English Premiership
Everton extend unbeaten run
2012-04-28 18:28
Everton coach David Moyes (File)
|
Liverpool - A double from in-form Croatian striker Nikica Jelavic inspired Everton to a 4-0 walloping of Fulham on Saturday and extend their unbeaten streak in the Premier League to six.
Jelavic's goals plus one apiece from Marouane Fellaini and Tim Cahill bolstered their hopes of finishing above city rivals Liverpool for the first time since 2005 and was the third successive match they had scored four goals.
Defeat leaves Fulham safely in mid-table but still without a win at Everton in their history - they last took a point there in 1959 19 matches ago.
The hosts broke the deadlock in the seventh minute when Russian striker Pavel Pogrebnyak was somewhat harshly judged to have handled the ball deliberately when he was trying to protect himself getting hit in the face.
However, despite their protests the referee Phil Dowd pointed to the spot and Jelavic stepped up to convert it.
Jelavic - one of the signings of the season when he was snapped up by David Moyes in the January transfer window from cash-strapped Rangers - almost doubled his tally 10 minutes later after some fine approach work by him.
However, he saw his shot cannon back off a post with Fulham 'keeper Mark Schwarzer beaten.
The Australian veteran, though, was picking the ball out of the net soon afterwards as Fellaini headed home, though, Damien Duff should have done better to hack it off the line.
It was one way traffic and Everton were 3-0 up before half-time as Jelavic pounced on Stephen Pienaar's fine pass which split the visitors' defence and he slotted past Schwarzer for his 10th goal since joining from Rangers.
The hosts strolled through the second-half and added another as Australian star Cahill converted another fine pass by Pienaar to put the game well beyond a flat and disappointing Fulham outfit.
Indeed Jelavic went close to grabbing a hat-trick as he produced a fine curling freekick which beat the wall but not Schwarzer, who got his fingertips to it to turn it away for a corner.