Metalist Kharkiv 2 Everton 3 - post match analysis

Oct 5 2007

EVERTON won’t be concerned that they found little time for sight-seeing during their stay in Ukraine because they didn’t need to visit Kharkiv’s colossal Freedom Square to see a big empty space opening out in front of them.

This very prospect faced them last night when they twice went behind both on the night and on aggregate in the second leg of their UEFA Cup first round tie with Metalist Kharkiv – a whole winter with nothing more exotic to look forward than Luton Town in the Carling Cup and the same old Premier League routine.

But then the men who have re-invented themselves with remarkable starts to this season totally changed the face of Everton’s – Joleon Lescott with the first equaliser early in the second half, James McFadden with the second crucial away goal 17 minutes from time.

The despair of earlier strikes by Edmar and Hicham Mahdoufi that put the energetic Ukrainians in the ascendency was then firmly consigned to the history books when Victor Anichebe steadied himself to clinch a stirring 4-3 aggregate win in the last minute.

It climaxed a night of almost unbearable tension that was perfectly in keeping with the agony Everton have suffered on their way to the ecstasy of making the group stages they so embarrassingly missed out on two years ago.

Their failure to close out the tie in the first leg at Goodison seemed catastrophic – even more so when they made such a wretched start to their attempts to make amends last night. And although this never looked like being a Dinamo Bucharest-style thrashing, an exit would have been no less disappointing given the optimism that coursed through Goodison when these sides were paired together a month ago.

On paper, it seemed well- placed. Ukraine has produced some decent footballers – even Andriy Shevchenko was one once – but most play abroad and Metalist failed to contribute any players to their country’s 2006 World Cup squad.

They had played in Europe once before after winning their domestic cup in 1988 but this is their first campaign on the back of league position, following an unprecedented third-place finish in last year’s league.

Such pedigree means that, while there are never easy games in knockout football, Everton would have missed a glorious chance – the type that should be taken when fifth in the Premier League meets fourth in the Ukrainian equivalent. That they made hard work of it matters not this morning because the fact is, they now have four guaranteed group games – effectively a cup run in itself.

And whoever is grouped with Everton in the draw for the group stage, it’s certainly going to produce the most games David Moyes has played in one cup competition since he took over the Goodison reins almost six seasons ago.

Plenty to look forward to then – but reflecting on the events of last night isn’t quite so appetising. Even before kick-off Everton’s night didn’t get off to the best of starts when, after a late bid to recover fitness following his groin strain, Andrew Johnson failed to get the all-clear and couldn’t even make the bench.

Leon Osman did get over a similar injury, however, to take his place in a midfield that was designed to give Everton the creative edge they needed to claw back an away goal.

This meant Phil Neville moving to right-back while Joseph Yobo’s return saw Joloen Lescott move across to replace Leighton Baines on the left of a back four that was shaken up a bit – but not half as much as it was when Metalist got to work on them.

The warning signs flashed up with barely a minute gone when a timely Alan Stubbs tackle denied Lacha Jaocbiya a clear run on goal – but just moments the striker did get away only to blaze high and wide.

All of which signalled a nervy start by Everton, who badly needed a spell of possession to help them regain some composure in the super- charged atmosphere the sold- out Metalist Stadium generated despite being one-quarter building site while Euro 2012- dictated improvements are in progress. But spurred on by the crowd, Metalist continued to dictate the play, moving the ball through midfield towards the lively forward players with far too much ease and speed for David Moyes’s liking. One of their early neat interchanges almost brought the opener for Edmar on the 16th minute but his attempts to place the ball in the corner were thwarted by Tim Howard’s outstretched left hand. A fine save and by no means the only time he touched the ball in that unsettling opening period.

In fact, it came as little surprise when he was picking it out of his net after 21 minutes, the American being left hopelessly exposed once again by team-mates who hadn’t heeded the warning of Edmar’s first foray beyond them.

This time the Brazilian was played through the middle by Valentyn Sliusar and had enough time to pick his spot and slide the opening goal past Howard into the corner.

The size of Everton’s task wasn’t much altered by Edmar’s goal – they still had to score as they always had to – but there was little evidence on the pitch that it was likely to happen and certainly nothing to suggest they wouldn’t concede more.

Attacking-wise, James McFadden, clearly fed up with being asked to tame aimless long balls, dropped deep to try to create some mayhem himself and one surge resulted in Everton’s first attempt at goal in the 28th minute.

As for strike partner Yakubu, he hadn’t had a kick up to this point and when he did get near the ball he was completely crowded out by defenders who stood as sturdy as the town’s statue of Lenin statue and every bit as dominant.

Everton managed to settle down somewhat towards the end of the first half and Osman should have nodded Pienaar’s cross into the net rather than into Goriainov’s hands. McFadden then did well to create some space for another shot but it sailed over.

But overall, the game a pattern that simply killed any slim chance Moyes’s men had of sustaining some kind of attacking rhythm and one that they had to change drastically to ensure the following 45 minutes wouldn’t be his side’s last of their European campaign.

And this is where – as he has on an oddly high a number of occasions this season – Lescott came in.

Everton came out for the second half showing far more urgency in the first two minutes than they had in the previous 45, and proved that under a bit of pressure Metalist could melt.

The home side made a hash of trying to clear a free-kick and after Arteta teed up Pienaar, his shot was turned in virtually on the line by Lescott for his second of the tie and, remarkably, his fifth in all competitions this campaign.

For Metalist, however, this was merely an inconvenient diversion on their maiden voyage in the UEFA Cup and the dangerous Devic immediately set about steering them back on course.

He prodded narrowly wide almost immediately after Lescott scored but It took the Kharkiv side just four minutes to go back in front when Devic again took advantage of not being closed down to strike the base of the post. With Howard flustered, he could only then stand and watch Mahdoufi steal in to slot the rebound past him.

Although their defending was pretty much a lost cause, the tie still wasn’t given that at 1-1 Everton would still have preferred an extra away goal to avoid extra-time and – given what happened a Goodison – the dreaded prospect of penalties.

The difference now, however, was that they needed that second goal to avoid another painful early exit and Moyes recognised the fact by bringing on Victor Anichebe for Phil Jagielka, thus ditching any defensive thinking from his midfield. And it was McFadden who produced the moment the travelling Scousers craved with his third in three games, turning in Anichebe’s ball from the right to put Everton in pole position in the tie for the first time since the first leg so cruelly turned against them.

Devic and Edmar missed further chances to give Metalist the lead again but their desperation to remain in Europe left them prone to a counter-attack, which Anichebe ruthlessly took advantage of when he chased a long ball and rounded Goriainov.

The 19-year-old almost seemed to be showboating as he prolonged his finish – but when you’re finally getting to prolong an Everton stay in Europe, who cares?

MATCH STATS:

METALIST GOALS: Edmar 21, 52

EVERTON GOALS: Lescott 48, McFadden 73, Anichebe 89

METALIST: Gorainov; Obradovic, Gueye, Mahdoufi; Rykun, Sliusar, Edmar (Zeze 90), Bordian (Nwhoa 84), Devic, Jacobiya (Danilau 73). Subs: Tlumak, Davydov, Svitlichnyi, Kostyuk.

EVERTON: Howard; Neville, Yobo, Stubbs, Lescott; Arteta, Osman, Jagielka (Anichebe 63), Pienaar; McFadden (Hibbert 89) , Yakubu (Baines 78). Subs: Wessels, Carsley, Valente, Jutkiewicz.

REFEREE: John Hyytia (Finland)

ATT: 27,500

NEXT GAME: Newcastle United v Everton, Barclays Premier League, Sunday 3pm.