It is often thought in fixtures like these, where victory is commonplace and defeat is disaster, that a Premier League manager can never really win.
Try telling that to David Moyes after his side's show of courage and character saw them overcome an early deficit to canter into the third round of the Carling Cup like the thoroughbreds touted for the top this time last year.
Resisting what could have been the second instalment in an onslaught of the yips, Everton dusted themselves down to cooly dispatch Sheffield United in a 3-1 home victory thanks to goals from Anichebe and Arteta, and an own-goal from Cresswell.
After seeing their Championship counterparts of last year, QPR, come away from Goodison with three points at the weekend, the Blades could have been forgiven for thinking that this was the perfect time to meet their hosts.And, after just under half an hour, they would have believed it true.
Former United favourite Phil Jagielka was given a rousing reception by the travelling fans before kick off, it didn't take long before he handed the same crowd further cause for commotion. Caught under the simplest of forward punts from the United back line, his poor contact on the header allowed Stehpen Quinn to run free down the left before firing in an excellent low cross to Richard Cresswell who applied a sliding finish at the dumbstruck Gwladys Street End.
That sucker punch had a distinctly familiar feel to it for those of the 17,173 crowd who had seen the Blues’ QPR demise four days earlier. And if United had shown any of the resolve their former gaffer’s side had on the same pitch last weekend, it could have been the Groundhog Day all Evertonians feared.
Happily for the reduced home support inside Goodison however, it took Jack Rodwell just three minutes to extinguish any chance of a repeat viewing.
Collecting a deflected Leighton Baines freekick wide on the left hand side, the leggy youngster played a one-two with Arteta before stroding into the box and unleashing a dangerous shot across the face Steve Simonsen’s crowded goal. That rebounded off the legs of Cresswell and into the net, cancelling out his earlier effort.
With the immediate response came a conviction in Everton’s play which the Goodison faithful were yet to witness this year and their new found purpose led to a flurry of three goals inside 11 minutes.
Leon Osman led the charge in the Blues very next attack picking the ball up deep and running the length of the Sheffield United half, holding off two challenges with the type of strength which belies his size. He laid a smartly timed ball off to Ross Barkley who had made up ground down the right hand side, despite having a sight on goal himself the 17-year-old showed the maturity to pick out the arriving Anichebe who slammed home a convincing finish from 10 yards.
If the League One side had thought their chance of a scalp lost once the home side led, they knew it when Mikel Arteta doubled the lead on 42 minutes. He collected a loose ball after another ambitious Barkley run was ended with a solid tackle by Jean-Francois and stroked home a classy right footed effort low to Simonsen’s, putting even the most pessimistic of Everton fans at ease, and sending the home in at half time with a comfortable lead.
David Moyes used a comfortable second half to sound out some of the players he declared half-fit at the weekend with a view to fielding a stronger side away at Blackburn on Saturday.
Mikel Arteta and Marouane Fellaini both came through their second half unscathed with, as is far too often the case, suspension looking the most dangerous outcome for the Belgian. He dived late into a ugly tackle which could well have seen him dismissed, luckily referee Nigel Miller took a lenient view of the lunge.
After trying week for Everton fans they, least of all, will not have minded seeing this game wind down to its conclusion. And though this victory is no amends for their Premier League opener they may have felt more heartened had Leon Osman’s rasping effort from range flew inside the right hand post it rattled, and, had Victor Anichebe finished off the one on one opportunity he engineered for himself thanks to some persistent forward play.
David Moyes said his side showed good character in not letting the first goal knock their game after last week’s loss.
He said: “We played well tonight, we hadn’t deserved to go a goal down but we made a mistake and, a bit like Saturday, we got punished for it. But today there was a response and we looked more dangerous, certainly more than we had on Saturday.
“There were quite a few young boys out there tonight and sometimes you forget that, you look at Jack and Ross and Felli and think well that’s quite a young midfield. So it’s good victory.
“When the first goal went in I thought ‘here we go’, because that’s just where we are at the moment but we showed great resilience and the players didn’t let it get to them and I think getting the goal quite early after that made a difference, we didn’t have to dwell on it for too long.”
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Everton (4-5-1): Mucha, Hibbert, Baines, Jagielka, Heitinga, Rodwell (Saha 65), Arteta, Osman (Neville 76), Barkely (Baxter 78), Fellaini, Anichebe
Subs: Howard, Saha, Distin, Neville, Vellios, Baxter, Wallace
Sheffield United(4-5-1): Simonsen, Lowton, Jean-Francois, Doyle, Flynn, Williamson, Collins, Cresswell, Harriot (McAllister 74), Maguire, Quinn
Subs: Long, Medez-Laing, Bogdanovic, Slew, McAllister, Porter, Tonne
Goals: Cresswell 28, Cresswell (og) 31, Anichebe 37, Arteta 42
Att: 17,173
Ref: N Miller
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BY Aaron SHARP @ Goodison Park
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