November 05
International fixtures meant the Blues were restricted to just three outings in November.
And what contrasting fortunes those games provided!
The month started brightly, with Everton making amends for their Carling Cup defeat to Middlesbrough by reversing the scoreline.
Once again, James Beattie was on target at Goodison - this time expertly converting Andy van der Meyde's cross in the opening period to guide the Blues to victory.
Doing so well against a talented Boro side suggested the next outing - an away trip to the Hawthorns - would provide further success.
That trip to West Brom came in the wake of the international play-offs and, as a result, Tim Cahill did not figure.
The Aussie midfielder had helped secure his country's place in the World Cup finals for the first time in more than 30 years just 72 hours before the Albion game. Australia defeated Uruguay on penalties after the two-legged play-off ended 1-1.
But he returned to England with a groin strain that prevented him playing at West Brom. Without him, the Blues were cut down to size by a 4-0 reverse. The home side led 1-0 at the interval courtesy of a controversial penalty decision - with replays showing Tony Hibbert's foul on Nathan Ellington had taken place outside the box.
Everton were, not surprisingly, shell-shocked by that result. But it was a great credit to David Moyes and his players that they responded so emphatically - returning to Goodison a week later to defeat Newcastle United.
Alan Shearer did his best to disrupt Everton's march to victory. But a hot-blooded clash was won courtesy of a Joseph Yobo early in the second half.
There was some disappointment for the Blues though. Although the referee chose to take no action during the game, the FA's video panel decided to ban Cahill for three games for a clash with Newcastle's Celestine Babayaro.
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