Relief at last for Moyes as Everton squeeze through
AEK ATHENS (0) vs EVERTON (1)
A SIXTH minute goal from Diniyar Bilyaletdinov was enough to hand struggling Everton a passage into the last 32 of the Europa League at a rain-soaked Olympic Stadium.
The Russian winger raced onto Jo’s brilliant through ball to seal a precious away victory and keep the pressure off under-fire boss David Moyes.
Victory, combined with Benfica’s 2-1 away success at BATE, ensured the under-strength Toffees qualified for the knockout stages of the competition as Group I runners-up with a game to spare.
But it came at a cost with the torrential weather contributing to the injuries of trio Dan Gosling, Sylvain Distin and Jo, thus adding to Moyes’s worries.
The Toffees got off to the best possible start when Brazilian Jo laid off for Bilyaletdinov to lash home past keeper Sebastian Saja and into the roof of the net.
AEK left stars Ismael Blanco, Nacho Scocco and Gustavo Manduca on the bench but their introduction prompted a late flurry which saw Youssef Hersi come closest with a shot that clipped the post.