Everton's winter revival continued with a 3-0 win over Fulham as the Toffees took their recent record of 10 games without defeat. For David Moyes, it seems everything is now falling into place.

Yakubu, the £11.25m striker who did not enjoy the happiest of starts to his Goodison career, scored a 'perfect' hat-trick (one each with his left, right and head) to add to his tally of eight goals this season. Goals are not being conceded lightly at the back with Tim Howard and the twin defensive pillars of Joseph Yobo and Joleon Lescott in excellent form.

Everton's exciting goalscoring midfielders are providing fluent and incisive play. But while the renaissance that the team has enjoyed has been pinned to the return of Tim Cahill, who scored his seventh goal in nine starts against Zenit St. Petersburg last Wednesday night, it has been fellow midfielder Lee Carsley who has made the most telling comeback this season.

'Carsley's status as a footnote in Everton's recent history should be rewritten to describe a player who continues to play a vital role in the club's resurgence'


The Republic of Ireland international established himself as a fans' favourite in 2004 when his last-minute winner from long range defeated Liverpool at Goodison in the highlight of a season in which Everton finished fourth in the Premier League. However, despite being the only player who has outlasted Moyes at the club, he has never really been an automatic first choice.

He was largely written off by Evertonians last season as being past his prime and Moyes' apparent attempts to sign a midfield enforcer like the treacherous Manuel Fernandes in the summer transfer window suggests that this view was shared by the manager as well.

There were rumours that Carsley was on his way to Wigan until he was persuaded to stick around at Goodison Park for at least another year. He even found himself in international exile with several Ireland squads being named without him until the floundering Steve Staunton was forced to recall him for the final two qualifying games. His return to the Everton side was for the 3-1 win against Greek side Larissa, the match that was at the beginning of the present run of unbeaten games. Coincidence? I think not.

The reinstatement of the 33-year-old to the side has allowed Moyes to line up in his preferred 4-5-1, the formation that took the team to the dizzying heights of fourth in the final table in 2005. Carsley's strengths - constant running, tackling and reading of the game - make him perfect for the role of the holding midfielder behind the attacking quartet of Mikel Arteta, Steven Pienaar, Leon Osman and Cahill, with the Australian given carte-blanche to get behind and support the lone striker. Impressively, this style has brought about 23 goals in 10 games with only four conceded.

Carsley will not be around forever and when Moyes says he wants to bring in a player in the new year, it is clear he is targeting a midfielder. However, Carsley's status as a footnote in Everton's recent history should be rewritten to describe a player who continues to play a vital role in the club's resurgence.

The success of the system with the current selection of players has left five Premier League strikers wrestling for the single berth up front and with Yakubu and Victor Anichebe in sparkling form and James Vaughan and Andy Johnson returning from injury, it seems something has to give.

More and more it is becoming apparent that it will be James McFadden, the hero of Scotland's European Championship qualifying campaign, that will make way. It's easy to feel sorry for him, given his natural ability, the injury setbacks and the fact that since he arrived Everton have broken their own transfer record three times to sign strikers.

To his credit he has never tried to force a move, criticise the manager publicly or appeared as a source 'close to the paper' in a 'My Everton Hell' tabloid story, but it seems that after four mildly successful seasons his number may soon be called.