Source: Daily_Mail
Everton 1 Norwich 1: Leon Osman on target to rescue a point for Toffees
When Leon Osman stretched out an instinctive right boot and levelled this intriguing game 10 minutes from time, Paul Lambert was not even in the Norwich dugout. 'I missed the goal, I don't want to say where I was, you don't need to ask me,' said the visiting manager. [LNB]Not that the stubborn Scotsman could have done much from the touchline to prevent the beautiful, sweeping move which extracted Everton from a sticky situation. [LNB]The classy combination began on the left with Louis Saha, passed through the purposeful feet of Osman, Denis Stracqualursi and Phil Neville, then reached its dramatic conclusion when Royston Drenthe's strike allowed Osman his moment of opportunism. [LNB] My Blue heaven: Leon Osman and Everton celebrate[LNB][LNB] [LNB]MATCH FACTS Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Heitinga, Jagielka, Baines, Gueye (Drenthe 71), Neville, Fellaini, Osman, Cahill (Stracqualursi 61), Saha (McAleny 88). Subs not used: Mucha, Bilyaletdinov, Distin, Rodwell.[LNB]Booked: Neville. [LNB]Scorer: Osman 81.[LNB]Norwich: Ruddy, Naughton, Martin, Whitbread, Tierney, Crofts, Fox, Hoolahan (Johnson 74), Surman, Morison (Wilbraham 79), Holt. Subs not used: Rudd, Jackson, Pilkington, Bennett, Barnett.[LNB]Booked: Naughton. [LNB]Scorer: Holt 28.[LNB]Attendance: 31,004. [LNB]Referee: Lee Probert.[LNB]'We deserved the goal and Leon Osman was our best player all day,' said Everton manager David Moyes, who was unable to shed any light on Lambert's whereabouts when the equaliser came. [LNB]Better decision-making while still ahead might have relieved the pressure on Norwich, who began to display a strange aversion to the simple, low pass inside while advancing. [LNB]'They're trying to make decisions and it's easy to stand where I stand,' said Lambert. 'Rarely do Everton lose here and if we had known before the match we would come away with a point, we would have been happy with that.'[LNB] You could see his point, though it is a general rule in life that simplicity works best when the pressure is on. [LNB]A logical pass from Steve Morison had set up Grant Holt for his sixth goal in eight games during a determined first-half display from the visitors. Somehow Phil Jagielka allowed Morison to feed his fellow striker in the 28th minute, and John Heitinga felt unable to prevent Holt's skilful turn and clinical execution for an exquisite opener. [LNB] Up and running: Everton's rearguard is breached as Grant Holt fires Norwich ahead[LNB] 'It was a brilliant finish,' said Lambert, who definitely saw that one. [LNB]But if you were a central defender playing at home it was a horrible goal. Jagielka and Heitinga played like uncertain strangers all afternoon, and, if Big Phil is England's best defensive hope for Euro 2012, we had better not bother leaving for Poland and the Ukraine. [LNB][LNB] [LNB] You put your right leg in: Norwich keeper John Ruddy dives at Marouane Fellaini's feet[LNB] [LNB] Falling down: Louis Saha and Russell Martin collide[LNB]In sharp contrast, Norwich duo Russell Martin and Zac Whitbread were terrific as they defied Everton until even they crumbled. [LNB] JohnRuddy, the goalkeeper who left Goodison 18 months ago after just one game in five years, returned to play a starring role for Norwich, denying Marouane Fellaini, Osman and Saha with important saves. [LNB]'He had nothing to prove to anyone,' said Lambert, a sentiment echoed by Moyes, who said Ruddy had been 'great'. So it would have been cruel had one Everton substitute, Stracqualursi, set up a dream goal on his home debut for another, Conor McAleny, as nearly happened.[LNB] 'It was a last throw of the dice and I hoped Conor might have nicked us something at the end,' said Moyes. [LNB] [LNB] Aerial battle: Marc Tierney and Leon Osman go head-to-head[LNB]McAleny, 19, lacked the composure in front of goal when it mattered, and the absence of a match-winner allowed Lambert's AWOL mystery to dominate one of the stranger post-match interrogations of a 2011. [LNB]As in the match, there was no decisive outcome but it seems a reasonable bet that Lambert will endeavour to remain at his post at all times in future.
