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EVERTON v MIDDLESBROUGH - MATCH REPORT
Schwarzer, Parnaby, Riggott, Ehiogu, Queudrue, Pogatetz, Boateng, Mendieta, Rochemback, Hasselbaink, Yakubu
Jones, Bates, Morrison, Doriva, Viduka
Jimmy Floyd was captain today in a team that showed four changes from Thursday's victorious UEFA Cup side.
Boro were seeking their fourth straight win in all competitions but had not won two consecutive Premiership matches for almost a year.
The Goodison big screen showed highlights of last week's demolition of Manchester United. If some of that form could be reproduced today, we would not have a problem.
THE FIRST HALF
Jimmy was intent on leading by example and rattled Everton's nerves within the first minute by unleashing a blistering shot, as Boro streamed forward from the off.
Gaizka Mendieta stamped his authority on the match twice in the first two minutes, outpacing the Blue's midfield and leaving them standing but the good work was nearly undone when Ugo played a dreadful pass that Beattie easily picked up but put wide.
Boro's next opportunity came on ten minutes and saw George Boateng shoot wide when he had a clear sight of goal and could have scored. But confidence was high and if the early pace could have been maintained, it wouldn't have been long before the next chance arrived.
But Boro took their foot off the gas for a short time and allowed Everton some breathing space. They took full advantage of it, Beattie instrumental in winning two consecutive corners.
Andy van der Meyde took the second one short, Beattie received the cross and crashed the ball home giving Everton the lead, right against the run of play.
EVERTON 1 (Beattie 16) MIDDLESBROUGH 0
The goal took a lot of the heat out of the game and the pace slowed significantly for the rest of the half, a period that produced almost nothing in the way of incident.
When Boro did up the pace of the game we created chances, the best of them when Yakubu went close after picking up a tremendous Mendieta pass. But those chances were few and far between, as was the relentless pace that had overawed Everton in the early stages.
Boro finished the first half slightly the better side but behind to a goal that had seemingly deflated us. It had certainly stopped the early promise that we had shown and half time provided a welcome opportunity to get it back.
FIRST HALF FAN REACTION
"Why was Bates dropped for Ugo, who looks finished? All the heat went out of our play when they scored and we need to get the urgency back. We can win it in the second half."
DaveT
THE SECOND HALF
Boro made no changes in the interval and started the second half as they had ended the first. The first ten minutes of the second half were non-existent in terms of quality but the game did get going again when Boro stepped it up a little.
A Queudrue inspired attack was snuffed out though and Arteta led the counter attack that ended with Skippy making a fine save. He did it again a minute later when stopping a Duncan Ferguson header.
Mark Viduka replaced Yakubu on fifty-four minutes but the match remained a low-key affair with no action to speak of until Boro created three consecutive half chances which did little to threat the Everton rearguard.
Boro were beginning to break into the penalty area now but needed a decent cross to make a breakthrough. Everton's defence dealt easily with our efforts and responded with a couple of attacks of their own that also resulted in nothing.
After seventy minutes, the second half could only be described as dull, tedious and severely lacking in pace and talking points.
On seventy-six minutes, James Morrison replaced Fabio Rochemback in Boro's midfield. Duncan Ferguson was taken off for Marcus Bent two minutes later.
Bent was instrumental in the seventy-ninth when he beat the Boro defence and found Beattie unmarked on the far side. Beattie should have made the game safe but crashed his shot against the bar. Boro regrouped, reshaped and replaced Ugo with Doriva. Was 4-4-2 the answer?
INTO THE RED ZONE
Boro muscled their way forward and were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the box when Mendieta was brought down. Gaizka took it himself but failed to beat the wall. Everton broke and it was Chris Riggott to the rescue. The tackles were going in now as both sides went looking for a goal.
Boro won two more free-kicks and a corner in quick succession that had Everton rocking but they recovered well and held us off for a few precious minutes.
A late Mark Viduka led attack and a Franck Queudrue header that hit the bar was not enough to prevent defeat. Today was nothing short of disappointing. Everton were there to be beaten but Middlesbrough didn't put in the required effort to take the three points. The Manchester United win seems distant somehow.
FULL TIME FAN REACTION
"Three wins out of four is not a disaster but we went back to being rubbish today. Very disappointing."
Erimog
Fulltime Whistle - 1554 : Report Online - 1603
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