Sour taste for Toffees after Dinamo rout

Dinamo Bucharest 5 Everton 1

David Moyes’ side were carved apart in Romania and now have a mountain to climb if a place in the second round of the UEFA Cup is to be secured.

These are difficult days for the Scottish coach, who led the club to fourth in the table beyond everyone’s expectations last season.

Everton are finding it difficult to win a match now - this comprehensive defeat in this first leg match was their sixth in seven games.

Everton were stunned in the 27th minute when they went a goal down after a swift counter-attack.

Florentin Petre delivered the cross and Claudiu Niculescu bundled the ball home despite being under pressure from David Weir.

Everton could hardly believe it as they had enjoyed the majority of possession up until that point.

However, their response was emphatic - they drew level three minutes later with what, at the time, looked to be a priceless away goal.

Yobo got on the end of an in-swinging free-kick from Davies to head powerfully beyond goalkeeper Gaev to make it 1-1.

The Romanians gained the lead in the 52nd minute with a goal straight out of the top drawer. Niculescu delivered a superb cross into the path of Zicu, who got a marvellous first touch to clip a shot beyond Martyn.

Dinamo’s second goal had rattled the visitors and they were showing little of their early fluency.

Everton were having difficulty providing Marcus Bent with the kind of service a lone striker needs. They had lost the midfield with McFadden, making his first start of the season, unable to get any quality crosses in.

Everton boss Moyes was constantly patrolling the touchline, pondering how he could turn things to his side’s advantage.

Dinamo, though, added a third in the 71st minute with a stunning strike from Petre out on the right.

This was becoming a rout and an embarrassment for Everton as they began to buckle under a wave of attacks.

Everton’s problems increased in the 75th minute when Dinamo extended their lead to 4-1.

Again it was a spectacular goal, this time from sub Florin Bratu as he delivered an unstoppable shot beyond Martyn.

Sub Duncan Ferguson almost pulled one back, only for Bratu to get a fifth for Dinamo on the stroke of full-time through Bratu.

DINAMO BUCURESTI: V Gaev, L Goian, G Tamas, C Moti, C Pulhac, F Petre (83 G Galamaz) , S Margaritescu, M Plesan (78 V Munteanu) , S Grigorie, I Zicu, C Niculescu (61 F Bratu)

EVERTON: N Martyn, T Hibbert, J Yobo, D Weir, J Nuno Valente, L Osman, P Neville, T Cahill, S Davies (73 K Kilbane), J McFadden (78 D Ferguson) , M Bent

Referee: G Paparesta, Italy.