Everton 2 West Brom 0: Cahill leads way as Moyes' men paper over cracks

28 February 2009 22:11
Amazingly, Everton [LNB]do not appear to need a proven goalscorer or midfield creator-in-chief, as long as they have Tim Cahill. [LNB]Manager David Moyes, already deprived of his top striker Yakubu for the season, was worried about life after Mikel Arteta, who ruptured knee ligaments at Newcastle last weekend. [LNB]He need not have stressed himself, as man-for-all seasons Cahill popped up with the vital breakthrough goal against West Brom[LNB]to set up a winning tonic ahead of next Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final against Middlesbrough. [LNB]Cahill has frequently played in attack rather than midfield since Yakubu was sidelined and now he will have to cover for Arteta's absence. No wonder the Aussie grinned after his eighth goal of the season and said: 'I'm a defending striking-attacking midfielder!' [LNB] King of the hill: Tim Cahill rises to head home Everton's opener[LNB] EVERTON NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB[LNB]Middlesbrough 2 Liverpool 0[LNB]Everton v West Brom: How the game unfolded[LNB]WEST BROM NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB[LNB]Arsenal 0 Fulham 0[LNB]Chelsea 2 Wigan 1[LNB][LNB]Five of Cahill's goals have come from headers and Moyes is grateful he is so versatile. 'We had to adapt when Yak was injured because we didn't have another goalscorer,' said Moyes. [LNB]'We haven't got a midfield artist like Arteta so it is a case of the other players compensating for that. 'This was our first game since Arteta got injured and I learned a few things from watching us. [LNB]Cahill is an excellent technician in the air. He has a fantastic leap.' While Moyes can look forward to a top-six finish this season and a possible FA Cup final, Albion manager Tony Mowbray is facing relegation after a run of one point out of a possible 15 - and Arsenal up next. [LNB]Frustratingly, Marc-Antoine Fortune was denied three times by Tim Howard in the first half and substitute Luke Moore could have scored a hat-trick after the interval. His header was coolly stopped on the line by Phil Jagielka's square pass to Howard and he later hit the crossbar with a 25-yard shot. [LNB] Knees-up: Leighton Baines (left) and Marouane Fellaini challenge West Brom's Gianni Zuiverloon for the ball [LNB]Albion have won many friends for their style of football and Mowbray is resisting the chance to try and win ugly. 'I am not going to put out a scrapping, spitting, fighting, muscular team,' he said. 'I will put out a team that pass and move. If we are relegated, we will take it on the chin and play the same way next year.' [LNB]Not that the Albion manager is giving up the ghost yet. 'We have had sequences of winning back-to-back games this season and we can do it again,' he said. 'We have games at home to Bolton and Stoke and they are the games to decide our future.'[LNB]Moyes left out Joleon Lescott so he did not collect a fifth booking and a ban for the Middlesbrough cup tie.  [LNB] Blues brothers: Everton goalkeeperTim Howard collides with team-mate Joseph Yobo as they attempt to clear an Albion attack[LNB]Everton did not need the defender. After Cahill had seen one goal disallowed he ghosted free to head home a Leighton Baines cross after 36 minutes. [LNB]Albion keeper Scott Carson and his defenders were too preoccupied with 6ft 4ins Marouane Fellaini to notice Cahill - and it cost them dear. Howard came out to dive at Fortune's feet after a clever through-ball by James Morrison and after Moore's bad luck in front of goal, Everton substitute Louis Saha sealed the points with a leftfoot finish from 20 yards. [LNB]Everton have now lost only once in 15 games and that was a narrow 1-0 defeat at Manchester United. It appears they can cope with injuries to any of their players - except Cahill.[LNB] Party time: Louis Saha celebrates with Joleon Lescott[LNB] EVERTON NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB[LNB]Middlesbrough 2 Liverpool 0[LNB]Everton v West Brom: How the game unfolded[LNB]WEST BROM NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB[LNB]Arsenal 0 Fulham 0[LNB]Chelsea 2 Wigan 1[LNB][LNB] [LNB]  

Source: Daily_Mail