Everton through after victory

Diniyar Bilyaletdinov's early goal was enough to give Everton a hard-fought 1-0 victory over AEK Athens which sealed a place in the last 32 of the Europa League for David Moyes' team.

Bilyaletdinov raced onto Jo's brilliant through ball to slot past AEK goalkeeper Sebastian Saja after just six minutes, and the Russian midfielder's goal proved the difference on a rain-soaked night at the Olympic Stadium.

The result, combined with Group I leaders Benfica's 2-1 win over BATE Borisov, means the Toffees have qualified for the knockout stage with a game to spare. It remains to be seen at what cost, however, as defenders Dan Gosling and Sylvain Distin, along with Jo were all forced off due to injuries.

Despite the difficult conditions, the visitors, featuring a makeshift central defensive pairing of Distin and Tony Hibbert - who equalled Everton's European appearance record of 19 matches previously held by Colin Harvey and Brian Labone - opened the scoring with their first shot on target in the sixth minute.

Bilyaletdinov lashed the ball past Saja after collecting Jo's pass following great hold-up play by the Brazilian striker.

It took 32 minutes for the hosts to register a shot on target but Tim Howard was equal to Panagiotis Tachtsidis' long-range effort, parrying the young striker's shot to safety.

When AEK did break forward in the 54th minute, Hibbert was on hand to block Tachtsidis' shot on the turn from close range. The visitors almost conceded just before the hour mark, though, when Youssouf Hersi was given time and space to shoot from the edge of the penalty area, the Dutch midfielder's shot shaving Howard's left post.

Jo responded immediately for Everton, Saja doing well to tip the Brazilian's powerful shot around his left post. That was the striker's last contribution, however, as he also limped out of the match with what seemed like a knee injury with Ayegbeni Yakubu replacing him.

It was becoming a backs-to-the-wall affair for Everton as the hosts threw everything at them, and Howard had Baxter to thank after the substitute cleared Manduca's shot off the line with 14 minutes left.

But the visitors held firm under intense pressure in the closing stages to secure the win.