Tim Cahill scored two goals on Sunday to lead fourth-place Everton over Crystal Palace 4-0 and help West Bromwich Albion move out of the Premier League’s relegation zone for the first time in five months.
Cahill scored in the 47th and 55th minutes at Goodison Park. He first sent a rising volley into the net and later headed in another goal.
Mikel Arteta, on loan from Real Sociedad, curled a free kick into the top corner in the eighth minute to give Everton the lead, and 16-year-old substitute James Vaughan scored the final goal in the 87th.
Vaughan broke three records with his appearance and goal. The teenager, at 16 years and 271 days old, became the youngest Everton player to score in a first team game, breaking Wayne Rooney’s record.
He also became Everton’s youngest first-team player, beating Joe Royle’s record by 11 days, and is the youngest player in the 13-year history of the Premier League, beating James Milner’s record of 16 years and 309 days. Milner played for Leeds when he set the record in November 2002.
Everton, who lead city rival Liverpool by four points, ended a three-match losing streak. Liverpool lost to Manchester City 1-0 on Saturday.
Finishing fourth in the English league should be enough to earn a spot in next season’s Champions League. But if Liverpool, which leads Juventus 2-1 in the quarterfinals of this year’s competition, wins the European title, it would likely bump Everton into the Uefa Cup, even if it finishes below its rival in the league standings.
Everton have 54 points and Liverpool are fifth with 50. Both teams have six games remaining.
Earlier on Sunday, Paul Robinson scored an injury-time equaliser to give West Bromwich Albion a 1-1 draw at Aston Villa. Both teams finished with 10 men.
West Brom moved out of the relegation zone for the first time in five months with the draw. West Brom have 28 points, followed by Southampton with 27, Crystal Palace with 26 and Norwich with 23.
At Villa Park, Darius Vassell scored the opening goal in the 27th minute, netting for the first time since the opening day of the season. Vassell collected a rebound off the crossbar and scored
after West Brom goalkeeper Russell Hoult blocked a shot by Liam Ridgewell.
Ridgewell and West Brom’s Jonathan Greening were sent off in the 61st minute after pushing each other in front of referee Rob Styles. The shoving started after West Brom had been awarded a free kick after Ridgewell tackled Greening.
Hoult made a reaction save to keep out a header by Vassell before West Brom scored with moments remaining, with Robinson heading in a cross from Riccardo Scimeca.
”We’ve got a momentum going at the club at the moment and the lads are in a great mood and that result has kept it bubbling,” West Brom manager Bryan Robson said. ”It’s nice to be out of the bottom three and, as we are going along, we are giving ourselves a better chance.”
On Saturday, last-place Norwich upset Manchester United 2-0, and Chelsea’s run toward their first league title in 50 years was slowed by a 1-1 draw against visiting Birmingham City.
Arsenal beat Middlesbrough 1-0, with Robert Pires scoring the winner for the Gunners’ sixth straight win.
Chelsea have 81 points, followed by Arsenal with 70 and Manchester United with 67.
At the other end, Portsmouth’s slide toward the relegation zone was halted with a 4-2 win over Charlton in Alain Perrin’s first game in charge. The Frenchman arrived at Portsmouth on Thursday.
Also, Fulham slipped to 16th place after losing at Bolton 3-1, while Southampton tumbled at Blackburn 3-0. — Sapa-AP