Everton didn’t manage to get back to winning ways on Saturday as Norwich City came from one behind to steal a late victory.
David Moyes threw Coleman back into the line up after only returning to training last week and Steven Naismith came in to make up the rest of the right hand side. Anichebe was the man to make way and he didn’t even make the squad due to an injury picked up in the draw with Oldham meaning Nikica Jelavic kept his place. As for Norwich, Becchio lined up alongside Grant Holt, Hoolahan was shifted to the left and the rest of the Norwich first teamers were in their usual places.
Naismith returned to the Everton side.
The opening twenty minutes showed bright spells for both teams as both were looking for the opening goal. The game was sloppy though, with usual composed figures such as Baines, Pienaar, Osman and Gibson giving the ball away regularly. As the game grew on Everton did also and began to dominate the Norwich side. A few long range efforts followed but there were no clear cut chances until Jelavic had the ball taken off his feet by Norwich goalkeeper Mark Bunn. The next clear cut chance was not long after but this time proved more effective for the Blues. The link up play of Pienaar and Baines finally came off after 40 minutes of failure, with Baines delivering a delightful cross towards Leon Osman, unmarked, to nod into the back of the Norwich City net. With the tails of the Everton side fully raised, more chances followed with Pienaar driving low and wide, Fellaini heading onto the top of the net and Gibson poking one just over. The half time whistle was blown and Everton headed to the dressing room in good spirits.
Leon Osman celebrates putting Everton into a 1-0 lead.
The second period of play began and nothing changed until the early reaction of Canaries manger Chris Hughton to bring on Kei Kamara for the totally ineffective Lucciano Becchio. This meant that Norwich went more direct, launching balls up to both substitute Kamara and number 9 Holt. Just like the Oldham game the week before, the Toffee men dropped deeper and deeper as the game grew towards the late stages.
Everton have only managed to keep 5 clean sheets all season and nails were begun to be bitten by the Everton faithful. The nails must have shortly been spat back out as for the second week running the Blues were made to pay from a corner. Robert Snodgrass produced a mean delivery, Fellaini lost Kamara who powered a header home for his first goal in the yellow and green jersey.
Kamara rises high to equalise for the Canaries.
This time it was the tails of the Norwich side that were up, with more and more balls coming into the box that were being scrambled away by the Everton defence. The game went into injury time, 93 minutes were on the clock but the very last Norwich attack broke Everton hearts as they stole the win with the last kick of the game. Norwich right back Russell Martin crossed it towards the back post, where he found Sebastien Bassong heading it down, just as he did in the reverse fixture, but this time it didn’t burst the net but found captain Grant Holt to poke it in from 3 yards. As the big centre forward wheeled away, Everton were again left ruing not getting further ahead or being able to keep the ball in the final 10 minutes of a game.
Grant Holt peels away to celebrate a last gasp winner.
The Blues have surely lost sight of the Champions League dream and will even find it difficult to break into Europe, but with two home games against Oldham on Tuesday and Wigan in two weeks to get back to Wembley in the FA Cup, the season could still be revived.
The Everton Forum’s Man of the Match: Seamus Coleman – After returning from a month out, he was a real livewire who was the only constant in putting the Norwich defence under pressure. He was also solid in defence.