The Premier League game between Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Goodison Park on Saturday, Oct 17 2009.
All but the most optimistic Wolverhampton Wanderers supporters had come to Goodison Park hoping that their side would at least make it look competitive against an Everton side who have had all that confidence lost at the start of the ! season steadily seep back into them in recent weeks.
It's been mentioned before, but football is a funny game, and those same fans will have travelled back down the M6 feeling sick to the stomach with a 1-1 draw, a last gasp equaliser from Diniyar Bilyaletdinov denying them of what would have been a wonderful win.
David Moyes had said before this match that his Everton side were perking up. The funny thing was, it didn't look that way, and it wasn't long before Wolves started believing as though they could spring a surprise here and not only avoid another defeat, but actually go and win the thing.
Boosted by the return of Sylvan Ebanks-Blake up front and Michael Kightly on the right wing, Mick McCarthy's side badgered their opposition into apathy, and Goodison Park, though crammed, was unusually quiet. You could almost hear Mick McCarthy barking out his orders.
There was some action ! in the first half, but not a lot: Tim Cahill shot over, Chr! istophe Berra had a decent first time effort, Tim Howard saved with one hand from Kevin Doyle. Ebanks-Blake shot wide from six yards. The second half was more lively. Howard had the better of Ebanks-Blake with 25 minutes to go and a second later it was Yakubu at the other end, pulling his shot across goal.
Groans of the home support rumbled across the ground: they knew as well as the striker that he should have done better. Moyes removed Louis Saha, looking to his blue-booted Brazilian, Jo, for inspiration.
McCarthy, also looking for a new dimension, was about to bring on Stefan Maierhofer. But as the 6ft 7.5in Austrian striker hovered on the sidelines, Doyle found his way through, the Everton back four left stranded by the simplest of looped balls from Hennessy 'Route One' at its most basic. And effective. All Doyle needed to do was stick out his right boot, and tuck the ball past Howard into the corner.
Maierhofer came! on, but he was soon off again after collecting two yellows. In normal circumstances McCarthy might have reached supernova. As it was he was still in shock. Cahill had found Jo on the left, and the Brazilian's ball across the face of goal was tapped in at the far post by Bilyaletdinov - his first goal for the club.
At last Goodison had something to grin about.
