EVERTON’S last European campaign ended amid controversy and a major conspiracy theory. But they will have only themselves to blame if another journey abroad falters at the first hurdle this season.
It’s difficult to reach any other conclusion after the Goodison outfit surrendered a lead and missed two penalties against a Metalist Kharkiv side that finished the game with nine men but somehow clutching a potentially decisive away goal.
Even allowing for Everton’s penchant of doing things the hard way, this was self-inflicted misery on a grand scale.
Fingers will instantly point at Andrew Johnson, the striker guilty of spurning both spot-kicks as his desperate time in front of goal struck a new low.
Yet the responsibility for this damaging 1-1 draw cannot fall on the shoulders of just one player, Everton’s now needing to at least to score in the return leg in Ukraine in a fortnight’s time to avoid an early UEFA Cup exit.
Matters had seemed far rosier when, on their 50th European appearance, the home side went ahead in the 24th-minute through Joleon Lescott’s third goal of the season.
Johnson thought he’d doubled the advantage and ended his six- month goal drought in the process when hammering home from the spot with 20 minutes remaining.
But after contentiously being ordered to re-take by Austrian referee Fritz Stuchlik, the Everton man’s second effort was saved by Metalist goalkeeper Oleksandr Goryainov.
If that wasn’t indicative of Johnson’s recent fortunes, further evidence came in the 89th minute when the striker blasted another penalty high into the Gwladys Street stand.
While Johnson should be commended for refusing to hide behind the first spot-kick miss, it’s now impossible to ignore the debilitating impact his barren spell – which stretches back to his late winner against Arsenal on March 18 – is having on his game.
Rather than the cagey feel of a typical European game, the evening was more like an FA Cup tie with both teams pouring forward.
It ultimately proved to be Everton’s undoing, their emphasis on attack leaving them open to a counter-attack that the visitors successfully executed in the 78th minute, Edmar’s well-taken strike meaning Metalist must now be regarded as favourites to progress to the group stages.
Having had two long years to mull over their dismal previous European adventure under Moyes, Everton were made to wait a little longer with crowd congestion pushing the kick-off back 25 minutes.
While less than 25,000 Chelsea fans could be bothered to turn up for Jose Mourinho’s last supper on Tuesday, Goodison Park was almost to capacity for the return of European football.
Johnson’s selection had been the subject of speculation in the build-up to the game. But while the striker kept his place, a foot injury meant Everton were without the talismanic Mikel Arteta, handing a second start of the season to James McFadden.
Lee Carsley replaced Phil Jagielka in the only other change from the team that lost to Manchester United at the weekend.
With Arteta joining Tim Cahill, Thomas Gravesen and Steven Pienaar in the treatment room, Moyes sought to spread the burden of creativity by operating a flexible formation, which switched from a 4-4-2 while defending to a fluid 4-3-3 when going forward.
It made for a surprisingly open first half in which, despite lively in attack, Everton at times lived dangerously at the back.
Leon Osman struck Phil Neville’s cross at Metalist goalkeeper Goryainov and Seweryn Gancarczyk produced a fine sliding challenge to deny McFadden after a lung-busting burst from full-back by Leighton Baines.
Metalist, often haphazard in defence, were far more convincing on the counter- attack and twice almost caught Everton napping.
Stefan Wessels, again deputising for the injured Tim Howard, was at full stretch to tip over a 25-yard thunderbolt by Sergiy Valyayev before Oleksandr Rykun volleyed wastefully off target from a good position after being found by Marco Devic.
However, the home side struck first in the 24th minute when they capitalised on Metalist’s vulnerability at the dead ball, Lescott reaching McFadden’s right-wing corner before a dozing Valentyn Sliusar to head home.
The Everton centre-back became the focal point of mild controversy at the other end moments later when Metalist made half-hearted claims for a penalty when Lescott tangled with striker Onyekachi Nwoha in the build-up to a move in which Rykun shot harmlessly wide.
The increasingly busy Wessels fielded efforts from Devic and Sliusar, but Lescott almost netted his second on the stroke of half-time when failing to divert in Osman’s wayward shot at the far post.
Osman himself replicated the miss shortly after the interval from a Baines left-wing delivery, but Metalist continued to cut through the Everton defence far too easily only to be let down by a chronic lack of composure when in sight of Wessels.
Everton, though, controversially failed to double their lead on 70 minutes. Lescott was manhandled by Oleksandr Babych while attempting to reach Neville’s free-kick, leaving referee Stuchlik no option but to point to the spot.
Gancarczyk’s objections were nevertheless so vociferous that the Metalist left-back talked himself into two yellow cards and a subsequent red.
Johnson gleefully rammed home from spot only for the referee to order a re-take for encroachment by substitute Victor Anichebe.
It was a harsh call, and it was almost inevitable when Metalist keeper Goryainov saved Johnson’s second spot-kick by diving to his left, despite replays suggesting a number of visiting players had encroached into the area.
Anichebe attempted to make amends with a turn and shot parried by Goryainov before Metalist took full advantage of their escape by equalising with 12 minutes remaining.
A lightning break ended with Hicham Mahdoufi, who only seconds earlier had emerged from the bench, playing in fellow sub Edmar to sidefoot beyond Wessels.
There were further shouts for another Everton penalty when a clearly unhappy Anichebe tangled with centre-back Papa Gueye, before Babych tugged down the striker inside the area in the 89th minute to become the second Metalist player dismissed.
However, Johnson sent the penalty painfully into the Gwaldys Street stand to cap a miserable evening.
EVERTON (4-3-3): Wessels; Hibbert, Lescott,Yobo, Baines; Neville, Carsley (Jagielka79), Osman; McFadden, Johnson, Yakubu (Anichebe 66). Subs: Ruddy, Stubbs, Valente,Vidarsson, Jutkiewicz. BOOKING: Anichebe (dissent).
METALIST KHARKIV (3-4-2-1): Goryainov; Obradovic, Gueye, Babych; Bordian, Valyayev, Sliusar, Gabcarczyk; Rykun (Edmar 67), Devic; Nwoha (Antonov 59 (Mahdoufi 77)). Subs: Tlumak, Davydov, Danilau, Zeze. BOOKINGS: Obradovic (foul), Bordian (unsporting behaviour), Babych (foul) and Gancarczyk (dissent). SENDINGS-OFF: Gancarczyk and Babych (both second bookable offences).
REFEREE: F Stuchlik.
ATT: 37,120.
NEXT GAME: Aston Villa v Everton, Barclays Premier League, Sunday 2pm
