NOT for the first time in recent years, Everton found staring at the face of adversity to their liking last night.
Domestic matters may continue to perplex this season but European competition is proving far more accommodating for David Moyes’s side.
While the Goodison outfit had been rightly criticised for their alarmingly powder-puff capitulation against Fulham at the weekend, here they were vibrant and purposeful to ensure their Europa League group campaign opened with comfortable victory against AEK Athens.
The Greeks went the same way as Sigma Olomouc had in the qualifying round, ruthlessly overpowered and dispatched with the minimum of fuss even before Everton’s job was made easier by the 55th-minute dismissal of Carlos Araujo.
It was Moyes’s 11th win in Europe since arriving at Goodison, equalling the club record held by Harry Catterick.
Indeed, the only negative came with the injury-time red-card for Louis Saha, dismissed for raising a retaliatory arm after taking a kick from AEK’s Juanfran that was missed by the referee and his four assistants.
UEFA have opted to use the competition to trial the use of two extra officials behind each goal to adjudicate on whether the ball has crossed the goal-line or any penalty box incidents.
Moyes had warned the experiment could cause confusion over what would be permitted in the hustle and bustle of a packed area.
But, if anything, Everton benefited from the new rule, capitalising on hesitancy in the visiting defence by scoring twice from corners during the opening quarter.
Centre-back pairing Joseph Yobo and Sylvain Distin were the unlikely marksmen, but both were upstaged by Steven Pienaar’s brilliant 25-yard strike for the third before Jo completed the rout late on.
Shifted to a right midfield slot with new £9million signing Diniyar Bilyaletdinov handed a first start on the opposite flank, Pienaar was Everton’s creative fulcrum throughout the decisive first half.
With Phil Neville joining Mikel Arteta on the sidelines for the foreseeable future, Pienaar is certain to assume extra responsibility as the most senior, experienced member of Moyes’s midfield.
The South African has not shirked from any of the challenges posed during his time at Goodison, and his response last night, like that of the team as a whole, will have encouraged Moyes.
For his part, Bilyaletdinov demonstrated the set-piece prowess for which he is renowned by delivering left-footed corners from which Yobo and Distin wrested the early initiative.
The Russian also claimed an assist for Pienaar’s goal and those exploits earned him a standing ovation on his substitution after suffering a groin strain, although it may take a little longer for those same fans to pen a suitable chant for one of the Premier League’s biggest names.
With group favourites Benfica beating BATE Borisov in last night’s other game, a positive result in Belarus in a fortnight would put Everton in a strong position to progress to the knockout stages.
Everton were busy before the game, signing Lucas Neill for the rest of the season and sanctioning the loan move of James Vaughan, who will stay at Coca-Cola Championship side Derby County until January.
