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  • Hulse (52)
  • Arteta (75 pen)
  • Date:2007-03-03
  • Kick-off:15:00
  • Venue:Bramall Lane
  • Attendance:32019
  • Referee:Riley, M

Live Commentary

90mins

FULL TIME: SHEFFIELD UNITED 1-1 EVERTON: The game ends as Riley recieves the boo's of the home crowd, but both sides will feel that they could have taken more away from this game than they did.

90mins

The game seems to be dying down as both teams may well be accepting the draw, but there's still time for soemthing to happen and change that.

90mins

Four minutes of stoppage time are to be played.

88mins

Fernandes has the chance to head in at the back post, but Kazim-Richards defends well and clears.

86mins

Hulse may well have been brought down in the box, and United fans and players alike reckon that it was a penalty

85mins

Nade has now been booked for dissent.

84mins

This game is going at an electric pace, and the match can still go either way.

83mins

Morgan is now replaces by Alan Quinn.

82mins

Chris Morgan has gone off the pitch to recieve treatment after recieving a bloody nose, and United are not sure if he can come back on.

78mins

Kenny saves from an Arteta free-kick that was always curling but the danger have been avoided by the Blades.

77mins

This game has exploded into action after the last few minutes of play, and the crowd have responded by finding their voices.

76mins

Davis is booked for unsporting behaviour.

76mins

Vaughan recieves a booking after a bad foul.

75mins

SHEFFIELD UNITED 1-1 EVERTON (ARTETA): Arteta's penalty rattles the crossbar and seems to bounce just over the line, and Everton have drawn this game level.

74mins

Kenny recieves a booking for bringing down Johnson, and Everton have won a penalty!

71mins

Nade is brought down in the box, and he is fuming that he hasn't been awarded a penalty, but the referee is insistant that it wasn't a foul.

70mins

Arteta is caught offside after the linesman waits for him to recieve the ball before he raises his flag,

68mins

Vaughan has a header on goal, but it goes over, the game is getting very anxious for both sets of teams now.

65mins

Paddy Kenny has yet to make a proper save in this game, and Everton will need that to change very quickly.

63mins

Everton need to look for other options to get this equaliser, but with Anichebe suspended, attacking players are limited.

61mins

Stead comes off as he is replaced by Nade

58mins

Cahill seems to slip, yet Mike Riley says that it is a foul, and Riley is not having one of his best games today.

56mins

The Blades are dominating this game now after that goal from Hulse, and surely United must continue to play the game in this high tempo fashion in order to take full advantage of the game.

54mins

Beattie comes off as youngster Vaughan replaces him.

53mins

Fathi has a great effort on goal but the ball goes just wide, and United are certainly on top at the moment

52mins

SHEFFIELD UNITED 1-0 EVERTON (HULSE): After good work from Kazim-Richards, Rob Hulse pokes the ball in with a deft touch at the near post, and what a crucial goal that is for the Blades

49mins

The second half has begun at a fast tempo, but like the first half, chances are few and far between.

46mins

Fernandes is very angry after a challenge from Jagielka, and a free-kick is given much to the disapointment of the Blades.

45mins

The second half kicks-off with the Blades looking to get more of a foothold in this game while Everton will be looking to make their pressure count.

45mins

HALF TIME: SHEFFIELD UNITED 0-0 EVERTON: The half-time whistle goes, and a game few on chances, but full on passion, goes into the break with both sides unable to score.

45mins

Two minutes of stoppage time remain as both sides look to keep this match all square by the break.

43mins

Osman comes on to replace Cahill, who seems to have injured his foot in a previous tackle.

41mins

Only a few more minutes until half-time, and both managers will be beginning to think of ways in which to change this game in the second half.

39mins

Stead drives the ball hard and low, but Howard clings to the ball, which was crucial for Everton as there were players waiting for the possible rebound.

37mins

Geary is down recieving treatment as this game is certainly showing the more physical element of the Premiership.

34mins

Naysmith defends well against Kazim-Richards as the Blades player would have been through on goal if the Everton man hadn't intercepted.

32mins

Davis clears the ball off the line from a Cahill header, and that was good awareness and defending from Davis there.

31mins

Cahill shoots well wide in a game that is lacking any real guilt edge chances.

30mins

There seems to be a slight lack of consistency in Mike Riley's decisions as he doesn't penalise some tackles that he has blown up for only minutes earlier, much to the annoyance of the Blades faithful.

27mins

Beattie commits a bad foul on Fathi, but having already been booked, Mike Riley decides that a free-kick is enough.

25mins

The game is getting quite physical, and Claude Davis keeps holding his knee, though it is not yet known how serious it is.

22mins

Quinn is down after a bad tackle from Cahill, but despite the protests of the home crowd the referee decideds that it is no foul.

20mins

Everton though are dominating the game as the Blades cannot sustain any constant pressure.

17mins

Armstrong makes a cruching tackle on Johnson, but luckily for United, the timing of it was brilliant and he escapes a foul.

15mins

The Blades are causing their own problems so far as they continue to give the ball away in dangerous areas.

12mins

That caution for Beattie does signify the way in which this game has started, a battling affair with all 50-50 challenges keenly contested.

