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  • Cahill (51)
  • Date:2008-12-26
  • Kick-off:15:00
  • Venue:The Riverside Stadium
  • Attendance:30253
  • Referee:Riley, M

Live Commentary

90mins

Full Time: MIDDLESBROUGH 0-1 EVERTON. The home side improved after the break but Everton looked comfortable throughout and fully deserve to take home the three points.

90mins

Downing curls a dangerous free-kick to the far post and it bounces to Emnes at the far post but he gets a bit excited and ends up completely missing the ball.

90mins

There are going to be four minutes of added time.

88mins

Tony McMahon is booked for pulling back Pienaar.

88mins

Great chance! Mido flicks the ball on and Alves is in behind the Everton defence but he faills to keep his shot down when one-on-one with Howard.

87mins

Andrew Taylor is the latest Boro player to enter the notebook.

85mins

Marvin Emnes is coming on for yet another cameo role in place of the ineffective Gary O'Neil.

83mins

Half a chance for Mido as Arca drifts to the right hand side and bends the ball into the area but the Egyptian didn't expect Jagielka to miss it and the chance goes begging.

80mins

Turnbull is back up and about and he appears to be fine now after a bit of treatment but that stoppage could have taken the momentum out of the resurgent Boro side.

78mins

Play has been stopped for a few moments as Turnbull is down with blood coming from his head after an almighty collision with Gosling.

74mins

Johnson is involved in everything at the moment as he leaves Baines in his wake before cutting the ball across for Alves - but the striker takes too long over it and Jagielka boots it away.

73mins

He may have been guilty of diving but Adam Johnson has already managed to lift his team and the crowd with his clever, direct running.

71mins

Adam Johnson has been booked for diving by referee Riley as he throws himself to the floor at the end of a superb run.

69mins

Boro are making a change as Jeremie Aliadiere is replaced by Adam Johnson.

67mins

Boro have managed to steady the ship a little since falling behind but they are yet to really provide a consistent threat of their own.

65mins

Chris Riggott collects a yellow card for a foul on Fellaini.

64mins

Everton are still looking very dangerous on the left flank with Pienaar continuing to give McMahon a torrid afternoon and his cross is only just cut out before Cahill could tap home at the far post.

60mins

Could have been 1-1! Downing bends a delightful corner to the far post and McMahon arrives unmarked but he can't direct it goalwards on the stretch and Everton survive.

57mins

Chance for Everton to double the lead through Gosling on his debut but the youngster hooks his volley wide - a superb chance for the debutant.

55mins

The chorus of boos that met Tuncay's substitution was the loudest noise to be heard from the home crowd this afternoon.

53mins

Boro were readying Afonso Alves just before the corner from which Everton scored but he is finally going to come on now in place of Tuncay - the home fans aren't happy about Tuncay coming off.

51mins

MIDDLESBROUGH 0-1 EVERTON. Arteta's corner is met by CAHILL but Turnbull makes a save, only for the Australian to react fastest to bundle home the rebound and Everton have a deserved lead.

48mins

Frustration for Stewart Downing as he looks to round Hibbert but the Everton defender gets himself in the way and Downing has to pull him back.

46mins

Mike Riley gets the second period underway and hopefully there will be goals to warm things up a bit on a freezing North-East afternoon.

45mins

Half Time: MIDDLESBROUGH 0-0 EVERTON. Despite missing all their strikers Everton have dominated proceedings and look especially dangerous from set-pieces. Boro have been poor and their low level of confidence is showing.

44mins

Julio Arca collects a yellow card for a foul on Arteta.

43mins

Another set-piece. Another chance for Everton! Arteta's ball is flicked on by Jagielka and Lescott is unmarked but he somehow manages to miss when it seemed easier to score,

41mins

Referee Mike RIley is coming in for heavy criticism from both sets of players now as he continues to give more free-kicks for even the slightest contact - it seems a little like basketball at the moment.

38mins

David Moyes is berating the fourth official as his side are again penalised at a set-piece for an infringement - where nothing seemed to really happen.

35mins

The hosts are now enjoying a spell of pressure of their own as Mido now twists and turns in the box and Lescott does well to get himself in the way of the Egyptian's shot.

33mins

For the first time in about 20 minutes the Teessiders get themselves forward and Downing's cross is headed as far as Gary O'Neil who hits it first time and forces a wonder save from Howard.

31mins

Boro cannot get hold of the ball and keep it for any length of time and again Everton fly forward and it's Phil Neville who chances his arm from range and clips the top of the bar.

29mins

Marouane Fellaini receives yet another caution for some back-chat.

28mins

Everton have yet another chance, and yet again its from a set-piece! Arteta's free-kick is only half cleared by the Boro defence and it falls to Cahill who smashes against the upright.

24mins

The Toffees are dominating the possession and Pienaar is starting to see plenty of the ball on the left hand side - so far he has failed to deliver but sooner or later he will.

20mins

Still goalless at the Riverside as we pass the twenty minute mark and Ross Turnbull has been far the busier goalkeeper.

