Everton devastated by Man City

Manchester City 5 Everton 1

Manchester City ended a miserable season with a five-star display to compound Everton’s own misery as they bowed out on a depressing low note.

The customary lap of honour followed this victory, although as one City supporter had observed before kick off “they don’t deserve it”.

“It could have been far worse,” was the reply, and that sums up the season for despite this last-day romp, the result fails to disguise the fact this has been a campaign manager Kevin Keegan will want to forget in a hurry.

He will need no reminding that in pre-season he boldly predicted a top-six finish and with it a place in Europe, words that have come to haunt him on countless occasions.

That City narrowly avoided relegation will not be lost on him, the board of directors, players and the supporters who expected so much more.

For a club £58million in debt, sinking back into the Football League would have been unthinkable, so with a collective sigh of relief the past nine months can be consigned to memory and experience.

There may well initially be a post-mortem, but the summer will be a time for the club to gather their thoughts, rebuild and hopefully emerge stronger next season.

Ironically, exactly the same can be said for Everton, who failed to follow up the high of their seventh-placed finish of a year ago and who came into the season with hopes at a premium.

So much was expected of manager David Moyes, Wayne Rooney et al, but to finish one place off the relegation zone with their lowest top-flight points total since 1888-89 will surely leave everyone in the Everton camp heading into the closed season with an empty feeling.

Moyes has promised changes, but like Keegan has virtually nothing to spend, which will mean a summer of wheeling and dealing in the bargain basement and with the prospect of a further season of struggle come August if the right personnel fail to be found.

At least Keegan was able to smile come the final whistle as his side enjoyed a stroll on home turf, albeit only the fifth victory this season in front of their own fans.

It was the long-legged frame of Paulo Wanchope who stole the show for after Richard Dunne had headed narrowly wide a Paul Bosvelt free-kick in the 10th minute, the Costa Rican took the spotlight.

Six minutes later Wanchope poached his fifth goal of the season – and his third in three games – after a Nicolas Anelka flick had spun off Everton captain David Weir into the striker’s path.

Anelka took an indecisive touch, but the ball bounced kindly for him to stab home past former England international Nigel Martyn.

On the half hour Wanchope and City made it 2-0, this time the crowd favourite steering home another close-range effort after Anelka had sliced a Claudio Reyna cross into his path, and with the ball also taking a kind ricochet off Lee Carsley.

If fortune had been on City’s side for those two goals, there was no doubting the quality of the third four minutes from the break.

Wanchope was clearly enjoying his afternoon’s work and he produced a rangy run before teeing up Anelka who, despite having Carsley and skipper David Weir barring his path to goal, still managed to thread the ball home for his 24th of the season.

Everton had barely figured as an attacking force before the break, so no wonder Moyes sent out his beleaguered troops a few minutes ahead of the restart, probably with their ears still ringing after an interval roasting.

The visitors temporarily responded, initially with Tomasz Radzinski flashing a drive from just outside the area a yard beyond the post before they pulled one back on the hour.

Kevin Campbell, a half-time substitute for James McFadden, beat David James with a fine downward header to an inswinging Rooney corner, but that was as much as Everton could muster.

They then foundered in the closing stages, initially with two of Keegan’s second-half substitutes combining in the 89th minute as Jon Macken fed Antoine Sibierski for a 15-yard curler past a leaden-footed Martyn.

Less than 90 seconds later and it was an emphatic 5-1 as Shaun Wright-Phillips, named City’s player of the season before the match, went on a run from just inside his own half which culminated in a rasping finish.