In a balanced and entertaining encounter Everton claimed a late 0-2 away win at Nurnberg as both goals came in the last 10 minutes of the game. Both teams had their chances to score, but no goals came until Everton were awarded a penalty in the 80th minute which was converted by Arteta. While Nurnberg tried desperately to find an equalizer the visitors struck once more when a goal from Anichebe sealed a 2 goals victory for Everton. The win puts Everton at the top of group A which they are leading with 2 wins from 2 games. Nurnberg on the other hand find themselves in 4th place after losing their first group match.

The game started in high pace as a shot from Arteta forced goalkeeper Blazek to a save within 20 seconds. Both teams played on the attack as en interesting match unfolded. Nurnberg came to their first chance through Saenko, who saw his shot saved by goalkeeper Howard. After a while Nurnberg took control as they gained an optical advantage, while Everton played on the counter attack. Cahill only just missed out on a cross from Osman, while a shot from Kluge just went wide. The last chance before the break came to Everton, but Yakubu missed the ball twice as the game went into the break with a 0-0 score.

Mintal missed a good chance for Nurnberg early in the 2nd half when he saw his shot saved by Howard. The game slowed down for a while, but became interesting again after an hour of play when a shot from Arteta forced Blazek to a strong save. Just when it seemed that both teams would have to settle for a goalless draw, Nurnberg defender Glauber made a rather clumsy challenge on Anichebe which the referee punished by giving Everton a penalty. Arteta made no mistake from the spot as the visitors took the lead with only 10 minutes remaining. Nurnberg coach Meyer desperately tried to make an impact by bringing on 2 further strikers with Pagenburg and Benko, but this only backfired as it were the visitors who scored again when a goal from Anichebe sealed a 0-2 win for Everton.

Overall both teams were equal to each other over 90 minutes as the game seemed to be heading for a draw until Everton were awarded a late penalty. At the end of the day however Nurnberg once again failed to take their chances as lacking efficiency is a real problem for them at the moment. The defeat puts Nurnberg under pressure for their next match when they travel to Zenit St. Petersburg in 2 weeks time. Everton on the other hand enjoy a free midweek in the 3rd round as the group contains 5 teams.