West Bromwich Albion 1 Everton 2

Everton manager David Moyes admitted that his side had been lucky to win at The Hawthorns in a game in which pre-season signings – or, in the visitors’ case, the lack of them – provided the main talking points.

While paying tribute to West Bromwich Albion’s quality of passing football, the Scot undermined such dignified humility by bemoaning the lack of business his club has made in the summer and suggesting that it is a “major achievement” for his side to win any Premier League game at the moment.

Judging by the mistakes that two of Albion’s higher-profile pre-season acquisitions made in gifting the visitors the goals that secured three points, in some ways Moyes should be thankful.

Abdoulaye Meite and Scott Carson were not poor throughout the whole game but, at the crucial moments, they made telling errors.

In stark contrast to their ordinary performances, a jet-lagged Gianni Zuiverloon was superb on his debut. If he was below his best, as he suggested after the game, one can only imagine how good he is after a decent night’s sleep.

Ironically, however, it was the absence of Albion’s record signing that Tony Mowbray’s side so sorely missed.

Borja Valero, the creative midfielder, was unavailable to start on Saturday due to arcane Uefa paperwork procedures. Had he been, the result would probably have been different.

Given the overwhelming percentage of possession the Baggies dominated, one assumes Valero would have revelled in his Deco role.

Albion desperately need someone who can spot and deliver an early pass. At times they resembled a ceremonial sword: all ornate craftsmanship and commendable handiwork but lacking the required effectiveness.

Everton were the opposite: unapologetically ugly and direct but capable of exacting the telling blow when the opportunity arose.
In that, there is a harsh lesson for Albion to observe.

Having out-played Everton for long periods by passing them off the park, they didn’t score: in two blows, Everton did.
The second and all-important goal was particularly displeasing from the Baggies perspective.

In punting the ball aimlessly upfield, former Wolverhampton Wanderers centre-back Joleon Lescott earned himself an unlikely assist. His 60-yard clearance landed between Meite – pronounced Mayday in this instance – and the oncoming but hesitant Carson. Both players halted and Yakubu popped up to apply the simplest of finishes.

The same pair can take blame for the first, too. Meite hashed a routine clearance only for Mikel Arteta to drive a low cross into the path of Leon Osman who fired low to Carson’s right, a shot the keeper should, really, have saved.

Mowbray did not splash out more than £3 million on a goalkeeper to let those in.

Albion lined up 4-5-1 and, as expected, Robert Koren returned for Marek Cech and Zuiverloon replaced Carl Hoefkens. After the Dutchman’s debut performance, the Belgian should get used to spending a lot of time on the bench.

With only Ishmael Miller up front, loosely supported by Kim Do-Hoen who, barring the odd neat turn did not impress as he did at Arsenal, the Baggies looked lightweight.

One cannot help but feel that Miller would pose far more problems if he were able to run at defenders. Asked to play as a target man, his questionable first touch is exposed and, frankly, he looks out of his depth.

Joseph Yobo and Lescott made sure he couldn’t turn – by fair means and foul – and only once in 90 minutes did Miller get Yobo isolated, at which point he slipped and fortuitously won a free kick.

And so the game plodded on with Albion painstakingly passing the ball into key areas of the pitch and winning corners – seven in the first half – all of which were either wasted by over-hit deliveries or easily headed away by a well-marshalled defence.

Everton keeper Tim Howard had one save to make, a sprawling dive to his right to fend off a scuffed effort from Koren from the edge of the box.
He should have been picking the ball out of the net just before the break.

Zuiverloon, who has an alarming turn of pace and consummate balance on the ball, broke down the right and delivered a vicious cross which evaded everyone including, sadly for Albion, the head of Miller who had slightly over-run it. Chris Brunt also came close in the first-half, firing over from 35 yards, and a couple of crosses were nearly met by players arriving late at the back post.

Brunt did not do much, but what he did do was notable. Shortly after the break he released Miller, who had for once broken the suffocating shackles of his markers, only to be denied as he tried to chip the on-rushing Howard.

Brunt was central to Albion’s breakthrough. A neat exchange of passes with Roman Bednar led to Phil Neville handballing in the box. Bednar dispatched the penalty with ease.

That it came from the spot says it all. Valero’s paperwork cannot be processed quickly enough.

Goals: Osman (65) 0-1; Yakubu (76) 0-2; Bednar (89) 1-2.
Albion (4-5-1): Carson; Zuiverloon, Meite, Barnett, Robinson; Greening, Koren (Bednar, 70, Morrison, Brunt, Do-Heon (MacDonald, 70); Miller (Beattie, 80). Subs: Kiely, Hoefkens, Cech.
Everton (4-4-2): Howard; Neville, Yobo, Lescott, Baines; Jagielka, Arteta, Rodwell, Baxter (Vaughan 58min), Osman; Yakubu 6 (Valente 87min). Subs: Turner, Jutkiewicz, Agard, Kissock, Wallace.
Referee: Rob Styles (Hampshire).
Bookings: Albion – Zuiverloon, Meite, Brunt; Everton – Osman.
Attendance: 26,190.