Everton add to Ball's problems

GUY HODGSON

Manchester City 0 Everton 2

The Riot Act could become addictive reading for Manchester City. It was leafed through at Queen's Park Rangers on Saturday and you suspect their manager, Alan Ball, must have been tempted to get it off the shelf again last night.

Second-half goals from Everton's Joe Parkinson and Daniel Amokachi ensured that the new start anticipated when Ball was appointed in the summer is turning into a familiar tale at Maine Road, a grapple with relegation. Four matches into the new season and with only one point gleaned, the portents are hardly favourable.

True, the performance was an improvement on Saturday's which earned the review of "unacceptable" from Ball himself, but the City team left the field to a chorus of boos. Bottom of the Premiership, the return to full fitness of Keith Curle, Peter Beagrie and Paul Walsh cannot come soon enough.

"We have a tough, tough task ahead," Ball said. "But you don't despair, you continue to work and you hope to build on what we've seen and battle away. We were beaten by a better, stronger side."

Ball opted for youth, giving Michael Brown (18) and Rae Ingram (19) their full Premiership debuts, but Niall Quinn's 72nd-minute header that was cleared off the line by Gary Ablett apart, City were largely toothless.

Everton are improving, showing a fluency and movement not always apparent when they were battling to avoid the drop last season. Earl Barrett was outstanding, while Andrei Kanchelskis' signing has given them a rapier thrust on the break.

They took the lead after 57 minutes when Amokachi sped past Terry Phelan on the right, and although his intended pass to Kanchelskis was not accurate the ball carried to the edge of the area where Parkinson side-footed into the corner of the net. Eighteen minutes later they put it beyond doubt when Amokachi turned and shot past Eike Immel after a run from Kanchelskis.

"We were always comfortable," Joe Royle said afterwards. Ball is anything but.

Manchester City (5-3-2): Immel; Summerbee, Foster, Symons, Ingram (Kernaghan, 89), Phelan; Kinkladze, Flitcroft, Brown (Kerr 77); Quinn, Rosler. Substitute not used: Margetson (gk).

Everton (4-4-2): Southall; Barratt, Watson, Unsworth, Ablett; Kanchelskis, Horne, Parkinson, Limpar (Hinchcliffe, 38); Rideout, Amokachi. Substitutes not used: Barlow, Kearton (gk).

Referee: S Lodge (Barnsley).