Naismith Sings Jelavic’s Praises

Steven Naismith feels Nikica Jelavic can help fire Everton to a top-four finish.

Jelavic found the net for the first time in a month in Saturday´s late 2-1 win over Sunderland at Goodison Park, scoring soon after Marouane Fellaini had equalisedAdam Johnson´s first strike for the Black Cats.

It was far from the 27-year-old Croatian´s best game but by scoring his first for a month, having entered October on the back of four goals in five matches, he may have rediscovered his touch.

Naismith, who played alongside Jelavic at Rangers, knows the benefit an in-form striker can have.

“It makes a huge difference. He has not scored in his last few games and he´ll have be disappointed with that,” said the Scot.

“He´s not had many great chances in the game but the one that came his way he was composed and he put it away in the corner and that is why he has such a big reputation.

“Going forward Fellaini has probably been our most prolific and even Kevin Mirallas, in the last few games, has been very direct and arguably our most influential player.

“It is down to the quality we have in the squad. We are happy with the boys we´ve got and that is why we are pushing for the top spots.”

Jelavic pounced in the 79th minute, swooping on Fellaini´s backheel through the legs of John O´Shea to dispatch the winner past Simon Mignolet.

Just three minutes earlier Fellaini had drilled home to cancel out Johnson, who volleyed home his maiden goal for the club he joined in the summer and Sunderland´s first in eight hours 54 minutes of football.