EARLIER this season, who would have envisioned Everton kicking themselves for only taking one point from The Emirates?

Not only that, but who foresaw David Moyes’s team coping almost effortlessly without their Nigerian contingent?

Hardly anyone has menioned the loss of Joseph Yobo and Ayegbeni Yakubu to the African Cup of Nations – although it doesn’t actually look like it’s going to last too much longer judging by their performance against Egypt at Tuesday teatime.

Neither player covered himself in glory over in Angola, unlike their club comrades who, to a man, played magnificently against Arsenal.

Even Arsene Wenger conceded that his side were lucky to escape with a point, although you do start to wonder when exactly we will actually go the whole hog and win away at the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester United.

We certainly couldn’t have gone any closer than we did on Saturday.

Steven Pienaar’s brilliant goal obviously caught the eye, but we almost take the little South African’s brilliance for granted now.

Landon Donovan, on the other hand, went into the match as an almost unknown quantity. Outstanding in the less-than-stellar MLS, but with a couple of unsuccessful stints in Europe already blotting his CV, many people in football seem curious as to whether he has what it takes to cut it in the unforgiving environment of the Premier League.