Benito Carbone's double strike eased Sheffield Wednesday's relegation fears
and plunged Everton into the bottom three of the Premiership.
Francis Jeffers fired Everton into an early lead at Goodison Park but Carbone
turned the match on its head.
The Italian cashed in on defensive blunders to snatch an equaliser seven
minutes into the second-half and a 68th-minute winner.
Wednesday's win and Charlton's 1-0 victory at West Ham - secured by former
Everton forward Graham Stuart - saw Alan Curbishley's man climb out of the
relegation zone and left Everton third-from-bottom.
Everton led at half-time through Jeffers' 12th-minute opener but their game
collapsed after the break as fear spread like wildfire through their ranks.
Wednesday took full advantage and Everton have now lost four games in
succession, including Saturday's Merseyside derby defeat at Liverpool.
Danny Wilson made four changes to the Wednesday side beaten by Coventry on
Saturday - including the return of former Everton defender Andy Hinchcliffe - as
he looked to halt a worrying run of defeats that had seen the Owls drop five
places.
Everton boss Walter Smith recalled Tony Grant and installed Jeffers up front
alongside Kevin Campbell.
It all started so well for Everton, with Campbell giving the visitors' defence
plenty of problems in the air, winning virtually everything that came his way.
Carbone lifted his shot over the bar from Andy Booth's nod down but Everton
seized the initiative through Jeffers.
Campbell's challenge on Pavel Srnicek, as the pair went for a David Unsworth
long ball, caused the 'keeper to spill the ball to Jeffers, who hooked it home
expertly from 20 yards.
Campbell then created chances for Nicky Barmby and Jeffers as he continued to
win much of the aerial possession against Jon Newsome and Emerson Thome.
Everton continued to look the more enterprising, and Jeffers' overhead hook
almost crept in at the far post with Srnicek stranded.
Wednesday were being really stretched at this stage and Hinchcliffe almost put
through his own net as he stretched to deflect a David Weir through ball away
from Barmby's run.
The contrast after the break was alarming for Everton, as a nightmare unfolded
before the eyes of their desperate fans.
The inevitable soon happened with a mistake by Unsworth presenting Carbone
with a 52nd-minute equaliser.
Marco Materazzi and Thomas Myhre both fatally hesitated as they went for a
through ball, and the Italian opted for a short pass that put Unsworth in deep
trouble.
The big defender tried to stab the ball back to his 'keeper but mishit it
completely and gifted Carbone a chance that he gleefully drove under Myhre.
Four minutes later Srnicek made an excellent save from Jeffers in the box,
and, as the ball broke, it looked as if Andy Booth brought down Scot Gemmill,
but referee Mike Reed waved away Everton penalty appeals.
But it was Carbone, with his speed and clever flicks and turns, who was
causing Everton heart failure by now and they didn't learn their lesson.
After 68 minutes Materazzi tried another short back pass, and Carbone punished
the Merseysiders again by scampering clear to put Wednesday into the lead.
It was desperation time now and Smith threw on Michael Ball, Danish winger
Peter Degn and Ibrahima Bakayoko to try to salvage something.
But Carbone almost created a third in the dying minutes with a lightning break
and cross but Jonk headed inches over the bar.
The final whistle was greeted with a booing from all quarters accept the
pocket of Yorkshire fans who clearly believe their top flight future is safe
now.
Teams:
Everton: Myhre, Weir, Short, Materazzi (Degn 75), Unsworth,
Grant (Ball 75), Dacourt, Gemmill, Barmby (Bakayoko 77),
Campbell, Jeffers.
Subs Not Used: Cadamarteri, Simonsen.
Goals: Jeffers 12.
Sheff Wed: Srnicek, Atherton, Newsome, Thome, Hinchcliffe,
Alexandersson (Scott 79), Jonk, Sonner, Rudi, Booth,
Carbone (Cresswell 90).
Subs Not Used: Briscoe, Agogo, Pressman.
Booked: Booth.
Goals: Carbone 52, 68.
Att: 35,270
Ref: M Reed (Birmingham).
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