10mins

After a bad foul on Davis, Beattie is the first player to go into the book.

8mins

Davis dangerously goes in for a tackle that is avoided by Johnson, and the referee had a quick work with Davis there.

5mins

Not many chances have been created so far this afternoon, but it doesn't help when referee Mike Riley keeps stopping play for every petty foul.

2mins

Kazim-Richards wastes a free-kick from a good position as he hits the ball into the base of the wall

0mins

Sheffield United haven't lost at home in the league since November whilst Everton haven't won at Bramall Lane for over 35 years as Mike Riley gets this game underway.

0mins

Anichebe is suspended while Stubbs returns to the bench as Everton begin with: Howard, Neville, Yobo, Lescott, Naysmith, Cahill, Carsley, Fernandes, Arteta, Johnson, Beattie

0mins

Morgan comes in for Lucketti while Tonge and Montgomery are suspended as the Blades kick-off with: Kenny, Geary, Morgan, Davis, Armstrong, Kazim-Richards, Fathi, Jagielka, Stephen Quinn, Stead, Hulse

Match Preview

Sheffield United welcome Everton to Bramall Lane knowing that their recent upturn in fortunes has left them odds-on to retain their Premiership status.

Despite last weekend's 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Liverpool, the Blades are now arguably just ten points adrift of confirming their top-flight status after securing two wins from their last four games.

That defeat at Anfield came hard on the heels of a 2-1 win over Tottenham in United's last home match and manager Neil Warnock will be hoping the side that took to the field at Bramall Lane on that day performs up to that particular high standard.

Nick Montgomery and Michael Tonge will miss the visit of the Toffees after picking up their fifth bookings of the season at Anfield, while Matthew Kilgallon and Mikele Leigertwood (both ankle) are facing a race to be fit.

Everton head to South Yorkshire with their hopes of securing European football for next season reinvigorated by last weekend's 3-0 romp at Watford.

The Toffees moved up to seventh in the table - just one point shy of sixth-placed Reading - and suddenly all the talk around Goodison Park is once again of UEFA Cup football.

After a patchy spell around the turn of the year, David Moyes' side have steadily climbed the table on the back of just one defeat in their last six league games.

The run has unsurprisingly coincided with the return from injury of key players Andrew Johnson, Mikel Arteta and Tim Cahill.

England striker Johnson was on the scoresheet against Watford for the second successive match, but it is the form of Arteta, who has bagged three goals from midfield in his last five matches, that has really captured the imagination of Toffees fans.

The Spaniard is proving to be one of the most prolific midfield goalscorers in the Premiership with seven strikes to his name this season leading to calls for a first international cap.

Meanwhile, on the injury front, Andy van der Meyde (groin), Nuno Valente (calf) and James McFadden (broken metatarsal) will miss out.


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Match Report

Andrew Johnson was at the centre of another penalty incident, but this time there were no complaints as Everton hit back to snatch a late equaliser at Sheffield United.

The Blades had snatched the lead in the 52nd minute before keeper Paddy Kenny blundered as Johnson fell over his sprawling arms to win a penalty, coolly tucked away by Mikel Arteta.

United, hoping to bounce back after last week-s 4-0 battering at Anfield, their heaviest defeat of the season, almost found a way through in a scrappy opening period. Stephen Quinn picked out Chris Armstrong who tried to find Jon Stead as Lee Carsley nipped in to clear.

Minutes later the lively Quinn squared the ball to Stead who skipped past a couple of challenges before drilling in a right-foot strike from 15 yards which was scooped up by Tim Howard.

Quinn, in space on the left flank, teased Phil Neville before pumping the ball across the face of the Everton goal with Stead and Rob Hulse unable to add the finishing touch.

Tim Cahill slammed a loose shot high and wide before the Goodison Park outfit almost snatched the lead on 34 minutes, full-back Gary Naysmith's teasing cross from the left was met by Cahill, whose far-post header was cleared off the line by Claude Davis.

Hulse, quiet for most of the half, almost broke the deadlock minutes before the interval, Carsley failed to cut out Phil Jagielka's header and the ex-Leeds man finished with a low drive from the edge of the area saved by the diving Howard.

The Sheffield side went ahead in the 52nd minute with the simplest of goals, Colin Kazim-Richards turned quickly on the edge of the area pumping in a low cross and Hulse beat Joseph Yobo to the ball, sticking out a foot to steer is past Howard from six yards.

Egypt international Ahmed Fathi, signed for £700,000 in January, almost grabbed a second minutes later as he ran on to Stead's precise pass to finish with a shot from 20 yards which flew a fraction wide of the target.

Everton pulled level in the 75th minute after a double blunder by Kenny. Davis slipped up letting in Johnson as the United keeper snatched the ball, but then let it slip through his fingers.

The Everton striker tried to round the stranded keeper but was brought down by Kenny, Arteta smashing his resulting spot-kick against the bar as the ball crashed down a foot over the line.

The Spanish midfielder almost grabbed a second minutes later, United failing to cut out his free-kick from 20 yards, which evaded everyone before hitting the unsighted Kenny on the line.

Sheffield United

Everton

Corners

56

Fouls

1810

Goal attempts

88

Shots off target

25

Offsides

02

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