UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE/Everton 4 Sigma Olomouc 0:IT IS not in David Moyes' DNA to gamble but one of the biggest risks of his Everton reign paid off handsomely last night as Goodison Park began the process of washing Joleon Lescott out of its hair. "It may or may not work," said the Scot of his decision to demote Lescott for a game of such importance to Everton.
A clean sheet, an inspired contribution from Jack Rodwell and that rarest of sights, a comfortable Everton win at the qualifying stage in Europe, were ample dividends.
Rodwell seized his opportunity with two long-range goals, one gifted, one glorious, putting Everton on course for a place in the Europa League at the expense of Sigma Olomouc. Louis Saha matched the youngster’s brace and a night that opened amid such tension inside Goodison Park ended with Everton revitalised.
For the first half hour it was a close call as to whether Lescott’s banishment was a punishment or a reward for the England international, so bad were his team-mates in his absence. Everton survived an early penalty scare when the Sigma centre-forward, Michal Ordos, beat Phil Neville in the air and Jakub Petr attempted to take the loose ball around Tim Howard only to go sprawling. Goodison held its breath, but the Portuguese referee waved play on.
A minute later Howard was exposed when Michal Hubnik sprinted clear of a static Everton defence and went into meltdown with an away goal beckoning. Having nudged the ball wide of the American goalkeeper, he elected to leave out a trailing leg and dive instead of completing the job and was promptly booked for his stupidity. Howard intervened for a third time to prevent Ordos’s rising drive finding the top corner.
Eventually, however, Moyes’ side heeded their escapes and took control. Marouane Fellaini polished his otherwise lacklustre display when he spun away from Ladislav Onofrej and crossed low for Louis Saha to convert at the near post.
Five minutes later they grabbed an important second when goalkeeper Petr Drobisz failed to read the flight of the 20-yard effort by Rodwell and allowed it embarrassingly through his hands.
Rodwell doubled his tally for the night eight minutes after the restart and this time Drobisz was powerless. The goalkeeper cleared an Everton free-kick with his fists, although only as far as Steven Pienaar who teed up the midfielder for an outstanding 25-yard finish that arrowed in off the underside of the bar. Saha’s second sealed a night of redemption for Moyes.
EVERTON: Howard, Hibbert, Neville, Yobo, Baines, Osman, Fellaini, Rodwell, Cahill, Pienaar, Saha. Subs: Nash, Jo, Vaughan, Gosling, Duffy, Baxter, Wallace.
SIGMA OLOMOUC: Drobisz, Daniel Rossi, Dreska, Skerle, Onofrej, Kascak, Otepka, Hubnik, Tomas Lovasik, Petr, Ordos. Subs: Tomas Lovasik, Ulma, Stepan, Bajer, Veprek, Janotka, Sultes.
Referee: Lucilio Cardoso Cortez Batista (Portugal)
