Marouane Fellaini celebrates his goal for Everton (Reuters)
Back in my EPL season preview I predicted that Everton were going to have a pretty good year and should not be overlooked. So far in this new league campaign they've proven me splendidly correct. On Saturday they traveled to Whales to take on Swansea, another team that has generally started off the new season on the right foot.
That is where the favorable comparison ends though, because Everton blew the Swans off their own pitch, right from the opening whistle. They began creating chances right off the bat in the second minute when Leighton Baines sent a free kick into the Swansea penalty area. Victor Anichebe got his head to it and forced the save from Michel Vorm. However, it was not the last that Swans would hear from Everton's Nigerian attacker.
It wasn't just Anichebe though. In the third minute Kevin Mirallas earned another save from Vorm on a close range shot, and then had a header saved as well. After 4 minutes, Everton could have easily been up 0-2.
The Toffees continued their pressure through the first half and finally made it pay off in the 22nd minute. Marouane Fellaini brilliantly brought down a long ball in the area and directed toward Anichebe, who slammed the volley past a stunned Vorm to make it 0-1 to Everton. Replays showed that while Fellaini did bring the ball down with his chest, he used his forearm to help direct it to Anichebe, but it went unnoticed in the crowded penalty area and the goal stood.
Late in the first half Swansea finally began to get their feet under them in their own home stadium. They gradually earned more possession of the ball and got a first chance on 37 minutes, when Michu missed a header after a corner kick. They nearly equalized in the 39th when Sung Yueng Ki sliced a shot that looked certain to curl around Tim Howard and inside the far post. Luckily for the American, it curled just wide instead.
After that wake up call Everton decided that they needed more than a one goal lead heading in to halftime. In the 43rd minute Steven Pienaar crossed the ball into to Mirallas, whose first slap shot was parried by Vorm. However the rebound went right back to him and he easily headed it into the empty net to make it 0-2 going to the break.
Everton continued the show early in the second half. Mirallas hit the bar in the 53rd minute and it was immediately followed by a nice shot from Anichebe that was well saved by Vorm. It got worse for Swansea in the 58th minute when Nathan Dyer picked up his second yellow card in just 13 minutes, leaving Swans a man down for the duration of the match.
Following the sending off Swansea were never really able to threaten Howard's goal, and Everton pushed for a third to ice the match. They nearly got in the 73rd minute. Fellaini headed a ball goal bound off of a corner kick that beat Vorm, but a Swans player cleared it off the line at the last second. Fellaini did get his goal in the 82nd though, heading in a Baines free kick to make the full time score 0-3 and cap a fine performance by David Moyes' men.
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