Matchday 19 ~ Everton vs Bolton

[Freddy Adu]

Everton vs Bolton

Premier League 2007/2008 | Campeonato | Day 19

Everton Bolton

Date 2007-12-26 City Liverpool Stadium Goodison Park Referee

[Cristiano Best 07]

4-3 Everton.

[Brasil]

Good match, I say Everton will win.

[Freddy Adu]

Everton v Bolton

Goodison Park
Wednesday, 26 December
Kick-off: 1500 GMT
BBC coverage: BBC Sport website, BBC Radio Five Live & highlights on Match of the Day. Featured game on Score and Final Score.

[Freddy Adu]

Everton are hopeful Mikel Arteta will have recovered from the illness that forced him to miss the defeat at Manchester United on Sunday.

The Toffees were also without Leon Osman (foot), Alan Stubbs (calf) and Leighton Baines (hamstring) and they are likely to be missing again.

Bolton manager Gary Megson could name an unchanged team from the side that beat Birmingham 3-0 on Saturday.

But Gavin McCann and Jlloyd Samuel are both hoping for a recall.

[Freddy Adu]

Everton (from): Howard, Hibbert, Neville, Yobo, Lescott, Jagielka, Valente, Cahill, Carsley, Pienaar, Gravesen, Arteta, Anichebe, Johnson, Yakubu, Vaughan, McFadden, Wessels.

[Freddy Adu]

Bolton (from): Jaaskelainen, Hunt, Meite, A O'Brien, Gardner, Nolan, Campo, Guthrie, Davies, Anelka, Diouf, McCann, Samuel, Al Habsi, Speed, Giannakopoulos, Cid, Michalik, Wilhelmsson, Braaten, Alonso.

[Freddy Adu]

Everton manager David Moyes:
"Hopefully, we can pick up where we left off and get a good result against Bolton and start another long, unbeaten run.

"We played well at United in periods and felt we did enough for a point.

"There were a lot of positives to be taken from the match and we only lost the game in the final minutes."

[Freddy Adu]

Bolton manager Gary Megson:
"Everton are having a fantastic season and although they have spent some money, they are not one of the real big spenders.

"A number of clubs find it difficult at Goodison but we've got to go and improve on our away performances.

"When we are at our best we can beat anybody at this level.

[Freddy Adu]

BIG-MATCH FACTS

Everton go into their 300th home game in the Premier League, having seen their 13-match undefeated string in all competitions, broken by Cristiano Ronaldo's late penalty for Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Bolton are looking for the first back-to-back wins in 24 Premier League outings since last April.

Everton have only won one of their last seven Boxing Day matches; they took maximum points from the 2-1 home match against Manchester City in 2004.

Bolton have won two of their eight previous Premier League fixtures on 26 December; the most recent was 2-1, home to Newcastle last year.

Everton spoiled Bolton's 10th anniversary celebrations of the opening of the Reebok Stadium with a last minute goal from Joleon Lescott to give the visitors three points when they met on 1 September. Now the Toffees have the chance of a first double over the Trotters since the 1963-64 season.

[Freddy Adu]

EVERTON
Highest achievable: 5th
Lowest could fall: 8th

[Freddy Adu]

BOLTON WANDERERS
Highest achievable: 13th
Lowest could realistically fall: 16th

[Freddy Adu]

EVERTON

YAKUBU is Everton's top scorer with 11 goals.

YAKUBU is also the clubs' top Premier League marksman with nine.

YAKUBU is one of 12 players contributing to the Everton Premier League goal tally. It is the joint longest goalscorers list in the highest league, alongside Tottenham's.

James McFADDEN is now just one shy of 50 club career goals.

[Freddy Adu]

If selected:-

Phil NEVILLE will be making his 350th career Premier League appearance (Manchester United and Everton).

Leon OSMAN will be making his 150th career league appearance (Everton, Carlisle and Derby).

Victor ANICHEBE will be making his 50th appearance in an Everton shirt.

Alan STUBBS will be facing the club where he started his professional career.

[Freddy Adu]

BOLTON WANDERERS

Nicolas ANELKA is Bolton's leading scorer with 11 goals.

The Frenchman is also the clubs' leading marksman in the Premier League with nine.

Kevin DAVIES is a double shy of 100 club career goals (Chesterfield, Southampton, Blackburn, Millwall and Bolton).

Gary SPEED, the only player to have netted in every Premier League season, is a double shy of 100 career league goals (Leeds, Everton, Newcastle and Bolton).

