The Spark We Needed?

Turning points are something Evertonians are well versed in searching for. Under Moyes it seems like almost every season needed one, a spark which can lead to a improvement in fortunes. It can be a tackle, performance or a result.

One of the most clear instances of this was in 2008, as Everton were 1-0 down to Man Utd at home. Everton had lost four out of the five previous matches including the Merseyside Derby and being knocked out of the Uefa Cup. The atmosphere inside Goodison needed a lift as it was looking like another defeat. What happened was Phil Neville flew in on a tackle against Cristiano Ronaldo, a clean tackle but one that took both man and ball. Handbags ensued an Goodison erupted. Goodison can be described as a bearpit at it’s best and Neville had poked the proverbial bear. Everton played a lot better, equalized and won our next three matches.

In football I believe sometimes there can be an ‘X’ factor, a hidden element that is impossible to coach, analyze or plan for. Where for some reason or other, things either do or don’t go your way. It has been seen with two other teams this season in Chelsea and Leicester, no-one can quite work out how one is doing so badly and the other so well. Against Chelsea, Besic got injured and his replacement scored Everton’s first Premier League hat-trick in four and a half years. Against Leicester we had two individual errors and a bad decision. In recent weeks for Everton is seemed as though things were destined to go against us. Martinez must have been scratching his head as to how we were dominating games but not winning.

After 92 minutes on Boxing Day his must have felt is was deja vu, we all did. Everton fans were ready to unleash their full-time fume at the manager, but a mistake by Rob Elliot, who had been fantastic all night, in punching the ball when it could have been caught landed perfectly on Cleverley’s head for him to lob it into the net. Before that it seemed all the old mistakes hadn’t been learnt, wasteful in front of goal and susceptible to the counter attack, after Cleverley’s header, none of it mattered.

It didn’t matter because the performance was there. It didn’t matter because it felt like a big moment. It didn’t matter because there is nothing like a last minute winner. Especially from the 'last kick of the game’ which is how both Michael Owen and Martinez described the header.

The players reacted wildly, Cleverley ran over to the bench, towing Besic on his back. Lukaku looked like a man possessed, Stones went into delirium. It felt a lot more than securing just the three points. The players showed how much they cared, players who will be playing in the Champions League in a few years showed how much an away win in the Premier League for Everton meant to them. Fans remember Phil Neville’s challenge, hopefully Tom Cleverley’s header will be remembered for much the same. Everton needed a spark, hopefully that was it.