- Goals traded in 1st 10 mins
- Baines wins it with tidy finish
- Howard nabs win in “tribute”
After a moving tribute to the Hillsborough 96, Tom Cleverley and Leighton Baines handed Everton boss Roberto Martinez a much-needed win.
Marc Pugh scored for Bournemouth, which fell 2-1 to the Toffees at Goodison Park on Saturday.
USMNT keeper Tim Howard, off to Colorado after the season, was given a rare start and the captain’s armband in what could be the start of a fitting send-off for the Everton veteran.
Everton is in 11th with 44 points, while Bournemouth’s 41 peg them 14th.
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The fireworks were early, and controversy was in the house as well.
Cleverley collected the last pass of a neat bit of Everton possession, and cut neatly to give the Toffees the lead with a left-footed shot in the 7th minute.
But minutes later, Everton defender Matt Pennington was shoved aside by Callum Wilson on the left side. No call came, and Pennington stopped to remonstrate for a second as Wilson shouldered the ball forward. The move ended with Pugh beating Howard, and it was 1-1.
The second half saw chances sprinkled to both sides before Aaron Lennon‘s cutback carried through the 18 to Baines, who popped a clever high shot past Artur Boruc. 2-1.
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511 – Tony Hibbert makes his first Premier League appearance for Everton since December 2014, 511 days ago. Returning.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 30, 2016
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