NOLAN needs a hat-trick to total 50 club career goals.

Jussi JAASKALAINEN is the only player to have been on the field for every minute of every one of Bolton's Premier League matches this season.

[Freddy Adu]

If selected:-

Gavin McCANN will be making his 300th club career appearance (Everton, Sunderland, Aston Villa and Bolton).

McCANN and SPEED will both be facing a former club.

[Freddy Adu]

HEAD TO HEAD

Everton are undefeated in three against Bolton (two wins, one draw).

Bolton are chasing a third maximum in five 28-mile trips to Goodison Park.

[Freddy Adu]

Home and away
League (inc PL): Everton 65 wins, Bolton 34, Draws 30
Prem: Everton 8 wins, Bolton 4, Draws 5

[Freddy Adu]

at Everton only
League (inc PL): Everton 38 wins, Bolton 9, Draws 17
Prem: Everton 5 wins, Bolton 2, Draws 1

[Freddy Adu]

LAST SEASON'S CORRESPONDING GAME
Everton 1-0 Bolton Wanderers
18 November 2006 - Ref: Uriah Rennie
Everton scorer: Arteta 60

[Freddy Adu]

THIS SEASON'S REVERSE FIXTURE
Bolton Wanderers 1-2 Everton
1 September 2007 - Ref: Peter Walton
Bolton scorer: Anelka 55
Everton scorers: Yakubu 11, Lescott 90

[Freddy Adu]

REFEREE
Rob Styles (Waterlooville, Hampshire)

[Oscar Cardozo]

Sunderland go into the match with no new injury concerns from the defeat to Reading as Roy Keane welcomes Sir Alex Ferguson to The Stadium of Light. Manchester United hope to give long-term injury victim Park Ji-sung a spot on the bench, while Rio Ferdinand should also return to action. However, goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar will not feature until the new year as he battles to overcome a groin strain.

[Freddy Adu]

FT Everton 2 - 0 Bolton W.

[Freddy Adu]

FT		Everton [2 - 0] Bolton W.
42'			A. O Brien
51'	[1 - 0]	P. Neville
55'			E.H. Diouf
70'	[2 - 0]	T. Cahill
73'			K. Nolan

[Freddy Adu]

Great job Blues!

[Brasil]

Yeah Bolton you suck.

[Freddy Adu]

Cahill helps Everton get back on track


Written by: AFP

	Tim Cahill, seen here 05 December 2007, showed his eye for goal as the Australia midfielder put the seal on Everton´s 2-0 win over Bolton on Wednesday.

LIVERPOOL, England (AFP) - Tim Cahill showed his eye for goal as the Australia midfielder put the seal on Everton's 2-0 win over Bolton on Wednesday.

Cahill struck in the second half at Goodison Park after Phil Neville had broken the deadlock with his first goal for almost a year.

It was the perfect response from David Moyes's side after an unlucky defeat at Manchester United on Sunday ended their 13-match unbeaten run.

Bolton remain in danger of being dragged into the relegation battle after their ninth away league match without a win this season.

Moyes welcomed back Mikel Arteta after the Spanish midfielder missed Sunday's defeat through illness.

After a quiet start, Bolton had the first sight of goal in the 15th minute when Ricardo Gardner tried his luck from distance, but the full-back's shot was too high to trouble Tim Howard.

Arteta threatened five minutes later when he took Joleon Lescott's pass and drove forward before hitting a shot that deflected away for a corner.

Everton hadn't lost to a side outside the big four of Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool this season.

And, with Arteta pulling the strings in midfield, they were in control for most of the first half. Arteta produced a sublime pass to pick out Ayegbeni Yakubu, only for the Nigerian striker to head wide at the near post.

Yakubu had the ball in the net just before half time but his close-range effort was ruled as Cahill had strayed offside.

Cahill was denied by a brilliant save from Jussi Jaaskelainen early in the second half, but the Bolton keeper was caught out moments later.

Neville's cross was heading towards Cahill but Jaaskelainen misjudged his run to catch and the ball flew straight into the net.

It was the first time Neville had hit the net since his effort against Newcastle on December 30 last year.

Bolton substitute Gavin McCann went close with an overhead kick but Cahill put the result beyond doubt in the 70th minute.

Lescott crossed from the byline and the Australian found space to rifle home a fine strike.

Bolton kept plugging away but Gary Megson's team were denied even a consolation when Howard pushed out Nicolas Anelka's strike.