him from lobbing a Dong-Gook Lee pass over Howard and into the net, the ball instead dropping the right side of the post from Everton’s point of view.

Another chance went begging soon after Lescott’s opener, Mido heading down inside the area for Gary O’Neil, who turned away from Alan Stubbs but shot weakly with Howard saving low to his right.

And Boro came even closer on 25 minutes when a Baines misjudgement allowed Luke Young to reach the byline and cross for Lee to thunder a header against the crossbar. Goodison sighed collectively in relief; it was a bad miss.

That narrow escape stirred Everton into finishing the half the stronger, Boro goalkeeper Schwarzer clutching two shots from Arteta and a McFadden header while Pienaar nodded Tony Hibbert’s cross over from a central position.

Boro continued to probe after the interval but Everton made the three points safe with a splendidly-worked goal on 58 minutes.

McFadden, enjoying his 50th Premier League start, showed good strength to fend off a challenge before finding Pienaar. The South African then flicked the ball with the outside of his foot wide to Arteta who, after briefly toying with the Middlesbrough defence, passed nonchalantly inside for the incoming Pienaar to roll the ball beyond Schwarzer from 10 yards.

Middlesbrough racked up four bookings – Fabio Rochemback cautioned presumably for being completely hopeless – but Everton’s second goal knocked any remaining fight out of the visitors.

It allowed Moyes’s side to ease off during the final quarter, reserving their energies for Thursday’s venture into the Ukrainian unknown. With Arteta back and flourishing, Everton can now smell victory.

MAN OF THE MATCH. Mikel Arteta. He’s the best little Spaniard that Everton supporters have ever known

EVERTON (4-4-2): Howard; Hibbert, Lescott, Stubbs, Baines; Arteta (Carsley 90), Neville, Jagielka, Pienaar; Yakubu (Anichebe 62), McFadden (Yobo 76). Subs: Wessels, van der Meyde.

MIDDLESBROUGH (4-4-2): Schwarzer; Young, Woodgate, Wheater, Taylor; O’Neil, Boateng, Rochemback, Downing; Lee (Riggott 72), Mido (Craddock 62). Subs: Jones, Cattermole, Hines. BOOKING: O’Neil and Lee (both fouls), Mido (persistent fouling) and Rochemback (dissent).

REFEREE: Mike Riley.

ATT: 31,885.

NEXT GAME: Metalist Kharkiv v Everton, UEFA Cup first round second leg, Thursday 7.45pm