Everton 3 Birmingham City 1

What an unbelievable afternoon of football!

Everton deserved to romp to all three points on a day when they totally dominated.

Instead, they somehow found themselves level at 1-1 when the contest entered injury-time. So there was a suitable sense of jubilation when both Lee Carsley and James Vaughan netted in stoppage time to seal a magnificent win.

It was apt that both players derive from the Midlands on an afternoon when Birmingham so nearly produced the most shocking of smash-and-grabs to steal a point.

To add to the delight, the win was Everton's fourth on the bounce - something that has not been achieved in more than 13 years.

The home side had such a strong grip on proceedings it seemed inevitable the early goal from Yakubu would not only secure all three points - but that there would be a glut of further goals added.

Instead, a failure to turn unbelievable dominance into goals seemed to have proved the side's undoing. Birmingham barely ventured into the Everton half during the second period of this Premier League encounter. But somehow they contrived to net an equaliser 11 minutes from time through Olivier Kapo.

Everton played some of the best football they have produced at home this term. Yakubu netted his first Goodison goal and was a significant influence in some of the side's best play.

Leon Osman escapes Sebastian Larsson

So when Carsley produced a magnificent volley a minute into injury-time and substitute James Vaughan popped up moments later to net a third the celebrations inside Goodison were as intense as any seen this term.

Everton set the tone for their play early on. A bright start was almost rewarded in the seventh minute when Yakubu slid in at the near post to connect with a drilled cross from Pienaar but the effort was deflected wide for a corner.