MATCH STATS

NORWICH CITY Green, Edworthy, Fleming, Charlton, Drury, Helveg, Holt, Francis, Jonson, Huckerby, McKenzie. Subs: Svensson (for Helveg, 45), Bentley (for McKenzie, 82), Doherty (for Jonson, 82), Safri, Ward.

EVERTON Martyn, Hibbert, Weir, Stubbs, Pistone, Osman, Gravesen, Carsley, Cahill, Kilbane, Bent. Subs: Ferguson (for Cahill, 59), Watson (for Osman, 59), Yobo (for Bent, 78), Wright, McFadden.

SCORERS: Norwich: McKenzie (48), Francis (57) Everton: Kilbane (10), Bent (40), Ferguson (73)

TOP CANARY: Leon McKenzie

ATTENDANCE: 23,871

REFEREE: M Clattenburg (Co Durham)

YELLOW CARDS: Everton: Weir, Lee.

RED CARDS: None

SHOTS ON TARGET: Norwich 5, Everton 6

SHOTS OFF TARGET: Norwich 10, Everton 6

CORNERS: Norwich 9, Everton 6

FOULS:  Norwich 8, Everton 13

OFFSIDE:  Norwich 3, Everton 2

Saturday October 23, 2004
MATT CHAMBERS

A header from Everton substitute Duncan Ferguson dashed the hopes of a valiant City side and left them still without a win in the Premiership.

Everton were made to work for their victory at Carrow Road with this 3-2 win at Norwich.

First-half goals from Kevin Kilbane and Marcus Bent had put the visitors in control, before Leon McKenzie and Damien Francis pulled Norwich level.

Nigel Worthington made one change to the starting line up for the match against the Toffees after the battling 0-0 draw with West Brom the previous week.

David Bentley, on loan from Premiership champions Arsenal, was dropped to the bench and his place in the team was taken up by Danish captain Thomas Helveg. The only other change to the team came on the bench where Gary Doherty, fully recovered from an ankle injury, replaced Northern Ireland international Paul McVeigh who was dropped altogether.

The rest of the team picked itself with Robert Green in goal and the back four stalwarts of Marc Edworthy, Craig Fleming – making his 300th appearance for the club – Simon Charlton and captain Adam Drury also making an appearance milestone with 150 games, all which meant the line-up remained 4-4-2 with Helveg slotting in at right midfield with Mattias Jonson switching to the left hand side.

Gary Holt, making his 150th league appearance and Damien Francis completed the midfield quartet. Up front was Darren Huckerby and Leon McKenzie who was hoping to mark his third consecutive start with a goal.

Everton manager David Moyes refused to tinker with the team that grabbed a late winner against Premiership strugglers Southampton the previous week with former England keeper Nigel Martyn between the sticks, Tony Hibbert at right back, centre backs David Weir and Alan Stubbs and left back Alessandro Pistone.

Moyes’ five-man midfield was made up of home-grown talent Leon Osman on the right, three central midfielders Thomas Gravesen, Lee Carsley and Tim Cahill with Kevin Kilbane on the left wing. Up front for the Toffees was Marcus Bent, formerly of Ipswich Town.

The Canaries kicked off the match, which had the potential of plenty of needle following last season’s slanging match, towards the Norwich and Peterborough Stand looking to earn their first Premiership win of the season.

City started brightly and won a corner, which was taken by Huckerby after two minutes. The Canary hero curled the ball into the far post which was met by McKenzie but unfortunately, with the goal at his mercy, the former Posh striker appeared to leap too early and his header bounced before the goal and was easily collected by Everton keeper Nigel Martyn.

Leon McKenzie celebrates his first goal.

After four minutes McKenzie looked to atone for his miss when played in by Helveg but McKenzie’s run was crudely halted by Everton defender Alan Stubbs just inside the opposition’s half for a free-kick.

It was not long before Everton got themselves into the game when after seven minutes Everton’s home-grown talent, Leon Osman made a run on goal following a pass from Danish international Thomas Gravesen who was looking to put width on the game at every opportunity.
Osman cut into Norwich’s 18-yard box and unleashed a left-footed shot straight down the throat of Green.

Norwich looked to their bouncebackability and this was best demonstrated through Helveg who made an excellent ball-winning challenge on Everton’s Lee Carsley just on the centre spot.

The Dane was quick to his feet to play the ball to McKenzie who was in acres of space on the right wing. The City striker made a darting run into the Everton box and desperately tried to get the ball on his left foot but his shot was well blocked by Stubbs. Everton were quick to counter with a classic breakaway goal after 10 minutes.

Gravesen was again instrumental, acting as the pivot in midfield as he spread the ball out to former Ipswich Town player Marcus Bent who from the touchline, cut the ball into Tim Cahill. The former Millwall midfielder made his way into the Norwich City box and with the City defence looking for the shot, Cahill cut the ball back to an unmarked Kevin Kilbane at the far post who blasted his shot into the roof of the City net, giving Green no chance.

After 13 minutes Everton won yet another corner, this time taken by Gravesen from the left, the Dane curled the ball deep into the City box and was met by Cahill whose header was well saved by Green.

Both sides were seeing plenty of the ball but City’s quality in the final third was simply not up to scratch so far.

This was clearly demonstrated in the 19th minute as McKenzie, who started off very lively, made a breakaway down the right and crossed square to Francis. The 25-year-old City midfielder took one touch on the edge of the 18-yard box and let fly with a shot which continued rising over the goal.

On 25 minutes Canary captain Drury made an excellent ball winning challenge on the combative Gravesen. The ball fell to midfielder Holt who played Drury in again and the left-back found striker Huckerby in space inside the box. Huckerby dipped his shoulder to make it look like he was going to go for the by-line, but instead played the ball on to his right foot and hit a rocket of a shot but his accuracy was well off the mark as the ball soared high and wide of Martyn’s goal.

