Everton 5 - 1 Huddersfield Town

Aug 26 2010

PREMIER League pace and power told as Everton went nap to douse Town’s hopes of a cup upset.

And to rub salt into the wounds, right-back Lee Peltier was sent off for two bookable offences.

Lee Clark’s side produced a battling performance, and John Heitinga’s 40th-minute own goal, which reduced the arrears after early strikes by Marouane Fellaini and Jack Rodwell, provided hope.

But the home team flexed their muscles in the second half, adding to their tally with a Jermaine Beckford penalty and goals by Clark’s old Fulham teammate Louis Saha and Leon Osman.

Both managers made changes, with Clark handing a surprise first start of the season to Theo Robinson, recalling childhood Everton fan Gary Roberts for a dream first-ever outing at Goodison and handing a full debut to on-loan Derby man Lee Croft.

Strikers Jordan Rhodes and Joe Garner dropped to the bench while Anthony Pilkington was left out to nurse a knock picked up in training.

While new strike signing Alan Lee watched from the stand after completing his move from Crystal Palace, the Town team included ex-Evertonians Peter Clarke and Gary Naysmith, who were given a great reception by the home supporters.

Everton’s David Moyes handed debuts to Slovakian World Cup goalkeeper Jan Mucha, in place of American ace Tim Howard, and French frontman Magaye Gueye, signed from Strasbourg.

Osman, bright midfield hope Rodwell and Seamus Coleman also came in.

Town’s 5,000-plus followers were in great voice early on, especially after Jamie McCombe tested Mucha with a fourth-minute header from Croft’s cross.

But they were silenced in the seventh minute, when Fellaini headed Everton in front.

The big Belgian midfielder had already had a shot blocked, but this time the ball arrowed into the net from Gueye’s pinpoint cross.

It was a big setback – and things got worse seven minutes later as Everton exploited gaps in midfield to go two up, Rodwell rifling home a low shot after slick approach play by the busy Fellaini and Stephen Pienaar.

Town stuck to their task, however, and were playing some neat football while also closing Everton down more quickly.

Peltier drove a 17th-minute shot over after a Gary Roberts free-kick into the box was cleared by Fellaini, then Roberts robbed left-back Coleman and set up Robinson, only for the striker to be ruled offside.

Joey Gudjonsson had a long-range free-kick blocked on 24 minutes before setting up Roberts, who beat Coleman to a low delivery but fired too high.