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Everton easily beat Wolfsburg in first Europa League match of campaign Everton easily beat Wolfsburg in first Europa League match of campaign
(about 1 hour later)
Everton’s traditional Z-Cars anthem was rudely interrupted by the Europa League theme tune before kick off, but that was as deep as the teething troubles went for Roberto Martínez’s side against Wolfsburg. Clinical finishing divided Everton from the Bundesliga team as they demonstrated genuine intent on their first European outing in five seasons. Everton’s traditional Z-Cars anthem was rudely interrupted by the Europa League theme tune before kick-off, but the teething troubles went no further for Roberto Martínez’s men against Wolfsburg. Goodison Park hosted a display of clinical efficiency on its first European night in five seasons. Everton have returned with clear intent.
The winning margin suggests a comfortable night’s work for the home side at Goodison Park when it was anything but. Tim Howard was by far the busier goalkeeper in the second half and Everton were gifted a penalty that never was for their third goal when Aiden McGeady was tripped outside the area. The final scoreline suggests a comfortable night’s work for the victors, but there was defensive resilience as well as superior finishing behind Everton’s triumph. Tim Howard was by far the busier goalkeeper and the home side were gifted a penalty for their third goal when Aiden McGeady was tripped outside the area. Wolfsburg had 24 attempts to Everton’s 11, 12 on target to Everton’s five, but not the cutting edge or solidity of their Premier League hosts.
But while the German visitors toiled in front of goal, Everton had the cutting edge that mattered and the resilience that bodes well for a demanding Europa League campaign. Surprise registers when a Premier League manager doesn’t ring the changes for the Europa League, but Martínez has declared his ambition is to win this often-maligned competition and backed those words with his selection against The Wolves. He opted for the same starting XI that defeated West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Saturday, when rest might have been expected for Gareth Barry or a World Cup player, with maximum points at home a necessity in a challenging group. “We weren’t smart enough, we were naive,” seethed the Wolfsburg coach Dieter Hecking. “I wonder if my players listen to me with the performance they put in.” His Catalonian counterpart, by contrast, revelled in the maturity the players displayed on his European debut as Everton manager. “The scoreline doesn’t reflect the difference between the two sides, both were similar,” he said. “We had to defend well and every time we went forward we were very clinical. It was a very satisfying performance. It felt really natural. The environment was incredible, with European football back at Goodison. It was everything you could expect and more. The fans were special and the performance was full of dynamic play from both sides. But we wanted to be ourselves and our performance showed real maturity.”
“This is a group that would not look out of place in the Champions League,” said Martínez of the match-up with the 2009 Bundesliga champions. And his team selection was vindicated by an excellent early goal built on intuitive understanding between the Everton players. Having declared his ambition to win the Europa League, the Everton manager backed his words by naming an unchanged team from the weekend win at West Bromwich Albion and was vindicated with an opening goal based on intuitive understanding between his players. Wolfsburg started well with their four-man midfield controlling the opening exchanges, pushing Everton deep and allowing Brazil’s anchor at the World Cup, Luiz Gustavo, time and space to dictate the play. But the difference between the teams was illustrated in Everton’s first attack, a move to savour.
Wolfsburg started impressively with their midfield controlling the opening exchanges, pushing Everton deep and allowing Brazil’s anchor at the World Cup, Luiz Gustavo, time and space to dictate the play. The home side looked careless by contrast, unsure of themselves on the club’s first European encounter since February 2010, before finding the urgency required to bring Romelu Lukaku, Steven Naismith and Aiden McGeady into the game and turn the tide. Goodison was enraptured as Leighton Baines combined with Steven Naismith, Naismith found James McCarthy, McCarthy flicked a glorious return ball to Baines with his back to goal, and the left-back drew the German defence before squaring to the Scot. the former Switzerland international goalkeeper Diego Benaglio got a hand to Naismith’s low shot but the ball squirmed under his body and took a final touch off Ricardo Rodríguez en route to the net. Uefa credited Rodríguez with an own goal, yet there was no detracting from the quality of the build-up. It also provided a rare glimpse of McCarthy’s creativity in the final third and should prompt Martínez to demand more from the Republic of Ireland midfielder.