On 29 minutes, Fleming won the ball out of defence and the ball was played to McKenzie on the halfway line, but unfortunately the City striker laid the ball off directly to Everton left-winger, Kevin Kilbane.

The Toffees player then made a quick dart down the wing and his cross to the far post was well met by Bent but his header ricocheted off the back of Drury who knew nothing about it and went out to safety.

On the half-hour mark Huckerby made a good run down the left flank to the by-line to win a corner but unfortunately there was not enough of a City presence in the Everton box for him to cross to.

McKenzie followed this up by winning another corner on 32 minutes which was again well defended by Everton. The glaring failure with City so far this afternoon was their inability to maintain possession, which kept inviting Everton to construct wave after wave of attack.

On 34 minutes Helveg got into an advanced position and receiving the ball on the wedge of the box, floated a cross to the far post, which saw Huckerby and Martyn racing to meet. Unfortunately both players clattered into each other and ball rolled harmlessly out for goal kick.

Norwich, again on the defensive, did well to win the ball and were quick to counter in the 36th minute. The ball reached McKenzie on the halfway line, who played a delightful ball to the overlapping Edworthy who was cynically scythed down by Carsley for the first booking of the match. After 37 minutes, McKenzie with some good work on the left this time, crossed into the heart of the Everton six-yard box and Damien Francis did well to rise and meet the ball but his glancing header went tamely out for a goal kick.

Everton, who always looked dangerous on the break, doubled their lead in the 40th minute through Bent. It was that man Gravesen again at the heart of the move and it was his sublime through-ball which Bent latched on to and then round Fleming before steering his shot past the stranded Green.

Half-time: Norwich City 0, Everton 2.

The second-half saw Worthington make one change, taking off Helveg and replacing him with Swede Mathias Svensson for his third appearance of the season. Jonson took up Helveg’s place with Huckerby moving to the left wing and Svensson took his place up front alongside McKenzie.

Svensson’s introduction made an instant impact on the City team and on 47 minutes, he played a lovely ball through to McKenzie down the right wing but he was well marked off the ball by Pistone.

On 48 minutes in an almost action replay of the previous move, Svensson played in McKenzie again down the right, but this time the City striker beat his marker Stubbs inside the penalty area and after taking a moment to control the ball at his feet, steered a wonderful left-footed shot past Martyn for his first goal of the season.

Duncan Ferguson heads Everton’s winner to dash Norwich City’s hopes of a point.

A rejuvenated Norwich City went on the search of the equaliser and after 53 minutes Huckerby came close to grabbing it as he attempted to loop the ball over Martyn’s head, having found some space in the six-yard box. Unfortunately his effort looked to be going wide, despite a last ditch clearance from Stubbs who hooked the ball clear.

The City fans did not have long to wait, however, to celebrate again. City won their fifth corner of the game which was duly taken by Huckerby who curled a right-footed cross into the far post and which was met by Jonson who nodded in to the path of Francis inside the six-yard box. The City midfielder kept a cool head to pivot on his left leg and stroke the ball past Martyn from six-yards.

On 59 minutes Everton manager Moyes made a double substitution, taking off Cahill for Duncan Ferguson and Osman was replaced by Steve Watson.

With the changes, Everton reverted to a 4-4-2 with Ferguson joining Bent up front and Watson into the centre of midfield.

After 68 minutes Kilbane did well to turn Edworthy inside the City half and he was instantly given the ball back by Carsley for him to run in on Robert Green in the Canary goal. Kilbane unleashed a left-footed shot which first skidded off a damp Carrow Road surface before Green managed to collect at the second time of asking.

Huckerby was seeing plenty of ball on the left wing and on 70 minutes he managed to run to the edge of the 18-yard box before his cross was met at the far post by McKenzie. The former Posh striker attempted a scissor-kick but failed to make a clean connection with the ball.

Huckerby was again in the thick of the action in the 72nd minute following a great flick-on from McKenzie. Huckerby sprinted into the box with the ball at his feet as his marker Hibbert bided his time before putting in a wonderful goal saving challenge. Everton who had been on the back foot for most of the second half, landed a telling blow in the 73rd minute when almost from nothing, they snatched the lead again.

Gravesen made an opportunist’s run into the City box and under a challenge from Charlton, the ball spilled out to Watson who crossed from the right and found the giant frame of Ferguson who nodded in at the far post.

City refused to let their heads dip and were back on the attack on 74 minutes, it was Huckerby again making inroads into the Everton defence. He cut the ball back inside to McKenzie but his left-foot shot was skied into the crowd when at least he should have made the keeper work.

On 77 minutes, Weir was booked for retaliation for a challenge on him by McKenzie.

City continued to look for a second equalising goal of the game, a Jonson cross from deep was met at the far post by Fleming who headed back across goal for Francis to volley at the first time of asking but his shot was well blocked on the line by Carsley as the crowd appealed for handball.

On 78 minutes Moyes made another substitution replacing Bent with defender Joseph Yobo.

Worthington was forced into making a substitution on 82 minutes as McKenzie was replaced suffering from cramp with David Bentley. Jonson was also substituted for Gary Doherty.

City continued to pile the pressure on their visitors with much of the play being through Huckerby on the left but now with five in defence, City faced an uphill struggle. Doherty tried manfully to win the ball up against Weir in the 89th minute but was given very little change.

Everton showed their desperation for the final whistle when in possession Gravesen booted the ball from inside his own half towards the Norwich City corner flag.

City continued to battle valiantly to the final whistle but unfortunately came up short in their pursuit for their first win of the season.

Result: Norwich City 2, Everton 3