Everton - 0 Wigan Athletic - 1: At what point does a minor stumble become a full-blown tumble? Another home defeat, another failure to score, and after six games Everton's attempt to regain a Champions League place appears not so much forlorn as forgotten.
Their manager David Moyes seems to be toying with his line-up in the blind hope that one day he'll hit upon the right combination. It is part football, part fruit machine. Since their last, and to date only, league goal against Bolton over four weeks ago his attack has featured Marcus Bent alone, Bent alongside Duncan Ferguson, and on Saturday, Leon Osman and James McFadden, with Bent and Ferguson coming off the bench as Moyes continued to roll the dice.
He has yet to hit the jackpot.
"I would never rely on luck, or even ask for it, because I think you've got to make your own," he said. "But I think maybe we do need something to go for us. We believe that we can win and that we should win games but that doesn't count for anything. You've got to go out and do it."
If it is a difficult time to be Everton's manager it must be even worse to be their captain and centre back, knowing that defeat is the likely outcome whenever a goal is conceded. "When we go down we're definitely suffering with confidence," said David Weir, who holds that unpleasant position.
"It's easy to say that nothing goes for you when you're down at the bottom, but it's not as if we're turning up and expecting not to get any luck. It will turn for us."
There was some misfortune in evidence here, Bent having a goal disallowed in the second half after Tim Cahill was judged to have fouled the impressive Pascal Chimbonda. But Everton's best chances came and went as Wigan's jittery defence hung on.
Wigan are content with an impressive start to the season that has seen them move up to eighth. "It's not where we are, it's how many points we've got," said Paul Jewell. "We all know there's a million miles to go yet before we're safe."
They did however move a small step closer when, within 45 seconds of the restart, Henri Camara's low shot was blocked by Nigel Martyn and the ball rebounded for Damien Francis to tap in the rebound. Luck? Some might call it that.
Guardian Service
