- Cahill (36), Saha (70)
- Date:2009-02-28
- Kick-off:12:45
- Venue:Goodison Park
- Attendance:33898
- Referee:Bennett, S
Live Commentary
90mins
Full-Time: EVERTON 2-0 WEST BROM. Everton consolidate sixth place while West Brom will rue their missed chances.
90mins
Filipe Teixeira's left-foot shot goes inches wide to the relief of a diving Tim Howard.
90mins
Everton clear the corner and there's three minutes of added time.
90mins
Luke Moore's shot across goal takes a deflection and goes behind for a corner.
89mins
Marc-Antoine Fortune is replaced by Filipe Teixeira.
89mins
Marc-Antoine Fortune's shot is charged down and ends up in the arms of Tim Howard.
87mins
Luke Moore has a shot on the turn from distance which bounces back off the crossbar.
85mins
West Brom attack but Luke Moore gives the ball away and the move breaks down.
84mins
Leighton Baines's free-kick is deflected behind for a corner.
83mins
Jonathan Greening is booked for a foul on Steven Pienaar.
82mins
Everton are comfortable now and West Brom's inability to finish has cost them dear.
80mins
Chris Brunt's corner-kick is disappointing and straight into the arms of Tim Howard.
79mins
West Brom have a corner and must make the most of this if they're to get back into the match.
77mins
Paul Robinson and Tim Cahill are both down injured and there's a brief stoppage in play.
75mins
Segundo Castillo is on for Joao Alves Jo.
74mins
Steven Pienaar's shot is steered around the post by Scott Carson for a corner.
72mins
There's relief around the ground following that goal.
70mins
EVERTON 2-0 WEST BROM. More misery for Albion as SAHA produces a moment of brilliance as his left-foot shot on the turn flies past Carson.
69mins
West Brom have played better in this second half but need to capitalise on their possession.
67mins
Tim Cahill heads the ball down in the area but is penalised again for a push.
65mins
Robert Koren forces his way into the penalty area and goes down but there are no appeals and Everton can clear.
64mins
James Morrison runs at Everton and has a shot which goes wide.
63mins
Joao Alves Jo has a low shot from inside the area but Scott Carson reads it well and is able to make the save.
62mins
Everton have a chance to break but don't move the ball quickly enough and there are groans from the crowd.
61mins
Marouane Fellaini is off and replaced by Louis Saha.
60mins
Ryan Donk's header from a corner is flicked on by Luke Moore but Phil Jagielka and Tim Cahill somehow manage to stop the ball crossing the line.
59mins
The Everton fans have gone very quiet as their side have not started the second half well.
58mins
Luke Moore comes on for Jay Simpson.
57mins
James Morrison breaks forward but Everton manage to clear the danger.
56mins
Phil Neville's cross almost reaches Marouane Fellaini but is cleared by Abdoulaye Meite.
55mins
Dan Gosling send a shot high and wide after some good pressure from Everton.
54mins
Marouane Fellaini is booked for another clumsy challenge on Jonathan Greening.
53mins
Borja Valero is replaced by Jonathan Greening.
53mins
Robert Koren runs at Everton and has a shot which goes wide.
51mins
Phil Jagielka is warmly applauded by the Everton fans are snuffing out another attack from Jay Simpson.
49mins
Phil Jagielka defends well against Jay Simpson after a quick break from West Brom.
48mins
Leighton Baines sends in another free-kick and West Brom are able to clear this time.
47mins
Joao Alves Jo is almost through one-on-one with Scott Carson but the West Brom keeper is out quickly to clear the danger.
46mins
The second half gets underway.
45mins
Half Time: EVERTON 1-0 WEST BROM. The whistle goes for half-time and Everton will be relieved to be going in ahead.
45mins
Tim Howard slides out of the penalty area with the ball in his hands but manages to let the ball go just in time.
43mins
Jay Simpson's cross can't find Marc-Antoine Fortune and goes out for an Everton throw-in.
