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Radzinski rocket snatches it in injury time The script for Everton's 4000th top flight fixture was written for Wayne Rooney but it was fitting that Tomasz Radzinski was to be the hero of the hour instead, atoning for what had been up to that point a below-par performance for both him and the rest of the starting line-up. Rooney, playing for the first time since becoming England's youngest ever international, entered the fray with 25 minutes to go presumably with the hopes of his manager that he could bring some fresh energy to an Everton team that had been beating its head against the proverbial brick wall. But it was Radzinski, who had already missed a gilt-edged opportunity to level matters, who rose to meet Rooney's pin-point cross in the 83rd minute to equalise and then fire home a fabulous winner with almost the last kick off the game. Down 1-0 since James Beattie broke the deadlock in the 33rd minute after he had sprung the offside trap and lifted the ball over Richard Wright into the empty goal, David Moyes's men had put in plenty of effort but everything they threw at the Southampton defence was repelled. Where they had had by far the better of the opening half hour but been thwarted by a succession of blocked shots, they descended for a while into a comedy of attacking errors after the Saints' goal. That was until the introduction of first Kevin Campbell and then Wayne Rooney in the second half which put the ship back on an even keel. The ensuing onslaught on Antti Niemi's goal eventually paid dividends. Up until Beattie's opener, Everton had visibly been the better side but after Steve Watson (perhaps the pick of the bunch in the first half), Scot Gemmill and David Unsworth had all seen goal-bound shots ricochet off defenders in the first 25 minutes, you got the sense that it was going to be a long afternoon. When a ball over the top caught the Blues' defence standing as Beattie's arced run kept him onside and set up his 17th Premiership goal off the season, that feeling was confirmed. There was to be no quick response from the team beaten only once at Goodison Park so far this season; indeed, Southampton nearly doubled their advantage three minutes later when Wright completely mis-kicked a clearance that fell straight to Brett Ormerod, but he and Alan Stubbs collided on the edge of the area and the danger evaporated. Then, Anders Svensson burst through the midfield and despatched a sliced shot that went narrowly high and wide before Gemmill and Radzinski saw half-chances go begging. With no changes for either side at half time, Everton burst out of the gates and were appealing for a penalty within a minute of the restart when Julian Telfer blocked a Gary Naysmith cross with his hand, but referee David Elleray gave a corner instead. Brian McBride had a tame shot from 20 yards saved while David Weir and Ormerod tangled in the opposite area but, thankfully — and credit to Elleray here — the referee waved play on. It was at this point that the Blues began to kick it up a notch. Radzinski used all his speed and physical presence to beat Michael Svensson to the ball in the area but, faced with a glorious chance to emulate Beattie, he underhit the lob and Niemi was able to save comfortably. The Canadian international then burst clear on the right flank and squared it to Naysmith whose first-time shot was palmed over brilliantly by the Saints 'keeper. Two minutes later, McBride's diving header at the near post appeared to have been handled clear but again Elleray, officiating his last match at Goodison Park, signalled a corner from which Stubbs saw a downward header tipped over again by the acrobatic Niemi as Everton piled on the pressure. Back down the other end as Gordon Strachan's men made a rare foray into the Everton area, Beattie met a cross with a sweet volley but Wright produced a stunning block to deny him before Weir had to head off the line from the same player to keep the score at 1-0. Sensing the need for change, Moyes replaced the industrious but largely ineffective Li Tie with Thomas Gravesen and McBride with Kevin Campbell after 58 minutes. The chances continued to arrive with Radzinski's snapshot at the far post somehow fisted wide by Niemi before Gemmill found Campbell with a delightful chip over the defence but, under pressure, the striker could only loft the ball over the bar. Rooney made his expected entrance on 64 minutes but, in a move that exemplifies what a wonderfully positive manager Moyes is, it was Naysmith who gave way and not Radzinski (who usually makes way for the teenager). And he nearly repaid his manager's faith a minute later when, with a portent of what was to come in the final minute, Radzinski cracked an angled drive off the outside of the post. Rooney, for his part, took just three minutes to record his first effort on goal, a trademark control, manoeuvre and shot that was too close to Niemi. Everton continued the pressure but, as their corner count approached 20, they still couldn't make the breakthrough. Niemi was looking invincible, typified by another scrambled save off the line in the 81st minute. A minute later, the Goodison roof came off. Rooney, demonstrating again that he is the complete player, delivered the kind off measured, inch-perfect cross none of his teammates had been able to pull off, Radzinski rose to meet it in the middle of the goal area and headed emphatically past the 'keeper to make it 1-1. Sensing blood, the one-way traffic continued as the Blues looked for a winner, which nearly came from Rooney but he was crowded out as he twisted and turned in the area. Campbell nearly forced an own goal in the 86th minute but the ball rolled wide for yet another corner before Southampton embarked on their time-wasting strategy first by sending on Kevin Davies for Fernandes and then playing keep-ball down by the corner flag as 3 mins of injury time ticked by... Then, Wright picked up the ball and quickly kicked clear, Gravesen picked up the defender's knockdown and laid the ball off to Radzinski who raced towards the area. With just Gravesen and a host of red-and-white shirts to his left, he picked his spot and fired an unstoppable Exocet into the top right-hand corner to send Moyes, the players and the fans into bedlam. A minute later, it was all over and three points, which had looked highly unlikely for much of this sunny February encounter, were secure.
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| Match Facts | |||||
| Everton (4-4-2;
65': 4-3-3) Blue shirts, white shirts, blue socks |
Southampton
(4-4-2) Red & white shirts, black shorts, red socks |
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Charlton Athletic (A)
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