Everton left it late to secure their first home win
of the season after it appeared they would again finish
disappointed having dominated throughout.
David Moyes' side laboured in front of goal, as they
have done so far season, but managed to eke out victory
without a recognised front-line striker.
Three goals in their previous three matches had pointed
to a familiar problem for the Toffees.
And on a day when one centre-forward they let go in
the summer was the match-winner a few miles up the road
in Lancashire, and the one genuine striker they have
left departed Goodison Park in a huff before kick-off
it seemed they might pay for their lack of bite up front.
Ayegbeni Yakubu, deemed surplus to requirements by
Moyes in the summer and allowed to leave for little
over £1million, scored twice for Blackburn on
his debut against Arsenal.
Louis Saha, he of the perennial injury problems, was
left out of the squad again and reacted by venting his
frustration on Twitter.
With Tim Cahill now reclassified as a striker by Moyes,
who has few other options at the moment, it highlighted
how short the resources are.
But the Scot's sides are nothing if determined and
after defender Phil Jagielka had equalised Franco di
Santo's opener with only the third goal of his four-year
Everton career, youngster Apostolos Vellios headed in
with six minutes to go before Royston Drenthe poked
home deep in injury time.
It made the absence of Saha, who has played just 41
minutes in two substitute appearances this season, immaterial
- although Moyes may have something to say about his
pre-match comments.
"I am not good enough. Absolutely destroyed,''
tweeted the Frenchman, who is understood to have left
Goodison Park soon after discovering he was not in the
squad.
"It's coz I'm confident in my ability that I'm
gutted.''
Everton had dominated from the off but after Seamus
Coleman's stooping header was turned around the post
by Ali Al Habsi.
Di Santo's lack of vision squandered Wigan's chance
to take an early lead.
Marouane Fellaini's stumble on the halfway line gave
the Argentinian a free run at Jagielka but with the
unmarked Victor Moses in acres of space to his right
the striker blazed a hopelessly optimistic 30-yard shot
well wide.
It was a rare chance in a half which the hosts dominated
with Tim Cahill being crowded out by Gary Caldwell after
Leon Osman's neat reverse pass had sent Leighton Baines
racing into the area.
Caldwell was the busiest centre-half as he also kept
out Fellaini's close-range effort as Coleman began to
enjoy some freedom on the right.
But Moses posed even more of a threat and looked destined
to score when he nipped in front of Sylvain Distin only
for Tony Hibbert to slide in and knock the ball behind
in the 31st minute.
Moyes will have been furious with the way Di Santo
was allowed to collect Ben Watson's near-post corner,
casually wander back towards the flag before turning
inside Osman and firing in a shot which deflected off
Hibbert and past Tim Howard for his third goal of the
season.
Having previously struggled for goals the Argentinian
has now scored more this season than in his previous
three-and-a-half years in England.
However, the lead lasted just 97 seconds as Osman's
inswinging corner was met by a powerful Cahill header
which crashed against the crossbar, rebounding to Jagielka
four yards out who nodded home.
Baines, with a free-kick, and Cahill, with a header,
both went close as Everton finished the half strongly.
Everton continued to pressure without threatening after
the break.
Their lack of a predatory instinct up front was highlighted
in the 76th minute when Osman rolled an inviting cross
into the six-yard area only to look up and see none
of his team-mates had made a run to connect.
Drenthe and fellow loan signing Denis Stracqualursi,
making his debut, came on as substitutes and without
very little input the game swung in Everton's favour.
When Hibbert whipped over a cross from the right the
19-year-old Vellios rose highest to head into the far
corner of the net.
Even then Everton could not relax with Wigan substitute
Dave Jones hitting the crossbar from long range.
However, when Drenthe raced through to poke past Al
Habsi in the eighth minute of injury time the fans were
finally able to celebrate three points at home for the
first time since May.
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