NB: Video on this article has been removed in accordance to international license restrictions.
By Louis Anderson-Rich
Hello and welcome to Goodison Park where we have Everton hosting Stoke City in both sides’ first game back from the international break.
Plenty has been made of Manchester United running away with the Premier League title but there’s still plenty to play for elsewhere in the league.
Everton are still in the hunt for a Champions League spot or at the least a Europa Cup qualification and in order for them to achieve it they need to stay hot on the heels of Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.
Meanwhile Stoke appear safe but their dreadful start to 2013 sees them only 7 points from the drop-zone.
We bring you live streaming written commentary, video highlights and all the action of the English Premier League. Make sure you REFRESH your browser occasionally so you don’t miss any of the action. VIDEO will be available as soon as the final whistle goes.
ALL VIDEO NOW UP
------------------------------------
LIVE COMMENTARY: Everton 1 – 0 Stoke City
90+4 Min: That's it the whistle blows and it's all over!
90+1 Min: 3 added minutes to be played.
89 Min: Everton looking to grind this result out now but Shotton does have a long throw to put in...Headed away by Distin...
82 Min: Free kick for Everton down the right, crossed in by Coleman and cleared away by Shawcross.
80 Min: Charlie Adams on for Geoff Cameron and Peter Crouch comes off for Kenwyn Jones.
77 Min: Stoke with some neat play down the right, Shotton lays a backheel back for Jerome who shoots first time! Whistles over the cross bar!
74 Min: Another long throw from Ryan Shotton into the box...Everton deal with it easily though.
72 Min: Jelavic takes this one...it just goes wide! Massive curl on the ball just past the post.
71 Min: Baines steps up to take the free-kick...Plenty of power as the kick goes straight into the wall...ball goes back into the box and everyone's falling all over the place, eventually the ref awards a free-kick from exactly the same spot the last one was.
70 Min: Plenty of battle in the midfield and here comes Coleman, sends it off to Jelavic who takes it up to the edge of the box he goes down! Shawcross made the tackle, referee calls a free-kick right on the edge of the box! Shawcross picks up a yellow card.
62 Min: Stoke down the other end and it's Wilson who whips in a cross to the far post for Shotton! He heads just over!
61 Min: Nice ball over the top to Jelavic who makes space, nods it down for Mirallas who has a shot! Begovic gets down to save.
58 Min: Shotton chops down Baines and Everton have a corner...and then give away free-kick in the box for pushing.
57 Min: Stoke win a free-kick in a good spot...Wilson with the cruler to the backpost and it's met by Huth! Just wide!
55 Min: Stoke take it down the other end and have a corner themselves...Ball delivered into the box and there are suspicions of a handball but the referee is having none of it.
54 Min: Baines finds Anichebe with some room, he takes it to the defenders and shoots! Deflected behind for a corner...corner just punched away by Begovic!
53 Min: Another slow start to the half from both teams.
47 Min: Early corner for Stoke City...Cleared as far as Wilson who plays it wide to Walters whose cross is too heavy.
46 Min: Players are back out and Everton kick off to get the second half underway!
HALFTIME: there goes the whistle and that's halftime! Everton 1-0 Stoke
45+1 Min: One added minute to be played...Anichebe is fouled in the middle of the park by Whelan who was holding onto his arm and he is shown the first yellow card of the match.
45 Min: Corner is well over every player in the box.
44 Min: Mirallas and Anichebe link up nicely with a one-two, Mirallas across the face of goal, he's still goin, he shoots! Blocked behind for a corner.
42 Min: Free-kick for Stoke from about 30 yards out...will probably be floated into the box...It is but Stoke have a free-kick blown against them for an off the ball incident between Huth and Baines.
41 Min: Jelavic and Shawcross having some words off the ball.
40 Min: Walters fancies a go from beyond the box on the turn! Forces a great save by Tim Howard!
38 Min: Everton win a free-kick in a good position from about 25 yards...Jelavic with the low shot through the wall but Begovic saves with ease.
37 Min: Long throw from Shotton, falls to Wilson who scuffs his shot on the edge of the box but his shot bounced of Shawcross into the [ath of Crouch who shoots from 10 yards! Saved! Follow up put away! NO It's offside!
35 Min: Baines lets rip with a left footer from outside the box but it is blasted high and wide.
31 Min: Mirallas is all over Stoke at the moment as he terrorises Huth down the right wing, gets a cross in which almost falls on the head of Jelavic.
