Everton leave Bolton struggling

Konstantinidis and Ferguson were both sent off

Everton 3-1 Bolton
E-mail your reaction to Football Talk

Everton all but guaranteed Premiership survival after a third victory in four games under new manager David Moyes.

The win came thanks to goals from Alessandro Pistone and Tomasz Radzinski either side of half time, and Nick Chadwick late on after Bruno N'Gotty had pulled one back for Bolton.

It leaves Bolton hovering dangerously close to the relegation zone.

Everton are now on 39 points, one short of the 40 generally regarded as the minimum required for safety.

  Match facts

20 mins: Duncan Ferguson sent off for violent conduct

30 mins: Kostas Konstantinidis dismissed for second bookable offence

40 mins: Alessandro Pistone gives Everton the lead

57 mins: Thomasz Radzinski scores Everton's second

75 mins: Bruno N'Gotty heads in for Bolton

86 mins: Nick Chadwick makes it safe for Everton

Bolton are less secure - they remain on 36 points and have slipped a place to 16th, behind Sunderland, who beat Leicester 2-1 on Monday.

Everton had looked in trouble when captain and talisman Duncan Ferguson was sent off after 20 minutes for elbowing Bolton defender Kostas Konstantinidis in an off-the-ball incident.

But Bolton lost Konstantinidis 10 minutes later for two bookable offences on Radzinski within a minute, and Everton began to take a hold of the game as half-time neared.

Italian Pistone scored the first goal with a brilliant 30-yard strike after 40 minutes, before Radzinski made up for his earlier profligacy with a deflected shot 12 minutes into the second half.

Duncan deserved to be sent off, no question. He was stupid and I told him so

Everton boss David Moyes

N'Gotty's goal came after 75 minutes to give Everton some anxious moments before Chadwick's late strike.

N'Gotty climbed unmarked to score from a Per Frandsen free-kick, awarded after David Weir fouled Michael Ricketts, who came on at half-time for Dean Holdsworth.

Bolton had chances to score more, but could not convert them.

Fredi Bobic was guilty of squandering two good chances in the first-half and Ricardo Gardner also missed a great chance just after Radzinski's goal.

Our defending was too poor to warrant us getting anything out of the game

Bolton boss Sam Allardyce

And in the second half, Everton goalkeeper Steve Simonsen pulled off a brilliant save from Ricketts.

But Everton themselves could have scored more.

Radzinski had chances before and after half-time, but each time missed when scoring looked easier.

Everton also had two penalty appeals turned down.

---

Everton: Simonsen, Watson, Weir, Stubbs, Pistone, Alexandersson, Gemmill, Unsworth, Blomqvist (Chadwick 70), Ferguson (sent off 20), Radzinski (Linderoth 89).
Subs Not Used: Gerrard, Cleland, Ginola. Booked: Unsworth, Weir.

Bolton: Poole, N'Gotty, Konstantinidis (sent off 31), Whitlow, Charlton, Djorkaeff (Wallace 58), Warhurst, Nolan, Gardner, Holdsworth (Frandsen 38), Bobic (Ricketts 45). Subs Not Used: Southall, Cassar.

Att: 39,784

Referee: S Bennett (Kent).