A first-half strike from Leon Osman and a late goal from Nikica Jelavic gave 10-man Everton a 2-0 win over Manchester City at Goodison Park this afternoon
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Everton thought that they had taken the lead after 12 minutes when Kevin Mirallas smashed the ball past Joe Hart, but the assistant referee judged the striker to be offside.
The hosts broke the deadlock just after the half-hour mark, when Osman curled the ball in from 25 yards out, leaving Hart rooted to the spot.
Victor Anichebe almost doubled the Toffees' lead just before half time, but the Nigerian's effort went just high of the crossbar.
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The champions, who had rarely threatened the Everton goal in the opening half, continued to show little urgency after the break.
However, the visitors did create the first chance of the second half, with Gareth Barry looking for Matija Nastasic inside the penalty area, but Anichebe made the clearance.
Everton found themselves down to 10 men when Steven Pienaar, who had already been booked, made a high challenge on Javi Garcia, raking his studs down the midfielder's leg, leaving Lee Probert reaching for his red card.
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The sending-off allowed City to get back in to the game, Jan Mucha keeping out efforts from Carlos Tevez and James Milner.
The Slovak keeper was called upon again to protect the home side's lead with 10 minutes left to play, as Paolo Zabaleta rushed towards the Everton goal, but he could not beat Mucha to the ball.
Tevez won a free kick from the edge of the penalty area late in the game, but Aleksandar Kolarov fired the ball straight into the wall, allowing Everton to clear.
Jelavic was brought on as a substitute late on, and managed to double the hosts' lead deep into stoppage time, securing the win for Everton.
The win moves Everton up to fifth in the Premier League table, while Manchester City remain 12 points adrift of the league leaders.
Sian Cowper
