Anichebe Seals Everton's Dramatic Comeback Victory

Until last month few Everton players or fans would have been able to pinpoint Kharkiv on a map of eastern Europe, but it will be a long time before anyone belonging to the blue half of Merseyside forgets this industrial city in northern Ukraine.

The substitute Victor Anichebe made sure of Everton's progress here with a goal two minutes from time, but for a while David Moyes's side looked as if they could be heading out.

The unknown and unsung players of Metalist initially sliced through Moyes's team before the visitors reversed matters in the second half.

This was a fabulously thrilling game during which Everton looked at one time well beaten. But ultimately they galvanised themselves to secure a gutsy victory which leaves them in today's draw for the lucrative group stages and could yet serve as a springboard for a successful season.

Gruesome memories of Everton's 5-1 thrashing in Romania at the hands of Dinamo Bucharest two years ago were swiftly revived when Edmar gave Metalist an early lead. Capitalizing on poor positional play on the part of both Phil Neville and Joseph Yobo, the Brazilian slipped a low shot past the advancing Tim Howard after a slick exchange of passes with Marko Devic.

For a three-sided stadium - one stand has been demolished - the atmosphere inside Metalist's 30,000 capacity home was already surprisingly intimidating and the ground went wild as Edmar was mobbed by joyous team-mates on the running track surrounding the pitch. Meanwhile Neville and Yobo could only rue the deception instigated by Devic whose insidious run and feint drew them, fatally, towards him, leaving space for Edmar to defy Howard.

Metalist's highly fluid formation featured three central defenders behind a constantly interchanging midfield whose members delighted in confounding Everton courtesy of numerous late dashes into the box. This proved confusing for David Moyes's men and Mikel Arteta, the visitors' supposed creator, was rendered anonymous for prolonged periods.

Although Leon Osman should really have scored with a header from a cross by the South African Steven Pienaar, Everton were perhaps missing the change of pace frequently offered by Andrew Johnson, while Ayegbeni Yakubu was facing a tough duel with the Senegalese Papa Gueye.

Unfortunately Johnson had not sufficiently recovered from a groin injury even to be offered a place on the bench.

Suitably encouraged by a growing edginess among the Premier League's fifth placed team which Moyes had boasted would "entertain" the home crowd, Metalist - who finished the first leg at Goodison down to 10 men - adopted a shoot on sight policy and one swerving effort from Valentyn Sliusar skidded inches wide with Howard surely beaten.

Grimly watching the Ukrainian's wonderful passing and movement from the bench Everton's manager might have been regretting his comments about entertainment. Metalist were making his players appear worryingly pedestrian.

At least his half time homily seemed to work, Everton swiftly equalizing when Joleon Lescott advanced from left back to elude Oleksandr Goryainov courtesy of a left foot finish on the rebound after Pienaar's original shot was blocked.

Unfortunately for Everton, another rebound quickly led to another Metalist goal. This time, Olexandr Rykun's viciously curling shot at the end of an impressive counter attack, ricocheted back off the inside of a post, falling fortuitously for Hicham Mahdoufi to lash his side's second goal past Howard.

Having fallen eerily silent when Lescott equalized, the crowd roared back into life, sensing that the most famous victory in their team's history was now almost within touching distance.

Moyes was out of his area trying to gee his under-performing team up. Certainly Metalist were playing all the football and inspired by a raucous crowd. Moyes switched things around in the 63rd minute bringing on Anichebe for Phil Jagielka. It was a brave move. He gave support to McFadden and Yakubu with Everton desperate for a second goal.

McFadden almost got it in the 69th minute but the goalkeeper made a brave block, and three minutes later the Scotsman did score the equalizer, swiveling to fire left-footed past the goalkeeper from the edge of the area.

A draw would have been enough to send Everton through on away goals, but two minutes from time the substitute Anichebe made sure of the outcome by evading the hosts' defence to score the winner.