Everton 1 - Middlesbrough 0

Really, tell me who needs Wayne Rooney? Certainly not third-placed Everton after this stunning battling display to extend our best ever start to a Premiership season. Marcus Bent got the goal that meant Everton are still unbeaten since the opening day of the Barclays Premiership season while a defence of heroes defiantly withstood a fierce late Middlesbrough barrage.



In fact there were heroes everywhere. David Weir and Alan Stubbs at the back, the all-action Thomas Gravesen in the middle and plenty of supporting roles played by the likes of Leon Osman, Kevin Kilbane and Tony Hibbert. Somehow Everton have emerged from a summer of financial, internal crisis and critics who claimed this would be a relegation battle season from the off for us.

Everton controlled the game from the very beginning, could have went in to half time with an least a 2-0 deposit!!





The ball broke for Osman on the 47th minute, who found Bent on the halfway line. Bent raced away into an empty half, held off Chris Riggott, and saw his shot deflect in off Schwarzer's diving body for his second goal for the club and first at Goodison Park. It was all Boro after this, they kept bombarding the boys in Blues and McFadden could have wrapped up the game as he ran 50 yards with the ball but only for Schwarzer to pick it away from his toes!! It was a nail-bitting last 15minutes in Goodison, and certainly not a scene for the faint-hearted..

Everton 1 Middlesbrough 0 match report