Seemingly at the start of every Premier League season we’re told that this is the year that the Goodison outfit who ‘punch above their weight’ will be overhauled by big-spending wannabes Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa.
This year that’s finally likely to happen but even though these kind of sides have been able to invest more heavily than Moyes, his now fit-again troops are showing they’re still a match for most on their day.
Even if the final table shows ‘regression’ in 2010, the Scot now believes he has greater strength in depth in his squad than he’s ever possessed.
All six outfield substitutes on the bench against Bolton – Tony Hibbert, Joseph Yobo, Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, Louis Saha, Leon Osman, and Jack Rodwell – have previously been regulars in the starting line-up.
The most significant incident of note in a first half bereft of clear-cut chances was the loss through injury of Victor Anichebe – who had netted his first goal of the season at Birmingham a week earlier after a year on the sidelines – just 15 minutes in after the Nigerian was clattered from behind by Paul Robinson.
Home skipper Phil Neville claimed afterwards that his team-mates knew it would take a long time to break down their stubborn, hard-running opponents, but after carving Bolton up for 72 minutes without being able to play an accurate final ball, Everton got the break through a moment of Mikel Arteta magic.
Steinsson was completely undone by Steven Pienaar’s slide-rule pass to Yakubu and bundled the Nigerian down when through on goal.
It was an open and shut professional foul.
The resultant free-kick was dispatched with superb accuracy by the Spanish midfielder, who after previously struggling to find his range from dead-ball situations since his comeback from injury, expertly curled the ball over the Bolton wall and into Jussi Jaaskelainen’s net.
Bolton had always looked a threat on the break when the score was goalless but once the hosts had gone ahead, they were always likely to increase their lead and moments after Osman had rattled the crossbar racing in to meet the rebound from a John Heitinga shot, he helped fashion a second for Steven Pienaar on 89 minutes.
Fed by fellow substitute Bilyaletdinov, Osman dribbled his way to the by-line before cutting back to find the unmarked South African at the far post with his pass arriving at Pienaar’s feet via a clever dummy by another replacement, Saha.
Everton are still dependent on ‘snookers’ to get where they want in the league this term with two of their biggest disappointments of the new year coming in key cup ties against Birmingham City and Sporting.
However, if Moyes can keep the nucleus of his 21st century ‘School of Science’ together this summer then the holy grail of silverware should not be beyond their grasp in 2011.
