Premier League: Everton 3 Reading 1

Everton maintained their push for European football next season with a resounding 3-1 win over Reading at Goodison Park on Saturday.

Everton maintained their push for European football next season with a resounding 3-1 win over Reading at Goodison Park on Saturday.

Goals from Marouane Fellaini, Steven Pienaar and Kevin Mirallas gave
the Toffees victory after David Moyes’ side had lost their previous
two league fixtures.

Hal Robson-Kanu scored the visitors’ goal late on, but Reading have now lost eight of their past 10 games away from home.

Everton made two changes to the side that eased past Oldham Athletic in the FA
Cup, Jan Mucha replacing Tim Howard in goal and Marouane Fellaini coming in
for Phil Neville.

Reading meanwhile made three changes with Stuart Taylor, Noel Hunt and Adam Le
Fondre replacing Adam Federici, Pavel Pogrebnyak and Jem Karacan in the 11
beaten 3-0 by Wigan Athletic last weekend.

Jimmy Kebe needed to be replaced 19 minutes in for Reading after the lively
winger picked up a groin injury and had to make way for Robson-Kanu.

Reading were almost in front shortly after through Le Fondre, the striker
rattling the woodwork from just inside the box after a corner.

Nikica Jelavic then found his way in behind the defence from a great long ball
but the out-of-form striker drove his shot against the legs of Taylor and away
for a corner.

Mirallas very nearly scored one of the goals of the season just after the
half-hour mark, bursting forward from the halfway line before firing a right-footed
shot from the edge of the area that Taylor somehow managed to save.

Fellaini put the hosts in front after 42 minutes, heading home from close range
after a great right-wing cross from Seamus Coleman, putting Everton up 1-0 at
the break.

Everton’s Belgian contingent of Fellaini and Mirallas both went close before
Jelavic and Fellaini failed to convert during a frenzied scramble in the
Reading penalty area.

Pienaar got Everton’s second after 58 minutes, collecting the ball on the
halfway line from Fellaini before charging towards the Reading goal. The winger
cut inside on his left foot at the edge of the area before unleashing an
unstoppable strike into the top left corner of the goal to make it 2-0.

It was almost three for the Toffees a few minutes later when Mirallas’
tremendous close control in the area saw him drill past the far post where
Fellaini was running for a tap-in.

The visitors were appealing for a penalty when a cross struck the arm of
Sylvain Distin, but the referee did not give the spot kick.

A terrific performance from Mirallas deserved a goal and the winger got it
after 66 minutes, hooking the ball in at the near post after Pienaar’s through
ball.

Jobi McAnuff had Mucha sprawling at the left hand post with a great shot before
the goalkeeper stopped Hunt scoring from Robson-Kanu’s cross.

Darron Gibson and McAnuff then both went close with great efforts at either end
just a minute apart.

Robson-Kanu pulled one back for Reading late on with a close range header from Ian
Harte’s cross before Victor Anichebe had an effort cleared off the line.