Source: Liverpool_Echo
Everton 1 Birmingham City 2 - Full Time Match Report
Mikel Arteta[LNB]MIKEL ARTETA made his long-awaited Everton comeback at Goodison park this afternoon as a late substitute, but it was a solitary brightspot on a miserable day for the Blues.[LNB]Birmingham extended their unbeaten record to 15 games with a deserved fourth-round victory - first half goals from Christian Benitez and Barry Ferguson ending the FA Cup interest of last season's finalists.[LNB]Half-time substitute Leon Osman gave the home side hope with a precisely finished strike 10 minutes after the interval, but Birmingham's defending was resolute from that moment on.[LNB]Arteta, as revealed in Saturday's Echo, was named on the Blues' substitutes bench - his first senior appearance since tearing a cruciate knee ligament at Newcastle almost a year ago.[LNB]His name elicited a rousing cheer, but after that it was only groans of frustration which could be heard from the home crowd.[LNB]Birmingham reproduced the lung-burning workrate which had carried them to a 14-match unbeaten run prior to kick-off, and Everton didn't have the craft or spark to break them down.[LNB]And when the visitors claimed an early advantage it made the Blues' task doubly difficult.[LNB]The goal came from a poor free-kick driven directly into the Birmingham defensive wall from Leighton Baines, but the breakaway was both sharp and incisive.[LNB]Benitez started the counter, Fahey carried it on and when the Birmingham wide man clipped an inviting cross into the Blues penalty area Benitez had escaped all his markers to direct a firm header past Howard.[LNB]Everton, attacking the Gwladys Street End first as had been their custom in recent months, failed to trouble Joe Hart once.[LNB]The promising keeper watched a couple of long range shots fly by him, and plucked one cross from Donovan out of the air, but was otherwise untroubled.[LNB]The second Birmingham goal, five minutes before the interval, was superbly crafted and finished.[LNB]The problems began when skipper Barry Ferguson was allowed to carry the ball unchallenged from deep in his own half. He swept the ball out right to Larsson, his cross was stepped over by Ferguson, McFadden backheeled it into his skipper's path and he finished with a precise left-footed drive.