The breakthrough arrived from Everton’s first attack of note and it was a move to savour. Goodison was enraptured as Leighton Baines combined with Naismith, Naismith found James McCarthy, McCarthy flicked a glorious return ball to Baines with his back to goal, and the left-back drew the German defence before squaring to the Scot. The former Switzerland international goalkeeper Diego Benaglio got a hand to Naismith’s low shot but the ball squirmed under his body and took a final touch off Ricardo Rodríguez en route to the net. Uefa credited Rodriguez with an own goal yet there was no detracting from the quality of the buildup. It also provided a rare glimpse of McCarthy’s creativity in the final third and should prompt Martínez to demand more from the Republic of Ireland midfielder. Everton extended their lead on the stroke of half-time when they again prospered against the right-hand side of the Wolfsburg defence. Benaglio could only parry a dipping Kevin Mirallas shot into the path of Baines, who turned the loose ball across goal for the in-coming Seamus Coleman to head his second goal of the season into the Park End net.
Dieter Hecking’s side continued to enjoy plenty of possession, with Kevin De Bruyne and Gustavo both testing Tim Howard from distance. Everton, though, carried the more convincing threat. Lukaku slipped just as he shaped to test Benaglio at the end of a counter-attack led by McGeady and Naismith, slicing his shot over, but he also forced the keeper into a save with a 30-yard free-kick. McGeady had a goal-bound shot blocked from Kevin Mirallas’ cut-back. If there was a touch of fortune about Rodríguez rolling the first Everton goal into his own net and Baines managing to find Coleman for the second, there was a gigantic dollop attached to their third. McGeady capitalised on a defensive error seconds after the restart and was clearly fouled as he attempted to beat Robin Knoche, albeit contact was outside the box. The Italian referee, Luca Banti, having looked to his assistant, immediately pointed to the spot and Baines ignored the understandable German protests to send the Wolfsburg keeper the wrong way from 12 yards.
The home side extended their lead on the stroke of half-time when they again prospered against the right-hand side of the Wolfsburg defence. Lukaku released Mirallas down the left and his Belgium team-mate cut back inside to send a powerful angled drive at Benaglio. The visiting keeper could only parry into the path of Baines who, with good awareness, turned the loose ball across goal for the in-coming Seamus Coleman to head home his second goal of the season into the Park End net. “It was outside the area and a fault by the referee,” said Hecking. “At 3-0 the game was lost.” His team’s response suggested otherwise as they exerted pressure on Howard’s goal but either found the US international in commanding form or their precision deserting them in front of goal. Daniel Caligiuri, Gustavo, Maximillian Arnold and substitute Aaron Hunt all sent presentable chances at the Everton keeper, who produced a fine save to thwart a Rodriguez free-kick towards his top corner.
If there was a touch of fortune about Rodríguez rolling the first Everton goal into his own net and Baines managing to find Coleman for the second, there was a gigantic dollop of the stuff for their third. McGeady capitalised on a defensive error seconds after the restart and, despite having Lukaku unmarked inside, attempted to beat Robin Knoche on the outside. He was felled by the Wolfsburg central defender a foot outside the penalty area yet Italian referee Luca Banti, having looked to his assistant, immediately pointed to the spot. Baines ignored the understandable German protests to send the Wolfsburg keeper the wrong way from 12 yards. The Swiss left-back finally broke Howard’s resistance with another superb free-kick in stoppage-time but by then, with the again impressive Samuel Eto’o sending Mirallas sprinting clear for the fourth, Everton were home and dry. “Tim was magnificent and didn’t deserve to have that feeling at the end,” said Martínez. “In my eyes Tim’s performance was worth a clean sheet and that’s the way I’m going to keep it.”
The difference in the finishing was demonstrated in a sustained spell of visiting pressure shortly afterwards. Daniel Caligiuri, Gustavo, Maximillian Arnold and substitute Aaron Hunt all sent presentable chances straight at Howard. When Wolfsburg did produce a convincing effort, such as Rodriguez’s vicious free-kick, the Everton keeper saved expertly.
Martinez’s team added further gloss to proceedings in the final moments when Samuel Eto’o, once again impressive as a substitute, sent Mirallas sprinting clear of the Wolfsburg defence to sent a confident finish into Benaglio’s bottom corner, before Rodríguez got a consolation goal in injury time.