Losing Cahill could be a knockout blow for Everton

News is trickling in that Everton's Tim Cahill could be out for the rest of the season with a recurrence of his gammy metatarsal, a savage blow for David Moyes and his plans to challenge Liverpool for fourth spot.

If Cahill’s resurgent return from his prior metatarsal injury was the glorious boost that added an extra dimension to Everton - his goal against Chelsea reminded all Toffees of what we had been missing - then his absence could be the final blow in the club's faltering challenge for an elusive Champions League place.

Injury has already stripped Moyes of James Vaughan and now he is to be joined by Cahill, two important players whose absence makes a healthy Everton squad look emaciated. The team's form has been very sluggish in the last few Premier League games and they will be looking for answers as to why they haven’t been as bullish or incisive of late – Cahill’s injury will only add more problems.

He limped off after just ten minutes of the less-than-satisfactory draw with West Ham, a game in which they could have done with his drive and spirit, and next they face their Merseyside rivals in a monumental six-pointer at Anfield on Sunday without the combative Cahill.