Everton 2-1 Sporting Lisbon: The Daily Mirror match report

The thing about an early kick off, is that it offers no excuse for going to sleep at the end.

Yet Everton did just that, as they threw away what was virtually a ticket straight through to the last 16 of the Europa League, to leave their passage now precariously balanced, and their manager furious.

"It's so frustrating, we are deflated because it was a game we controlled and we should have had more than the two goals. But we've been undone by sloppy defending, and it has cost us dearly," boss David Moyes admitted.

"We had the chances to kill the tie off completely, but now we are faced with a difficult task going to Lisbon and I'm disappointed by that, because I couldn't see them scoring, I could only see a third goal for us."

What will hurt Moyes most this morning, is that Everton only have themselves to blame after dominating this contest against a poor Sporting Lisbon side, and creating enough chances to have made the second leg in a week's time totally academic.

But some poor finishing, and even worse complacency as full time approached, allowed the Portuguese side to grab a valuable away goal, and in the process suggest the return will now be a very trecherous affair.

The English club will find their trip to Lisbon even harder next week in the absence of Sylvain Distin, who was sent off for the terrible mistake that gave away the penalty, in the 86th minute, that tipped the balance of the tie.

The Frenchman has been one of Everton's star performers this season, but he was caught dozing at the end when he missed a tackle on Sporting's Brazilian striker Liedson, and then stupidly hacked him to the ground in trying to recover.

Miguel Veloso calmly converted the spot kick, and as full time approached, the visitors sensed blood against the 10 men of the Blues, and were disappointed ultimately not to have drawn level.

Yet before that moment, Everton were strolling with a two goal lead thanks to the energy of Tim Cahill and the finishing prowess of Steven Pienaar, who marked his 100th appearance for the club with a wonderful opening goal.

Aussie striker Cahill created the opening goal on 35 minutes, after he raced onto a fine through ball by skipper Phil Neville, and produced a sublime backheel that allowed Pienaar the space he needed to turn a shot into the roof of the net.

Before that, the home side had created several chances, first when Cahill headed a Leighton Baines corner just wide, and then when Louis Saha twice came close, and then seemed to be tripped when racing through on goal.

Home keeper Tim Howard also played his part, with two fine saves from first Pedro Mendes and then the lively Lisbon winger Marat Izmailhov, to provide the platform for what seemed a comfortable stroll into the next round.

That feeling grew stronger when Cahill jumped in front of the Sporting keeper Rui Patricio to allow Distin to bundle the ball home from close range, even if it appeared it brushed his hand on the way in.

More chances followed, with substitute Yakubu shooting too close to Patricio when put through, and both Saha and Baines coming close, but then Everton - in the words of watching former Aussie cricket captain Steve Waugh - "declared too early".

They paid a heavy price, when Distin woefully miscontrolled a pass from sub Jack Rodwell, and then allowed Liedson to get away from him, and Moyes knows only too well that his side now face an uphill struggle.

"Their goal changed the perspective of the tie, because I honestly thought if a goal was coming it would be a third to us," the manager said.

"That mistake keeps the tie alive now and keeps them in it, and I guess they have the momentum going into the second leg. But We are not down and out, just disappointed we didn't see the job through as we should have done tonight, and we'll have to go over there and do the job properly now."

Everton v Sporting Lisbon pictures, stats and as it happened commentary