10 man Everton win in Thriller
By Rhys Lewis
February 12 2006
Everton beat Blackburn 1-0 at Goodison Park and have now won 6 out of the last 7 games. However that does not nearly tell the tale of what was an absolutely sensational game.
February 12 2006
Everton beat Blackburn 1-0 at Goodison Park and have now won 6 out of the last 7 games. However that does not nearly tell the tale of what was an absolutely sensational game.
Normally a 1-0 victory at home to Blackburn would not be thought of as anything special but this was one of the best results in recent years and a game that will love long in the memory of every Evertonian. Iain Turner was sent off after 10 minutes and everyone will have felt a first league defeat in 2006 was on the cards. However the players refused to let that happen, the effort they put into the game was unbelievable and the performance was special. They believed they could win and they produced one of the displays of the season, which left Goodison rocking at the end.
Right from the off there was action, the first incident was a disallowed goal for Everton when Tim Cahill was given offside after he had slotted the ball past Brad Friedel. Just a minute later James McFadden hit the crossbar with an open net from 10 yards out. It left the home crowd stunned but not as stunned as they would be just moments later. A mix up in communication between Alan Stubbs and Iain Turner led to a back pass from Stubbs handled outside the area by Turner. It left the referee Walton little choice but to send the 22 year old Scot off on his Premiership debut for the blues. On came John Ruddy for his Premiership debut but luckily for the England under-19 keeper his afternoon was to be a much happier one than the one of Iain Turner.
Sinama-Pongolle nearly gave Blackburn the lead before Ruddy had hardly had a touch but his effort drifted past the post. Then there was more controversy, the officials had already angered the home crowd with several decisions and then Tim Cahill had another goal disallowed after a delightful free kick from Mikel Arteta. Cahill was given offside although it looked very tight. But the blues were not to be denied and after 33 minutes they got their reward. A clever free kick from Arteta once again saw Beattie lose his marker before powering a fantastic header into the top corner despite being at full stretch. Goodison erupted and you could feel the belief that the players could do it. Despite leading at half time, the sound of the whistle was greeted with huge jeers from the home crowd and also a livid David Moyes letting referee Walton know exactly what he thought of his performance.
In the second half Everton continued to attack and nearly doubled the lead through another Arteta free kick, which saw Leon Osman be prevented from tapping the ball into the net. Soon after Everton were denied from scoring for a third time in the match. A teasing cross from Valente found Alan Stubbs at the far post but the goal was denied leaving thousands of Evertonians mystified and angry.
From then on it was nerving wracking stuff but the excitement certainly didn’t end there. Stubbs cleared a looping header off the line from Michael Gray when Ruddy was beaten. Then John Ruddy showed why he is so highly rated by many at Everton when he produced a great save. Sergio Peter shot from the edge of the area, the shot took a deflection but Ruddy was quick to react and managed to tip the shot round the post when he was at full stretch. Blackburn piled on the pressure in the final few minutes, having several corners which saw Brad Friedel come up for them. That led to Tim Cahill nearly securing the points but his tired effort from the half way line drifted wide.
It did not matter though and Everton held out for a thoroughly deserved victory. Every player gave everything they had and the joy at the end was there for all to see. Not one player left the field in a hurry; they stayed and celebrated with the fans. It was a special match with a special atmosphere. It was the type of match that made you even prouder than normal to be an Evertonian.
Right from the off there was action, the first incident was a disallowed goal for Everton when Tim Cahill was given offside after he had slotted the ball past Brad Friedel. Just a minute later James McFadden hit the crossbar with an open net from 10 yards out. It left the home crowd stunned but not as stunned as they would be just moments later. A mix up in communication between Alan Stubbs and Iain Turner led to a back pass from Stubbs handled outside the area by Turner. It left the referee Walton little choice but to send the 22 year old Scot off on his Premiership debut for the blues. On came John Ruddy for his Premiership debut but luckily for the England under-19 keeper his afternoon was to be a much happier one than the one of Iain Turner.
Sinama-Pongolle nearly gave Blackburn the lead before Ruddy had hardly had a touch but his effort drifted past the post. Then there was more controversy, the officials had already angered the home crowd with several decisions and then Tim Cahill had another goal disallowed after a delightful free kick from Mikel Arteta. Cahill was given offside although it looked very tight. But the blues were not to be denied and after 33 minutes they got their reward. A clever free kick from Arteta once again saw Beattie lose his marker before powering a fantastic header into the top corner despite being at full stretch. Goodison erupted and you could feel the belief that the players could do it. Despite leading at half time, the sound of the whistle was greeted with huge jeers from the home crowd and also a livid David Moyes letting referee Walton know exactly what he thought of his performance.
In the second half Everton continued to attack and nearly doubled the lead through another Arteta free kick, which saw Leon Osman be prevented from tapping the ball into the net. Soon after Everton were denied from scoring for a third time in the match. A teasing cross from Valente found Alan Stubbs at the far post but the goal was denied leaving thousands of Evertonians mystified and angry.
From then on it was nerving wracking stuff but the excitement certainly didn’t end there. Stubbs cleared a looping header off the line from Michael Gray when Ruddy was beaten. Then John Ruddy showed why he is so highly rated by many at Everton when he produced a great save. Sergio Peter shot from the edge of the area, the shot took a deflection but Ruddy was quick to react and managed to tip the shot round the post when he was at full stretch. Blackburn piled on the pressure in the final few minutes, having several corners which saw Brad Friedel come up for them. That led to Tim Cahill nearly securing the points but his tired effort from the half way line drifted wide.
It did not matter though and Everton held out for a thoroughly deserved victory. Every player gave everything they had and the joy at the end was there for all to see. Not one player left the field in a hurry; they stayed and celebrated with the fans. It was a special match with a special atmosphere. It was the type of match that made you even prouder than normal to be an Evertonian.
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