29 Min: Mirallas back on the ball outside the box and he goes for goal again! pulls it just wide with a low shot!
28 Min: Stoke with a free-kick, headed away by Jagielka and Mirallas gets on the end of it...he turns Nzonzi on the halfway line, he beats another defender! He's away! He's in the box! He's beats the keeper with a low shot and scores! GOAL!
25 Min: Coleman on the right...coming at Walters, he beats him, into the box and unleashes a shot on the left! Flies high and wide.
24 Min: Baines with another great cross for a diving Jelavic! Turned away for a corner...corner short and the cross for Jelavic at the backpost! He's posing a real aerial threat at the moment, he can't get that one down either though.
23 Min: Everton with the ball in midfield...Heitinga on the right, delivers a cross into the middle for Jealvic who it goes over but Baines is back out the other side, delivers back in for Jelavic! Headed at the keeper!
21 Min: Anichebe and Baines link up nicely into the box! Baines with a backheel that is cleared back out to Anichebe who delivers a cross that is cleared away.
18 Min: Wild cross-field ball by Heitinga is intercepted by Shotton who is fouled and Stoke have another free-kick to launch into the penalty box from halfway....Crouch gets up and gives away a foul.
17 Min: Walters with a near post ball for Cameron Jerome to poke one over but he can't get on the end of it.
15 Min: Mirallas with a cross-field ball to Baines that he tries to play back and Jerome intercepts...
15 Min: Plenty of play in the midfield at the moment but not many threatening attacks. Anichebe has a wild volley from way out. Doesn't trouble the keeper.
12 Min: Osman smacks a shot from outside the area! Appeals for handball against Wilson! Nothing given by the referee.
8 Min: Long free kick pumped up by Shawcross, Everton deal with it though and counter it's Victor Anichebe off to Mirallas out wider on his left. Mirallas tries to fire the ball across the box but Jelavic can't get on the end.
3 Min: Ryan Shotton drives forward for Stoke, Distin comes across and sees the ball out and Shotton has a chance at the long throw...right into the box and Crouch gets up to header to the back post! Howard with a fingertip save! Follow up from Walters hits the cross bar from 3 yards out!
2 Min: Early foray forward for Stoke with Jerome taking it up...takes a shot which is blocked.
1 Min: Stoke kick off and we are underway!
Players out on the field and we are very close to getting underway!
Starting line ups have been announced...Stoke XI to face Everton - Begovic, Cameron, Huth, Whelan, Wilson, Nzonzi, Shawcross, Walters, Crouch, Shotton, Jerome.
Everton XI to face Stoke: Howard, Baines, Coleman, Distin, Heitinga, Jagielka, Gibson, Mirallas, Osman, Anichebe, Jelavic.
Kick-off isn’t far away but in the meantime you can watch highlights of Everton’s last game before the international break against Manchester City.
------------------------------------
Possible line-ups:
Everton: Howard, Distin, Jagielka, Coleman, Baines, Osman, Gibson, Naismith, Pienaar, Fellaini, Jelavic.
Subs (from): Heitinga, Barkley, Mucha, Francisco, Gueye, Vellios, Duffy, McAleny, Oviedo, Hitzlsperger.
Stoke City: Begovic, Shawcross, Huth, Cameron, Wilkinson, Whelan, Nzonzi, Walters, Crouch, Jones, Etherington.
Subs (from): Nash, Sorensen, Whitehead, Palacios, Owen, Ness, Upson, Kightly, Arismendi, Jerome, Edu, Adam.
Pregame Banter:
Everton started the season with plenty of promise as they have often in the past but this season it’s different. They’ve kept up the moment.
After sitting in the Champions League spots for much of 2012, Everton have managed to stay in the hunt for Europe’s top competition and currently sit in sixth, six points off fourth placed Tottenham Hotspurs.
Their 2-0 victory over Manchester City just before the international break has given them a confidence that they will look to keep up against Stoke City, but manager David Moyes knows it will be tough.
“It was what we needed after the Wigan (FA Cup loss) but the Man City game has gone now and we now have to do well against Stoke City,” says Moyes.
“We know Stoke are hard to beat.
“We have had a couple of very good performances this year and that was certainly up there,” Moyes adds.
Stoke are currently in the midst of a terrible run in which they’ve only won one of their last 11 games.
Currently sitting on 11th they may not appear to be in relegation danger, but are only seven points ahead of 18th placed Wigan and if their run continues they could find themselves as surprise contenders to go down.
3 News
source: newshub archive
