Pienaar shoots Everton up to fifth

Steven Pienaar of Everton celebrates after scoring their second goal against Middlesbrough during their Premier league football match at Goodison Park in Liverpool. Everton won 2-0.

South Africa midfielder Steven Pienaar scored his first Everton goal as David Moyes's side beat Middlesbrough 2-0 on Sunday.

Pienaar struck from close range in the second half after Joleon Lescott had given Everton an early lead at Goodison Park and the hosts cruised to a win that lifts them to fifth in the Premier League table.

On-loan Borussia Dortmund star Pienaar picked the perfect time to break his duck in his seventh match for the club as Everton claimed their first home victory since the opening day.

It was fortunate for Moyes that Pienaar and Lescott were on target because his strikers continue to struggle. Yakubu missed two good chances against his former club and Lescott's fourth goal of the season makes the defender Everton's top scorer.

"The difference was the finishing," Moyes said. "They had a couple of chances but we made some as well and put them away, which we haven't been doing recently.

"Sometimes at a club you start to smell a change and I get the sense that things are turning for the better here."

Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate would take a goal from anywhere right now after his side's third blank in four matches without a win.

"We didn't win enough one on one battles to win the game," he said. "We created chances and had possession but we don't want to start being a team that says we were unlucky. We have to step it up a gear.

"We conceded goals that were poor and there were elements of our game that weren't good enough."

Andy Johnson wasn't even among the substitutes as Moyes opted not to risk the England striker, who has been struggling with a groin injury and a run of poor form.

Joleon Lescott (R) of Everton heads a goal during the Premier league football match against Middlesbrough at Goodison Park, Liverpool, northwest, England. Everton won 2-0.

Everton had lost their last two league matches but they were ahead within seven minutes as Middlesbrough made a hash of dealing with Mikel Arteta's corner.

The Spanish midfielder's inswinging set-piece was met by Yakubu, who got in front of Mark Schwarzer's weak attempted punch to flick goalwards.

Jon Woodgate headed off the line but the ball travelled only as far as the unmarked Lescott, who headed home from close range.

Gary O'Neill should have equalised four minutes later but, after turning Alan Stubbs, the midfielder shot tamely at Tim Howard.

Yakubu was presented with a glorious chance to score his first League goal for Everton, but the Nigerian headed wastefully over from Leighton Baines's cross.

It wasn't just Yakubu who lacked composure in front of goal.

Middlesbrough's Lee Dong-Gook was no more than six yards out when he rose to meet O'Neill's cross, but the South Korean could only direct his header onto the crossbar.

Yakubu scored 35 goals in two years with Middlesbrough, but his predatory instincts deserted him again when he shot straight at Schwarzer.

Arteta was next to test Schwarzer with a deflected drive but the Australia keeper was equal to the effort.

Everton always looked the more threatening team and finally extended their lead in the 58th minute.

As is so often the case, Arteta was the architect.

He collected Pienaar's pass on the left side of the penalty area, dragged three defenders towards him and then contemptuously flicked a pass back to Pienaar, who slid in to score from close range.

English Premier League table after Sunday's match (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points):