Everton manager David Moyes said his goodbyes at Goodison Park on Sunday in perfect fashion with his talented side cruising to a 2-0 win over West Ham United in the Premier League.
Goals in each half from Belgian striker Kevin Mirallas ensured Moyes departed from the blue half of Merseyside a winner after 11 years in charge of the Toffees.
Moyes, 50, is joining Everton’s rivals Manchester United as the replacement for fellow Glaswegian Sir Alex Ferguson, who is stepping down after 26 years in charge at Old Trafford.
Photo: AFP
Also on Sunday, Emmanuel Adebayor struck late to earn Tottenham Hotspur a 2-1 at Stoke City that kept their slim hopes of UEFA Champions League qualification alive.
Norwich City and Newcastle United ensured their Premier League survival with one match left in the season. Norwich crushed West Bromwich Albion 4-0 and Newcastle won 2-1 at relegated Queens Park Rangers.
It was not clear how Everton fans would feel about their manager leaving for United, but he was warmly received by the crowd, who showed their appreciation for the progress the club has made under him, despite the failure to win a trophy.
Their reaction was also helped by the fact they will finish above great rivals Liverpool for the second consecutive season.
“There’s always a worry when you’re joining another club, but Everton fans were magnificent for me today,” Moyes told the BBC. “David Unsworth scored my first goal at Goodison 11 years ago after about 25 seconds and I’m delighted I finished it off here with a win. I thank all the players who have worked with me.”
After 71-year-old Ferguson announced his retirement on Wednesday, the Manchester club took barely a day to appoint Moyes as his successor.
Everton, on the other hand, were surprised by the speed of developments, despite Moyes’ contract running out at the end of the season, and a replacement has yet to be named.
Moyes was confident that whoever took over from him would make the most of a small, but talented squad.
“Whoever comes in is going to have joy working with the current set of players,” he said, before contemplating his last game in charge of Everton next Sunday. “I’ve got another week and I’m going to make sure I’m at it with the players because we want a result at Chelsea.”
“The victory [over West Ham] was deserved. We’re going to finish in a good league position and I’m happy with that,” he added.
Ferguson had recommended Moyes as his replacement and the younger Scot said he would have no qualms about suggesting who should take over from him at Goodison Park if asked.
“I haven’t recommended anyone for the job to the chairman. If he asks me for an opinion then I’ll give it to him,” Moyes said.
Spurs trailed to Steven Nzonzi’s early goal at Stoke, but Clint Dempsey equalized and after Stoke’s Charlie Adam was sent early the second half, the visitors made their advantage count when striker Adebayor tapped in at the far post after 83 minutes.
Tottenham climbed above Arsenal into fourth place, three points behind Chelsea, who won 2-1 at Aston Villa on Saturday, with one match left.
Robert Snodgrass struck after 25 minutes to set up Norwich’s comfortable win over West Brom, with Grant Holt, a Gareth McAuley own-goal and Jonny Howson’s late strike completing the rout.
Newcastle fell behind to Loic Remy’s early penalty for QPR, but Hatem Ben Arfa equalized from the spot and Yoan Gouffran grabbed the winner before halftime.
Sunderland broke the deadlock against Southampton with a 69th-minute goal from defender Phil Bardsley, but Jason Puncheon equalized eight minutes later and the game ended 1-1. Sunderland are only four points above Wigan Athletic, who have two games left, leaving their manager Paolo di Canio to face a nervous final week of the season.
Fulham led Liverpool through Dimitar Berbatov’s early goal, but Daniel Sturridge equalized after 36 minutes and scored again midway through the second half, before completing his first hat-trick for the club five minutes from time.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
Rafael Nadal on Tuesday lost in straight sets to 31st-ranked Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round at the Madrid Open, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced to the semi-finals in the women’s doubles. Nadal said that he was feeling good about his progress following his latest injury layoff. Nadal called it a “positive week” in every way and said his body held up well. “I was able to play four matches, a couple of tough matches,” Nadal said. “So very positive, winning three matches, playing four matches at the high level of tennis. I enjoyed a lot playing at home. I leave here with
A soccer jersey carrying a national map including disputed Western Sahara has become a hot commodity in Morocco after a diplomatic dispute with Algeria. Retailers said RS Berkane jerseys have been flying off the shelves after a Confederation of African Football (CAF) Cup match against Algerian club USM Alger was canceled last month over the jerseys. “We are overwhelmed by the influx of messages and requests,” said Brahim Rabii, representative of the official RS Berkane jersey distributor. Algeria broke off diplomatic relations with Morocco in 2021, partly over the issue of Western Sahara. The former Spanish colony is largely controlled by Morocco, but claimed
When 42-1 underdog James ‘Buster’ Douglas shocked ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson 34 years ago at the Tokyo Dome, the result reverberated worldwide. Spectators at the 45,000-plus seater venue witnessed one of boxing’s biggest upsets as unbeaten heavyweight champion Tyson was knocked out in the 10th round by the unheralded Douglas in February 1990. Boxing returns to the famous venue on Monday for the first time since that unforgettable encounter when Japan’s undisputed super-bantamweight world champion Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue puts his belts on the line against Mexican Luis Nery. The 31-year-old Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) is a huge star in Japan and is just