42mins
Half-time can't come quickly enough for West Brom.
40mins
Steven Pienaar has a right-foot shot which goes wide, and Everton now look a different team.
38mins
West Brom have played well but will need to pick themselves up now if they're to get anything out of this game.
36mins
EVERTON 1-0 WEST BROM. Poor defending from West Brom as CAHILL is allowed a free header from a free-kick and beats Scott Carson.
34mins
Everton have a corner but it's defended well for a throw-in.
32mins
There's confusion in the Everton defence and they're relieved to see the ball put into the side-netting by West Brom.
31mins
Another good chance for Marc-Antoine Fortune and Tim Howard pulls off a great save for another West Brom corner.
30mins
The ball goes straight up the other end and Marc-Antoine Fortune's glancing header is saved.
29mins
Tim Cahill has a shot on the turn from seven yards out but there's no power and it's gathered by Scott Carson.
28mins
Everton have a promising free-kick on the left of the penalty area.
26mins
An early substitution for Everton as Tony Hibbert is replaced by Leon Osman.
24mins
Tim Cahill thinks he's scored but his header is disallowed for a push on Abdoulaye Meite .
23mins
Gianni Zuiverloon and Leighton Baines are back on after being patched up.
21mins
Both the physios are on as there's been a clash of heads between Gianni Zuiverloon and Leighton Baines.
19mins
The ball drops to Robert Koren 35 yards out and his effort goes wide.
18mins
Borja Valero's shot is blocked by Phil Jagielka and West Brom have another corner.
17mins
James Morrison has impressed so far and is looking lively.
16mins
There's a break in the game as Ryan Donk is down with an injury.
15mins
Phil Jagielka has a free-kick from about 40 yards out and blasts the ball straight into the wall.
14mins
Marc-Antoine Fortune has another strike on goal which goes wide, and Everton look outnumbered in midfield.
12mins
Everton haven't really got going yet in this lunchtime kick-off.
10mins
Marc-Antoine Fortune has an effort from the edge of the area which is straight at Tim Howard.
9mins
West Brom have started well and don't look like a team currently at the bottom of the league.
7mins
Ryan Donk unconvincingly deals with a low ball into the area following good link-up play from Joao Alves Jo and Tim Cahill.
6mins
Tim Cahill and Dan Gosling go for the same ball at the far post and it ends up high over the crossbar.
6mins
The corner is taken short towards Jay Simpson and is cleared by Everton.
5mins
West Brom win an early corner to the delight of their travelling fans.
4mins
A West Brom free-kick following a clumsy challenge from Marouane Fellaini is cleared at the near post by Tim Cahill.
2mins
Borja Valero has a chance to put in a good cross after good play from West Brom but it's straight at Tim Howard.
1mins
The game gets underway.
0mins
The atmosphere is building nicely at Goodison Park - can Everton dismiss their injury worries and beat rock-bottom West Brom?
Match Preview
Everton's season is in danger of petering out after it was confirmed that playmaker Mikel Arteta faces six months on the sidelines after rupturing the cruciate ligament in his right knee during the opening minutes of last weekend's goalless draw at Newcastle United.
The Spaniard's creative ability was sorely missed at St James' Park as, despite playing against ten men for more than half the match following Kevin Nolan's red card, David Moyes' side struggled to create many worthwhile goalscoring chances.
In addition, Victor Anichebe seems certain to endure a lengthy spell on the sidelines after being the victim of Nolan's horror tackle.
The young striker joins Yakubu (Achilles), Nuno Valente (knee) and James Vaughan (knee) in the Goodison Park treatment room while Steven Pienaar (hamstring) and Leon Osman (stomach strain) are doubts for the game.
Even with a weakened squad though, the Toffees should still have too much quality for a West Brom team that produced an inept performance in Sunday's 2-0 loss at Fulham.
The Baggies could easily have lost by a much wider margin at the mid-table Cottagers and appear to be heading back to the Championship after just one season in English football's top-flight.
