As a tribute to George Harrison, the Tannoy blared out Here Comes The Sun before kick-off yesterday, but that was as bright as it got for Gordon Strachan on Merseyside.
On this grim evidence, Southampton are in dire straits. Their home hoodoo may have been lifted by an exorcism undertaken by a pagan witch, but all it took to implode their fragile world here was the introduction of a little invention. Paul Gascoigne, inevitably, and Mark Pembridge provided Everton's impetus as half-time substitutes; the Saints duly capitulated.
"They upped the tempo and maybe that surprised us after a subdued first half when we were the better side in a bad game," said Strachan. "I felt things were taking shape until today. I've been happy with a lot of things I've seen and I felt we controlled it until half-time, but we lost a goal and lost our way." They lost the match as well. A first win in six weeks hoisted Everton into the top half, a slender point behind Manchester United and four behind a Champions League berth. The club's £18m sterling debt aside, their annual general meeting this evening promises to be a more up-beat occasion, though the manager Walter Smith can still expect a grilling over team selection.
Quite how Gascoigne did not warrant a starting place remains a mystery. At least the 34-year-old's display dispelled the bizarre myth, perpetuated stubbornly by the management, that he and Thomas Gravesen cannot play in the same side. While Gascoigne slid into bone-crunching tackles and sprayed passes for fun, his introduction allowed the Dane to revert to the right of midfield where his runs ripped the visitors to shreds.
That was exactly what Everton did. Within five minutes of the re-start, Pembridge's clearance was hooked on by Steve Watson for Tomasz Radzinski to tear down the left flank. As Saints defenders failed to close the Canadian down, he sprinted into the box and screwed a low shot beneath Paul Jones.
Smith cursed on the bench, but he was soon apoplectic. Scot Gemmill squared for Gravesen who, from six yards, lobbed over Jones only for Wayne Bridge to nip behind and nod clear. The unmarked Dane then blazed over the bar when it seemed easier to score.
Yet the bald midfielder was soon setting up the decisive second. Watson gathered a loose clearance and sent Gravesen scurrying down the right again. This time he opted to cross for Pembridge to finish emphatically.
EVERTON: Simonsen, Pistone, Stubbs, Weir, Naysmith, Alexandersson (Gascoigne 46), Gravesen, Gemmill, Unsworth (Pembridge 46), Radzinski, Watson. Subs Not Used: Gerrard, Moore, Xavier. Goals: Radzinski 50, Pembridge 87.
SOUTHAMPTON: Jones, Dodd, Bridge, Lundekvam, Williams, Telfer, Marsden (Davies 68), Oakley, Svensson, Beattie, Pahars. Subs Not Used: Moss, Delap, El Khalej, Petrescu. Booked: Williams.
Referee: J Winter (Stockton-on-Tees).
