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Match Summary As widely expected, Wayne Rooney gets a chance to make only his 5th start, and Li Tie comes back in after a rest to hopefully add some much-needed creativity in the middle of the park. It is hard on Radzinski, perhaps, but he really has not been hitting the target regularly enough, and really fails to punish defenders with his blistering pace. A bit of a change around is just what the squad needed after the awful game at Birmingham. Watson was named among the subs but was injured (in warm-up?), with Niclas Alexandersson taking his place. Everton forced a few early corners but were then pushed back into some scrappy defending and had to fend off a succession of Bolton corners. Everton seemed to lose their way a bit, giving away too much possession, with Bolton getting most of the play during the first quarter, and Stubbs being forced to clear off the line at one point. Rooney started to get more into the game, skinning Pedersen and being scythed down for his trouble: card for Pedersen. Stubbs then goes close with a header before Rooney has a somewhat ambitious shot from 20 yards. Rooney's inventiveness then almost got him a goal, making the most of a Bolton pass that was only a little offline, and giving in to give Jaaskelainen a real fright. Charlton and Rickets then got themselves in Dermot's little black book after a bad foul on Carsley, and arguing, respectively. A flurry of activity in the Bolton goalmouth should have brought a goal for Everton just before half-time, with Rooney and Campbell both going close, Bolton having to clear off the line. Rooney had been absolutely fantastic in the first half, but unable to make that brilliance count where it matters. The second half was a bit flat until Moues decided to give Campbell a rest and get Radzinski on alongside Rooney. All of a sudden it looked a lot better as Yobo came very close to scoring before Rooney had a fantastic shot saved by Jaaskelainen. Rooney then came closer than anyone, firing a thunderous drive against the bar. Everton were surging forward at this stage, desperate to score, but nothing was going in despite the plethora of chances being created. Everton started to run out of ideas a little, with Weir getting booked for a body check on Gardner as he went past the labouring Everton defender. Moyes took a final throw of the dice, bringing on Pembridge and Alexandersson for Naysmith and Carsley with just 12 minutes left. Everton tried everything but the crippling failure to score would make then rue the day, and the appearance of an eminently beatable Bolton side that should have been dispatched long ago. Hard to fault David Moyes's gameplan; Rooney was superb, but he cannot do everything. |
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| Match Facts | |||||
| Everton (4-4-2) Blue shirts, white shirts, blue socks |
Bolton
Wanderers (4-4-2) White shirts, black shorts, white socks |
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| Match Reports | ||
Birmingham City (A)
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