17mins

Boro look a bit flat today, perhaps a consequence of their poor recent form, and Everton are trying to capitalise. Arteta again ebnds a free-kick in and it is cleared off the line by RIggott, after Lescott's header beats Turnbull.

14mins

Everton are starting to cause a few problems for the Boro defence, despite their lack of a striker, but at set-pieces they look a real threat with Fellaini, Lescott and Cahill, amongst others, all dangerous in the air.

11mins

The visitors are moving themselves and the ball around really well and the full backs are bombing forward to attack in the wide areas.

9mins

Everton have the ball in the net! But it doesn't count as Ross Turnbull was impeded by Jagielka before the ball dropped for Steven Pienaar smashed home.

6mins

Dan Gosling is making his debut for the Toffees today on right side of the midfield - but we can expect him to cut in field onto his favoured left foot.

3mins

A pretty slow start here on Teeside with both sides struggling to keep the ball in midfield, although Mido has been using his strength to hold the ball up already.

1mins

Referee Mike Riley gets the game underway.

0mins

Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Jagielka, Lescott, Baines, Arteta, Neville, Fellaini, Pienaar, Gosling, Cahill

0mins

Middlesbrough: Turnbull, McMahon, Riggott, Pogatetz, Taylor, Aliadiere, O'Neil, Arca, Downing, Sanli, Mido

0mins

Everton have got endless problems in attack with their four strikers, Saha, Yakubu, Anichebe and Vaughan, all out injured so Tim Cahill continues as the Toffees makeshift striker.

0mins

Middlesbrough have really struggled lately to pick up a victory as they have started to slide down the table and a bad run over the festive period could drag them right into trouble.

0mins

Welcome to the Riverside Stadium where struggling Middlesbrough entertain in-form, but strikerless, Everton.

Match Preview

Middlesbrough will be keen to arrest their slide towards the drop-zone when they entertain away-day specialists Everton.

Gareth Southgate's side are in danger of being dragged into the relegation mire after the grim 3-0 defeat at Fulham extended their winless streak to six matches.

Injuries have not helped Southgate's cause but, even though at times this season they have produced some excellent displays, the feeling persists that they may not have enough quality to be starting a 12th successive Premier League season next August.

Didier Digard is a doubt after picking up a groin injury in the 1-1 draw with Arsenal earlier this month while Justin Hoyte definitely misses out after having a cartilage operation that is expected to keep him sidelined until mid-January.

Gary O'Neil's hamstring injury could force him to miss the game but Egypt international striker Mido could start after impressing when coming on as a substitute at Craven Cottage.

Everton remain in contention for a UEFA Cup place despite winning only one of their nine league games at Goodison Park so far this season.

By contrast, David Moyes' side have secured three-point hauls six times on their travels this term but a lack of strikers is threatening to drop them in to the mid-table morass.

In the 1-0 win at Manchester City earlier this month, Moyes was forced to start the game with no recognised forward, but they still managed to emerge victorious thanks to Tim Cahill's last-gasp winner at Eastlands.

The Australian midfielder also operated as a lone frontman during Monday's goalless draw with Chelsea at Goodison Park.

James Vaughan (knee), Louis Saha (hamstring), Lars Jacobsen (shoulder), Yakubu (Achilles) and Nuno Valente (knee) remain in the treatment room but Victor Anichebe could return from a back injury.


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Match Report

Tim Cahill grabbed another golden goal as Everton recorded their third consecutive 1-0 win away from home.

David Moyes' men were terrific value for the three points and could easily have won by a much bigger margin.

In the end they had to settle for one goal which came from a goalmouth scramble in the 51st minute.

Mikel Arteta floated over a corner from the left and Cahill connected with a strong close-range header which brought a brilliant save from Boro goalkeeper Ross Turnbull.

But Turnbull's parrying save dropped at the feet of Cahill who made no mistake at the second attempt.

Everton might have been ahead earlier because they created several half-chances from set-pieces in the first half as Boro's jittery defence was pulled to pieces.

They went very close in the 28th minute when Cahill laid the ball back for Steven Pienaar to send a rising volley against the outside of the left-hand post.

Joleon Lescott was then unable to control a knock-down from his defensive team-mate Phil Jagielka right in front of goal.

Boro had few chances throughout the game with their best one coming in the 33rd minute when Tim Howard made a brilliant save at the foot of the left-hand post to keep out a strong drive from Gary O'Neil.

It was still amazing that Everton were not in front at the interval though they quickly made amends at the start of the second half.

Seven minutes later Everton should have added to Cahill's goal when Dan Gosling missed an open goal following great work by Marouane Fellaini.

Afterwards Everton were happy to see out the final half-hour but they had little Boro pressure to deal with.

Boro brought on lively substitute Adam Johnson who made several strong runs without any end product.

Boro still had a chance to grab an unlikely point when another substitute, Afonso Alves, spurned a good opportunity two minutes from time.

But Everton thoroughly deserved their win and can look forward to the New Year with confidence while Boro - who have now failed to win in seven games - clearly face a bleak future.

Middlesbrough

Everton

Corners

58

Fouls

2814

Goal attempts

711

Shots off target

24

Offsides

27

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