Although his weekend brace took Cahill's seasonal tally to seven - only one of which came before the now watershed 1-0 victory at Sunderland on New Year's Eve - the midfielder acknowledged that the Blues' recent successes have been down to a solid team effort.

He said: "I am happy with the goals but it is all made by the lads, all made together."

Cahill also believes his Goodison team-mate James Beattie should be included in England's World Cup squad.

He said: "We are really trying to push for Beats to get on this plane and he has played a massive part in this success.

"There is so much we are working on at the training ground but the biggest thing is Beats.

"You can see him coming on strong and there is so much more from him, so he is starting to show a bit of attitude and a bit of arrogance and that is what we need from him."

With other fringe strikers like Jermain Defoe and Darren Bent expected to be given opportunities ahead of the finals, Cahill believes Everton's record £6m signing should be given a fair crack of the whip.

He said: "There are so many lads getting a chance so why not Beats?

"He has shown his worth and his record speaks for itself. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to work that out."

Meanwhile, former Liverpool keeper Sander Westerveld has ended his 28-day emergency loan at Everton and returned to Portsmouth.

The Blues now have Richard Wright, Iain Turner and John Ruddy fit and clear of suspension.