An Unspectacular Job Done

An instantly forgettable affair but one which leaves Roberto Martinez's side unbeaten and top of Group H

LOSC Lille 0 - 0 Everton

Evertonians who made the trip to Lille this week will likely not forget this leg of the Blues' 2014-15 European Tour in a hurry, and not merely for the unfortunate incidents that marred the build-up to the Blues' third Europa League Group H fixture that saw fans attacked outside a bar last night and police move in with tear gas this afternoon to disperse the large gathering in the town square.

Everton supporters are believed to have flocked to a European game in their greatest numbers since the Cup Winners' Cup Final in 1985 and they certainly made their presence in their massed ranks heard in Stade Pierre-Mauroy, drowning out the tournament anthem before kick-off and the opposition fans for much of the contest.

The match itself, however, was an instantly forgettable affair but one which ended with a satisfactory, "job well done" result that leaves Roberto Martinez's side unbeaten and top of Group H at the halfway stage. It was very similar in many ways to the one in Krasnodar three weeks ago, characterised by poor ball retention by Everton's midfield, particularly in the first half, and a general lack of adventure going forward.

Ross Barkley made his second start of the season and played 90-plus unspectacular but vitally important minutes in terms of his fitness, although a better final ball by Aiden McGeady would have rewarded a wonderful, potentially match-winning pass from the 20 year-old in the 70th minute. Unfortunately, having collected Barkley's ball in space down the right channel, the Irishman failed to pick out either Romelu Lukaku or Samuel Eto'o in the middle and a good opportunity to break the deadlock went begging.

McGeady himself could have won it for Everton with substitute Lukaku's first involvement a few minutes earlier but Victor Enyeama in the Lille goal managed to get enough of his body on the ball to prevent it from slipping underneath him and into the net. Lukaku had come on for the largely ineffective Steven Pienaar in the 63rd minute and helped swing the attacking pendulum more in the Blues' direction but there would be no goal-bearing late flourish like that which earned a point in Russia.

Instead, the emphasis and the plaudits rested with defence where Everton were disciplined and compact, denying Divock Origi any real opportunity to score a blow for his parent club, Liverpool, by scroring against their arch rivals from across Stanley Park. The Belgian striker was a handful but was largely well contained by the Blues' back line; on the occasions he did manage to throw off the attentions of Tony Hibbert on the Everton right or Leighton Baines down the opposite flank, his delivery was often wasteful.

It was Origi's teammate Idrissa Gueye who went closest to scoring in the entire game when he raked a 20-yard shot off the outside of Tim Howard's left-hand post but the American wasn't unduly troubled over the 90 minutes, a testament to a rock-solid display by Phil Jagielka and Hibbert, in particular. Distin, deployed to avoid Anton Alcaraz playing three games in eight days had a slightly shaky beginning on his return from a month on the sidelines but soon settled down, while Gareth Barry was a tireless presence breaking things up in front of the back four.

Enyeama had even less to do in the first half. A routine save from McGeady's tamely-hit first-time shot was the only stop he had to make, although he was fortunate to see Eto'o's attempted ball across his area deflect off the heel of a defender and elude the two Blue shirts ready to pounce in the centre with a quarter of an hour gone.

The second half was better from Everton's perspective and they started to get a greater grip in terms of possession, although they suffered a brief scare when Simon Kjaer nudged a ball from the right on into the Blues' six-yard box and Barkley had to hook it away from danger in front of his own goal.

Eto'o tested Enyeama for the first time with a direct free-kick that he despatched straight at the Nigerian before Lukaku's introduction led to the chance for McGeady.

The game would noticeably open up as the clock ticked into the final quarter of an hour but chances remained at a premium until Eto'o popped up a in good position with a minute left of the regulation 90 but his curling shot drifted inches wide of the post.

So not much for the estimated 10,000 Blues to cheer except another point that keeps Everton on course to qualify for the next phase of the competition if they continue in the current vein of winning their home matches. As we have already seen this season, the performance probably suffered from a lack of continuity in the team given the five changes Martinez made to the side that started against Aston Villa last Saturday. But the starting XI was in line with the manager's longer-term strategy of handing experience and game time to a number of players who aren't automatic starters when the stakes aren't quite as high as they will be when the real business in this competition starts in the New Year.

Muhamed Besic, in particular, was a consistently tidy and energetic presence in central midfield and though Eto'o will feel as though he could have done better – not least when a lovely interchange with Steven Pienaar in the first half got caught under his feet as he bore down on goal – the 90 minutes he got will keep him ticking over in terms of match sharpness.

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