Tony Mowbray's side remain rooted to the foot of the table, have lost ten of their 13 games away from The Hawthorns, and are three points away from safety.
They have taken only one point from their last four league games and suffered another injury blow in the Craven Cottage debacle when midfielder Filipe Teixeira sustained a broken toe and he now looks set to miss the trip to Merseyside.
Recent signing Youssouf Mulumbu will have to wait for his Albion debut due to a thigh injury while Ishmael Miller (knee ligaments) and Neil Clement (knee) have already been ruled out for the season.
Jonathan Greening (knee ligaments), Ryan Donk (knee) and Jonas Olsson (knee) remain in Albion's treatment room.
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Match Report
Everton taught bottom club West Bromwich Albion the importance of taking your chances after walking away with a comfortable 2-0 win despite being dominated for most of the game.
A first-half strike from Tim Cahill and a goal late on for the returning Louis Saha saw off Tony Mowbray's battling side, who simply didn't hit the target enough.
A bright start from the visitors saw James Morrison taking early control of the ball and running at the Everton back-line, feeding frontmen Jay Simpson and Marc-Antoine Fortune but efforts from both in the first five minutes lacked power and rolled kindly to Tim Howard in goal.
The Blues struggled to keep hold of the ball and were quickly pressured by swarms of yellow jerseys but a quick break from Steven Pienaar created space for Leighton Baines to float a high cross to Tim Cahill at the back post but his header flew way over the bar.
West Brom still looked threatening and a dangerous corner was only half-cleared off the penalty spot by Cahill's head and an onrushing Robert Koren smashed his shot a yard wide of the post.
The game was continuing at a frantic pace with both sides having chances at either end but Everton came the closest so far after Cahill put the ball in the net but referee Steve Bennett ruled that the Aussie had climbed on Baggies captain Paul Robinson.
Mowbray's side were not playing like a team rooted to the bottom of the table and a defence-splitting ball from Borja Valero on the half-hour mark left Fortune with only Howard to beat but the keeper showed why he has only conceded three times in ten games and quickly got off his line to block the shot from close range.
Everton started throwing men into the box looking for the opener and, despite being dominated for most of the half, a well-floated free-kick from Baines found an unmarked Cahill to break the deadlock on 36 minutes.
With no Mikel Arteta taking precedence over free-kicks it was Baines who whipped in the high cross and a piece of terrible marking from Gianni Zuiverloon left Cahill free to set himself and power home his eighth of the season.
Unlucky to be a goal down West Brom came out after the break desperate to find an early equaliser and a long-range drive from Valero flew just wide of a scrambling Howard in goal.
The visitors should have equalised just before the hour mark after a deep corner from Chris Brunt gave substitute Luke Moore his first touch of the ball with a towering header at the back post.
Moore's looping effort flew over Howard and a mass of players and was heading for the bottom corner before Everton's player of the season, Phil Jagielka, showed exactly why he is in the England squad with a superb block on the line.
With Marouane Fellaini still not match fit and picking up his 12th booking of the season, Blues boss David Moyes replaced his £15million man with striker Saha who has just returned to the first team himself.
The move proved to be a stroke of genius by Moyes as the Frenchman latched onto a Steven Pienaar interception and, after taking a touch to turn inside his man, unleashed a vicious curling shot from outside the box which gave Scott Carson no chance and put the game well out of the reach of the Baggies.
West Brom almost bagged themselves a consolation in the final minutes after a 25-yard thunderbolt from Moore clattered against the bar but Everton never looked troubled by West Brom who struggled to hit the target with their numerous chances.
Everton Team
West Bromwich Albion Team
Everton | West Bromwich Albion |
Corners
| 3 | 6 |
Fouls
| 9 | 15 |
Goal attempts
| 11 | 18 |
Shots off target
| 5 | 8 |
Offsides
| 2 | 0 |
90mins
James Morrison has a low shot which flashes just wide.