It's not like I wanted to be here. Damn.
The Blues played their best game of the season, but sadly, it wasn't enough to avert another heartbreaking home defeat.
The Blues dominated the whole 93 minutes. The lads had a header cleared off the line, Brad Friedel made some superlative saves, including that save of the season when he somehow diverted Fellaini's point blank header onto the bar. It was all Everton as we threw everything at Villa and if we had any luck the game would have been put out of reach before half time.
Villa, on the other hand, scored from the three real chances they had. Everton played some sublime football, but were punished for three rare lapses. Sidwell was allowed plenty of space to fire a screamer from outside the box before the first minute has passed. Young scored after he latched on to a horrible back pass from Jags. The third was the worst. One of our players lost his eyes on the ball in midfield, Villa broke forward and Young bamboozled our defence to fire pass Howard. To concede like this in the final minute of extra time, and thirty seconds after we pulled ourselves level was unbearable. To play so well and lose in such circumstances: truly gut wrenching.
In short, all three goals could have been prevented. Only Lescott was anywhere near Sidwell when he scored Villa's first. Jags had to play that terrible ball back to his keeper because he could not find a teammate in midfield to pass it to. Again, the third came through the middle. Villa pried us open down the centre with as much ease as a knife through butter.
The lack of communication between Howard and his defenders contributed to the defensive errors. However, the main finger has to be pointed to a questionable team selection. We had five midfielders: Cahill, Fellaini, Peanuts, Arteta and Osman, and they are all attack-minded players. The defence was on their own, and with Lescott foraying forward you could sense that Everton was always susceptible to the quick counter. Castillo could have provided his back line much needed protection but as usual, he didn't get a look-in.
Lescott scored two fantastic goals for us but Fellaini was our best player last night. He won everything in the air, was a menace to the Villa defence and his commitment could not be faulted. He has received a lot of undeserved flak since his arrival from Standard Liege and he proved his idiotic detractors wrong in the best manner possible. His performance highlighted how much better Everton can play if they keep the ball on the ground. As the late Brian Clough once famously said, 'If God had intended for us to play football in the clouds he wouldn't have put grass on the ground.' Indeed, why play like Vinnie Jones' Wimbledon when we got good ball players like Arteta, Fellaini and Peanuts?
We are up against the nouveau riche of Manchester in our next game. It's an away so we should be able to get the three points. If we play against them like we did against Villa, Robinho and his pretenders haven't a prayer and I hope Moyes will be positive again. We must win at Manchester because we got Chelski at home after that. A side that has won away eleven times straight is not to be underestimated.
Nothing for the time being, save to mourn.
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