MH: We Never Threatened

Mark Hughes was disappointed at his side?s performance at Goodison this weekend as they fell to their second defeat in seven days.

The manager?s main complaint was they failed to really trouble the home side despite playing most of the game with an extra man following the dismissal of Everton debutant keeper Ian Tuner.

‘We had plenty of possession as you’d expect being an extra guy to the good but never at any point did we have a sustained spell of pressure.’ said Hughes.

In fact it was Everton who started the better before Turner got sent-off they could have been two goals up. Cahill had an effort from just outside the area rightly ruled out for offside and James McFadden should have done better after latching on to a knockdown following some confusion between Lucas Neill and Brad Friedel. However with eight yards out an only a defender on the goal-line to beat he smashed his shot against the bar.

Then came what should have been a turning point in the game as Everton keeper was sent-off for handling the ball outside the area. He was replaced by John Ruddy Everton?s fourth choice keeper but in the rest game Blackburn never really tested him. The closest the came to a goal was a shot from Sinama Pongolle from 5 yards out which shaved the right hand post.

So it was left to Everton to continue to create the best chances and dispite having another Cahill effort ruled out for offside they did take the lead. Rovers defence was left sleeping as Arteta floated in a free kick into the path of James Beattie who thunderbolt of a header left Friedel with no chance as it flew into the top corner.

Rovers did start the second half better and perhaps were unlucky not to have got a penalty when Phil Neville appeared to have handled in the box but Everton also had another goal chalked of this time Stubbs was adjudged to have fouled the defender while heading the ball into the bottom comer.