For once Tim Cahill did not use his, and most wise ones will discount Everton's chances of bridging the gap to Aston Villa in the tussle for Europa League places, yet the Australian's last-minute goal nevertheless left them a point behind their rivals with three games remaining. Remarkably, Cahill's previous 11 goals for the club had come from his head but a tap-in prolongs their pursuit of seventh place.
This was the hardest-fought of victories for David Moyes's team, who took the lead three times to become only the third successful visitors at Ewood Park this season. The resilience which denied Chelsea and Manchester United had shown itself again as Steven Nzonzi and substitute Jason Roberts thrashed in long-range equalisers in the final quarter of the contest.
In terms of recent form this was a case of the irresistible force meeting the immovable object but the entrance of Yakubu a dozen minutes from the end proved crucial. First, the Nigerian striker nodded in with his first touch and then he squared for Cahill's winner as Everton kicked the habit of being denied late on.
"I thought here we go again, I was nearly losing the will, when they got the second goal," Moyes said. "We have played really well and not won games and I thought we played some really outstanding football. The first 20 minutes was scintillating from us but then they scored two worldies from long range."
Sam Allardyce waxed lyrical about the miserliness of his side's defence in his programme notes. Half-a‑dozen clean sheets in their previous 11 matches and indeed three in a row were, the manager reasoned, the blueprint for Rovers' rise from the lower reaches of the table.
Yet they were breached with less than 300 seconds on the clock, after the indefatigable Cahill took down Diniyar Bilyaletdinov's cross in the area, evaded one challenge from Gaël Givet and lost his legs to another from the recalled Ryan Nelsen.
Mikel Arteta, hors de combat for such a long stretch of the season, rolled the ball in from the penalty spot. "I thought he was on a different planet, simply magnificent," a satisfied Moyes said.
However, the Spanish midfielder was fortunate to remain on the field following a moment of petulance in the 20th minute that led to him poking Morten Gamst Pedersen in the eye in a heated confrontation. "By the letter of the law it's a red card," Allardyce complained, after referee Andre Marriner plumped for a caution.
Everton might have been two goals clear before Nzonzi fizzed a firecracker of a shot in from fully 30 yards but Cahill put a free header over, after losing the flight of the ball in the sun, and Leighton Baines's drive thumped an upright.
THE FANS' PLAYER RATINGS AND VERDICT
GORDON MOULDEN, Observer reader It was a cracking game for an end-of-season match – at one stage there were six centre-forwards on the pitch – but the result was a bit disappointing. We deserved a draw but we're not in any danger of going down. There were two decisive issues – we were caught cold by the early penalty and there was a contentious decision about whether Arteta should have been sent off when he was booked after 20 minutes. He raised his hands to Pedersen and many referees would have sent him off. He could count himself very lucky to stay on the pitch and it would have changed the match entirely.
The fan's player ratings Robinson 5; Salgado 7, Nelsen 6, Jones 7, Givet 7; Pedersen 6 (Roberts 64 8), N'Zonzi 8, Andrews 3 (Hoilett 71 5), Olsson 7 (Di Santo 90 n/a); Dunn 7; Kalinic 6
JOE JENNINGS, SOS1878.co.uk It's always difficult to come to clubs like Blackburn and we dealt with it pretty well, despite the occasional lapse of concentration. On the balance of play we deserved to win. Yakubu took a lot of stick after he took so long to come back from injury but there was no doubt that he won us the game with his impact. Arteta is very much our matador and he was brilliant today. I don't think he should have been sent off because Pedersen had kicked him two or three times on his achilles. Next season could be a big one for Everton if we get everyone fit and we start on the right foot.
The fan's player ratings Howard 7; Hibbert 7 (Yakubu 78 9), Jagielka 7, Distin 6, Baines 7; Neville 7; Pienaar 7, Arteta 8, Cahill 8, Bilyaletdinov 6 (Anichebe 69 7); Saha 5 (Yobo 90 n/a)
TO TAKE PART IN THE FANS' VERDICT, SPORT@OBSERVER.CO.UK
