Arteta leads Everton to seventh heaven

(match report written for Everton vs Sunderland, 25 Nov 2007)

Sunderland manager Roy Keane had spoken in the pre match build-up that Everton, with it’s policy of allowing the manager time to build a squad and bring through young players, were a model of what he wanted to achieve in the North East.
On Saturday’s display his side may be a million miles away from the breathtaking attacking football that graced Goodison Park, but for Moyes, his five year plan is beginning to bear fruit.
This was perhaps Moyes best performance since he took over the job in 2002, and there is now an undoubted attacking prowess to complement the already steady defensive play that have become a hallmark of his sides.
Now seven games unbeaten in all competitions, Everton look full of confidence and appear to have goalscorers in every area of the pitch.
Three midfielders were amongst the goals but it was the virtuoso attacking performance from Mikel Arteta that caught the eye.
Arteta, who did not score but came close on several occasions, was at the centre of everything that Everton did and each flick, stepover and finely measured pass was met by wild acclaim from the crowd.
The Spaniard moved this week to deny reports of him signing for Athletico Madrid in the January transfer window and while that is encouraging news for Evertonians, it’s still obvious that without him, they would be a shadow of the team they are threatening to become.

The Nigerian striker Yakubu has endured a rocky start to his career at Everton but he has now found his goalscoring touch with five in the Premiership for his new club.
Many baulked at the fee paid out for the player when he arrived from Middlesborough but his prolific nature in front of goal is now beginning to show.
He got the first of the afternoon on 12 minutes when his shot took a deflection off Danny Higginbotham into the roof of the net.
Five minutes later and it was two when Arteta flicked a ball in from the edge of the box for Phil Neville who teed it for Tim Cahill. Cahill, holding off two defenders, duly poked it into the bottom corner past Craig Gordon.
Cahill’s return to the side after a metatarsal injury has seen the Australian midfielder score six goals in six starts.
His constant threat in the penalty area has seen him being used as a second striker and with his constant harrying and an eye for a goal, it is a tactic that is paying out for Everton.
Another recent star has been the on-loan winger Steven Pienaar.
His vision put in Nuno Valente on 43 minutes, who then played it back in for the charging South African and without a second thought blasted it into the top corner.
Some of Everton’s goals on Saturday were gifted by the generous Sunderland defence (the hapless Paul McShane was in a particularly philanthropic mood) but this was attacking football at it’s very best.
Despite the exploits of their defence, Sunderland were beginning to grow in confidence in attack with striker Kenwyne Jones making life difficult for the Everton back four but it was Dwight Yorke, playing in midfield, who gave the Black Cats a foothold in the game on the stroke of half-time.
The former Manchester United striker couldn’t miss from 12 yards after Tim Howard parried after saving two Sunderland attempts.

Tim Cahill increased the Everton lead on the hour when he controlled a Joseph Yobo pass, took it past the defender and slotted it into the bottom corner.
Cue the patented corner flag boxing celebration and much kissing of the badge.
Yakubu doubled his tally to make it 5-1 ten minutes later when Arteta got away from his marker from a corner to play a ball into the six yard box where the £11m striker was waiting to finish.
Sunderland fans could only look on in horror as Tim Cahill and Yakubu, both with two goals to their name, were swapped for another fearsome double act in Victor Anichebe and the returning Andy Johnson and it didn’t take long for either to make their mark.
Johnson, in his first appearance after undergoing ankle surgery, scored with what was probably his first touch as he deftly took down a Neville long ball and dinked it over the onrushing Gordon with ten minutes left.
With the Goodison crowd baying for more after Anichebe was denied a penalty, the impetus fell to the excellent Leon Osman to cap the goalscoring off and finally give the overworked scoreboard updater a well deserved tea break.
Osman, who is about to sign a new contract, received the ball just inside the Sunderland area and raced on, jinking past two defenders before slotting it into the bottom right corner of the goal.
Moyes, who joked pre-match that he was ‘focused on coaching and managing his team’ in a jibe at rival Rafa Benitez, described the performance as the team’s best since he became manager.
“Some of our football was fantastic and our passing and movement was just outstanding,” he said. “It is how I have been hoping to get an Everton team playing and I hope we see Everton playing that was more often – hopefully it’s the first of many. Some of our football was fantastic and our passing and movement was just outstanding.”