It was all in front of Everton today. With Portsmouth and Aston Villa suffering bad losses, an Everton win would have put them nine points clear in fifth place and tied with Liverpool on 59 points. A Manchester United win against Liverpool on Sunday would have left the Merseyside rivals tied going into their derby match next weekend.Alas, Dean Ashton had other ideas. His header in the 68th minute forced a 1-1 draw between West Ham and Everton, putting another dent in Everton's Champions League hopes.
With seven games left, Everton's magic number is 14 to earn its second straight UEFA Cup bid. It's closest opponent, Portsmouth, appears to be putting its hopes for Europe in the FA Cup. There's a big difference, though, between the UEFA Cup and the Champions League. Everton can climb back into a Champions League spot with a win in Anfield next weekend, but their recent form -- a loss at Fulham and a draw against West Ham -- suggests that Europe's 2nd-tier tournament will once again be their destination.
Everton wouldn't be in as good a position without manager David Moyes, who expressed his desire to remain with the club long-term. It will take more than Moyes, though, to bridge the gap between Everton and the Big Four.
