Everton-Reading: Toffees Struggle in Choppy Match

Without a doubt, this was the worst half of football I had seen in many years. It is actually beyond my writing abilities to describe how bad this was. Yes, Reading were going to sit back and defend—they had to. A point at Goodison would have been a huge result for them. While Hunt and James Harper had played well, Kevin Doyle had done nothing and Dave Kitson won’t be a Premiership footballer much longer if he continues to play like he did here.

But Reading are a team fighting for their lives at the bottom of the table. Everton are meant to be challenging for the Champions League.

Andrew Johnson has been living off scraps because his teammates are only launching the ball to him, instead of allowing him to use his pace.

Osman, stuck out on the left, wasn’t too bad—but he was limited in what he could do. Arteta and Cahill have been less than average for weeks.

Is this because they are being targeted as Everton’s biggest threat, or just a complete lack of form?

I am sorry to say, but Manuel Fernandes has been an empty shirt. I was glad when he was brought back to Everton on loan, but I’m still waiting to see the player that got me excited last season. It was a relief to see him subbed for James Vaughan at the start of the second half.

The second half started in much the same way as the first. Wayward shots by Carsley and Hunt got everyone on their feet, but soon the play settled down into mediocrity.

One bright spark in the game was the display by Phil Jagielka. The utility player had been in and out of the team, in a number of positions, since his summer move from Sheffield United. But with Yobo away on international duty and the transfer of veteran defender Alan Stubbs, Jagielka was thrown in at center half.

He would be the first to admit that he had looked lost in a those first couple of games. But he has grown into the position. It was his tackling and shot blocking that kept Everton in the game. But it was his unforeseen aerial threat that would write the headlines.

With half an hour left to play, Everton won a corner—and for once Arteta managed to beat the first man when crossing the ball in. Although the ball was half-cleared by the Reading defense, Osman managed to play it back into the penalty area. With the Reading goal keeper, Marcus Hahnemann, unwilling to come off his line and the Reading defense pushing out to try and catch Everton offside, it was Jagielka who rose unchallenged to head the ball home.

1-0, Everton.

The goal threatened to bring the game to life. Soon after helping to put Everton into the lead, Osman saw his curling cross come back off the bar. While Arteta showed a glimpse of what he can do when he cut in from the right, skipped past his marker and unleashed a shot. Unfortunately, the shot was blocked by Kalifa Cisse.

With Reading pushing forward in search of an equalizer, Everton should have been exploiting the gaps left in the Reading defense, but they didn’t.

Vaughan had Everton’s last real chance at goal, when he teed himself up for a spectacular over head volley. Hahnemann just managed to tip it around the post.

But it was left to Man of the Match, Jagielka, to have the last say.

With only a few minutes left in the game, Jimmy Kebe found himself bearing down on the Everton goal. Just as he let go with a powerful shot, Jagielka threw himself into the ball's path and deflected it away for a corner.

It’s a good job points are awarded for results and not performances, because this game was extremely poor. With all the resent talk about taking the EPL abroad, you have to ask if this is the kind of match you want the rest of the world to see? I know if I had paid to see this abroad, I’d be asking for my money back.

Reading might be in a relegation dogfight, but Everton should have easily won this game. It’s worrying that they didn’t. They allowed Reading to pull the match down to their level of play, instead of imposing themselves on to the weaker team.

Everton now have a break from domestic football, as their next two matches are against SK Brann of Norway in the UEFA Cup. If Everton take the Norwegians lightly, and don’t show some fight then we could see them exiting another cup competition.

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