THE New Year has not brought any cheer for Everton.
If the previous 12 months ended in subdued circumstances then 2011 kicked off with desperate disappointment.
David Moyes' men lost an eight away match unbeaten record in the Premier League to Stoke City this afternoon and slipped to 13th in the table.
This 2-0 defeat was ultimately gift wrapped by the Blues as first Kenwyne Jones and then an own goal from Phil Jagielka handed the points to Tony Pulis' men who cement their position in the top half of the standings.
Everton enjoyed plentiful possession but were unable to offer sufficient craft to unlock a typically resolute Stoke rearguard.
The Goodison Park side can rightly point to a first-half penalty decision which did not fall in their favour but could have few arguments they displayed not enough creativity where it mattered and conceded the goals in alarming fashion.
Everton made two changes from the side held 1-1 at West Ham United in their final game of 2010 with out-of-sorts striker Louis Saha given the nod at the expense of midfielder Jack Rodwell and fit again Phil Jagielka reclaiming his place at centre half from Tony Hibbert.
Manager David Moyes opted to recall French forward Saha and drop Cahill back in behind the frontline after the Blues' top scorer played as the lone man at Upton Park on Tuesday night with limited success.
Hosts Stoke City headed into the New Year clash having fallen 2-0 at home to struggling Fulham - a second consecutive loss at the Britannia Stadium for Tony Pulis' men.
Within 45 seconds of the game kicking off Everton had legitimate appeals for a penalty waved away from Saha tumbled in the area under pressure from Ryan Shawcross.
Moyes was up in arms over the non-decision.
Stoke fired back with Kenwyne Jones flicking on Rory Delap's party piece long throw-in but the header fell kindly into the arms of Blues' keeper Tim Howard.
Saha would go close with a header from Leighton Baines' corner as Steven Pienaar tested Begovic with a curling effort.
However the clearest opportunity of the opening stages arrived in the ninth minute when Ricardo Fuller latched onto Jones' flick-on but skewed his effort wide when clear on Howard's goal.
Fuller's blushes were spared though bu his strike partner mid-way through the half when Matthew Etherington evaded both Phil Neville and Seamus Coleman before chipping into the area for the unmarked Jones to place a fine header beyond the reach of Howard to make it 1-0 to Stoke.
Tim Cahill so nearly grabbed the equaliser four minutes later when Baines' superb cross to the back post found the departing Aussie but his header agonisingly missed the target.
If Everton felt hard done by with the earlier penalty shout, there were incensed by the award of only a booking on Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic for a foul outside the area on Saha.
The striker raced clear after Jagielka's long boot upfield and as he lifted the ball over the advancing Begovic, Saha was cleaned out.
A trailing defender may just have saved the stopper's skin after a rash challenge with referee Taylor showing leniency.
The travelling side almost snatched an equaliser in time added on at the end of the first half Pienaar exchanged passes with Saha but his goalbound effort was blocked by Danny Higginbotham.
Everton's mood did not improve in the 56th minute when Seamus Coleman sped onto loose ball and headed towards the Stoke goal only to be hacked down Delap.
Again covering defenders saved the midfielder from being shown the red card but all the visitors were left with was a feeling of hardship.
Moyes opted to remove the below par Mikel Arteta for Leon Osman's verve just after the hour mark and sacrificed captain Phil Neville to introduce a second forward in Victor Anichebe.
However there was nothing a change of tactics could do to prevent the calamitous second goal of the game.
Jones again won the aerial battle to flick the ball into the area and under pressure from Fuller, Jagielka saw the ball cannon off his shin and past a helpless Howard.
Baines whipped a free-kick towards the Stoke goal moments later but the ball zipped wide and proved Everton's last meaningful attempt of an afternoon to forget.
STOKE CITY (4-4-2): Begovic, Wilkinson, Shawcross ©, Higginbotham, Collins, Pennant (Tuncay 59), Whitehead, Delap, Etherington (Whelan 79), Fuller (Walters 83), Jones. Not used: Sorensen, Gudjohnsen, Wilson, Faye.
Goals: Jones (23) Jagielka (og 68)
Cautions: Collins, Begovic, Whitehead
EVERTON (4-5-1): Howard, Neville © (Anichebe 66), Jagielka, Distin, Baines, Coleman, Fellaini, Cahill, Arteta (Osman 66), Pienaar, Saha (Beckford 79). Not used: Mucha, Hibbert, Bilyaletdinov, Rodwell.
Cautions: Cahill
REFEREE: Mr Anthony Taylor
ATTENDANCE: 27,418
