Toffees hitting their sticky patch

HAVE Everton run out of steam as the race for the fourth and final Champions League spot enters the finishing straight?

That was the question their fans were asking themselves as they filed out of Goodison Park yesterday after a desperately poor game which the hosts narrowly won courtesy of Leon Osman’s first Premier League goal since November.

David Moyes’ side remain on Liverpool’s coat tails, three points behind their fourth-placed neighbours with five games remaining. But Everton’s chances of finishing above Rafael Benitez’s side for the second time in four seasons are beginning to fade, despite ending a three-match run without a win.

In a season in which the highs have far outweighed the lows, this was without doubt one of Everton’s most disappointing displays. Against a Derby side which has become the quickest team in Premier League history to be relegated, Everton laboured to an unimpressive win.

After the match, Moyes stressed the importance of points over performances at the business end of the season. He is right, of course, yet with matches against Chelsea and Arsenal to come, Everton will certainly have their work cut out if they are to host Champions League football.

“There’s no doubt that we’re in a spell where we are not playing as well as we can do,” said Moyes. “The players have done really well this season, but we didn’t show an awful lot of energy. However, the result was all that was important.”

On paper this ought to have been a nailed-on three points for Everton against a Derby side which is clearly out of its depth at this level.

Relegated before April Fools’ Day, Paul Jewell’s team had nothing but pride to play for after a season of unwanted records. Not only are they the quickest team in Premier League history to fall through the trapdoor, they are also on course to return to the Championship with the fewest number of Premier League points.

Yesterday, they produced one of their better performances of the campaign to give Jewell a glimmer of encouragement for next season.

Everton looked nothing like a side chasing a top-four finish after a sluggish performance which saw Derby carve out the better chances.

Tim Howard was forced to make fine saves to deny Mile Sterjovski and David Jones after 19-goal Yakubu had wasted a golden chance to become the first Everton player since Peter Beardsley to score 20 goals in a season.

When Derby keeper Roy Carroll made an impressive stop to beat out Manuel Fernandes’ stinging effort shortly after the interval, it looked as though Everton were heading for frustration before Osman produced the killer blow in the 55th minute.

Not for the first time during this utterly depressing season for Derby, Jewell’s side were guilty of ball watching as Fernandes found Osman unmarked inside the area and the former Derby loan signing settled a game to forget from 15 yards.

EVERTON (4-4-2): Howard 7, Neville 6, Yobo 6, Lescott 6, Baines 6, Arteta 6 (Valente, 90, 3), Carsley 6, Osman 8, Fernandes 7 (Jagielka, 76, 4), Johnson 6, Yakubu 6 (Anichebe, 72, 4).

Subs Not Used: Wessels, Gravesen.

DERBY (4-4-2): Carroll 7, Todd 6, Leacock 6, Moore 6, Lewis 6, Sterjovski 6 (Mears, 50, 5), Ghaly 7, Savage 6, Jones 6, Miller 6, Villa 6.

Subs Not Used: Price, McEveley, Earnshaw, Feilhaber.

REFEREE: Andre Marriner (West Midlands) 6: Stamped his authority from a very early stage in a game of few incidents and little controversy.

MATCH RATING: * A shocker. Apart from the goal, there was little to warm the hearts of the Everton faithful on a freezing Merseyside afternoon.