Everton vs Bournemouth. Premier League.
Goodison ParkAttendance38,345.
Saturday 30 April 2016 18:16, UK
Everton left-back Leighton Baines scored the winner against Bournemouth to give Roberto Martinez a much-needed 2-1 win at Goodison Park on Saturday.
Baines struck the decisive goal of the game in the 64th minute, rattling home Aaron Lennon's low pass to consign the visitors to a fifth defeat in six games.
Tom Cleverley had earlier opened the scoring for Everton after only eight minutes but saw his strike instantly cancelled out by a Marc Pugh equaliser.
Bournemouth pushed hard for an equaliser in the closing stages but never really extended Tim Howard, who was named captain on his penultimate Goodison Park appearance.
But despite winning the game, several supporters remained behind after full-time and held up banners requesting Martinez's removal and his future will remain in doubt despite this narrow victory, only Everton's fifth of the season at home.
At one point a sign was flown over the ground stating it was "time to go Roberto" and the home side's performance in the first half will have done little to change the minds of disgruntled supporters.
The goals which the period brought were separated by barely a minute and were the only real entertainment in a first half dominated by seemingly endless Everton possession but no cutting edge.
The home side had almost 64 per cent of possession in that time and managed just two shots on target as they adopted a slow and - at times - tedious approach.
Cleverley's goal came after the midfielder took a superb first touch to take his marker out of the game and steer a low shot inside Artur Boruc's left-hand post.
But almost immediately, Bournemouth were level after Callum Wilson beat Premier League debutant Matthew Pennington to the ball - amid strong Everton appeals for a foul - before delivering a cross which found Marc Pugh, who bundled a shot underneath Howard.
Bournemouth had the next good chance of the game when Matt Ritchie saw his snapshot from the edge of the box well blocked after a marauding Charlie Daniels run from left-back and Ross Barkley forced Boruc into a point-blank save with his chest after exchanging passes with Oumar Niasse.
The second half was a much more open affair, partly because both teams tired, and partly because Bournemouth adopted an attacking outlook after going behind to Baines' goal.
The full-back took it in the style of a seasoned striker, powering home a first-time shot after Lennon's cross had evaded everyone else.
Bournemouth were energised by the introduction of substitutes Junior Stanislas and Benik Afobe but the latter spurned the visitors' best chance of the game when he diverted a header over from a fine Wilson cross 12 minutes from time.
Everton had, to the nostalgic delight of their supporters, put on Tony Hibbert as a second-half substitute for his first appearance in 16 months, and there was a glimpse of the future as well as the past when 18-year-old forward Kieran Dowell was given a late cameo.
Martinez has this week spoken of his faith in the club's emerging younger players but it remains to be seen if the manager will be given the chance to oversee their first-team development in the long term.
Soccer Saturday verdict - Charlie Nicholas
It was such a classy start what Everton did with the 'Justice for 96', but it was flat after that because everyone is waiting for this Everton team to excite them the way they did earlier in the season - and that didn't quite materialise. It got a lot better for them in the second half.
Bournemouth were hard done by. I thought they played well again today. All round, Roberto Martinez will be delighted and I will point out that the protestors waited right until the end. They didn't have them during the game. They sat and were quiet and right at the final whistle a lot of them stayed to protest against Martinez and unfortunately, and I think wrongly, against Bill Kenwright.
Player ratings
Everton: Howard (6), Besic (6), Stones (7), Pennington (6), Baines (7), McCarthy (6), Gibson (6), Lennon (7), Barkley (7), Cleverley (6), Niasse (6).
Subs: Hibbert (6), Lukaku (6), Dowell
Bournemouth: Boruc (5), Francis (6), Elphick (7), Cook (7), Daniels (7), Ritchie (7), Arter (5), Surman (5), Pugh (6), Wilson (7), King (6).
Subs: Stanislas (6), Afobe (6), Grabban
Man of the match: Ross Barkley
