Anichebe scores in the 10th minute after some messy Newcastle defending.
Newcastle's Scott Parker and Everton's Andy van der Meyde battle it out.
Everton celebrate.
(pictures courtesy of http://www.premierleague.com)
A well deserved 3-nil win over Newcastle in the last match of 2006 is just the way to get over the disappointment of the goalless draw against Middlesborough on Boxing Day. Even though the Toffees played well against Boro they were unable to turn their dominance of territory and possession into goals and had to settle for a point.
No such misfortune this time. A scrappy 10th min goal from Nigerian Victor Anichebe was only the beginning. Anichebe then added another one to his tally in the 58th min. Andy Johnson glanced a header his way and after striking the cross-bar, Anichebe pounched on the rebound to make no mistake before Phil Neville put the outcome beyond doubt with his 61st min goal. Of course Everton got a little help from the Magpies when Obafemi Martins scooped his penalty effort way over the bar in the 42th min. =D
But the most satisfying goal in this match for me is definitely Phil Neville's goal in the 61st minute. Maybe it wasn't the prettiest of goals as the captain mis-hit the ball but it still made it into the back of the net to send the home fans wild with happiness. Neville's return from suspension is certainly one of the biggest reasons why Everton was on fire today. So I was happy that Neville finally gets one. I think this is his first goal for Everton too.
Once again they didn't show this match on cable and I had to be contented with replays of the goals. Not that I was complaining since, they replayed the goals several times and I cheered each and every single time. =)
I ended up watching the not very inspired Liverpool 1-nil victory over Tottenham Hotspurs and have just finished watching Arsenal's 1-nil lost to Sheffield United. Granted that Arsenal was without several key players but still that was a terrible performance them and it proves once again that Arsenal can be just so horribly inconsistent when they play. When they play well, they are really fantastic to watch but very often they play terribly as well and today was just one of those days.
Anyway, I'm a die-hard Everton fan and I'm happy that the club's moved up to seventh place on the table. Maybe we'll be able to book a spot in Europe after all. =D
And on the plus side, Man U won their match against Reading by 3-2 and Chelsea draw again against Fulham 2-2. =D
Oh and congratulations Steven Gerrad on being awarded an MBE.
cheers
Ugh. Didn't expect you to write about -- and thus remind me of -- Arsenal's majorly disappointing loss to Sheffield United. I know we have a lot of players injured, etc. But, still!!! ;(
ReplyDeleteHi YTSL, hahaha... didn't mean to remind you of that terrible performance. But I must say, I was quite disappointed with them too. Although that wasn't the full first team, it was still a far superior squad to Sheffield United. =(
ReplyDeleteAnyway, let me wish you a Happy New Year and best wishes for the year 2007. And may Arsenal win some silverware this year. =)
I often worry that this latest Arsenal team is in danger of becoming the kind of team that Spurs is usually thought of as being -- i.e., footballing cavaliers with style but little substance. At the same time, I do take into consideration that they are a very young team, especially with the likes of Gallas and Henry, never mind Hleb, Lauren, etc. out injured.
ReplyDeleteSo remain hopeful that it will be better in, say, 2007 than 2006. And yeah, some silverware would be nice as early as this year! :)