English Premier League: Everton sack manager Benitez after disastrous run

English Premier League strugglers Everton have sacked manager Rafa Benitez after just six and a half months in the job. He was appointed as Carlo Ancelotti's successor in June 2021 but an emergency board meeting was held late last night following defeat against Norwich City at Carrow Road.

The former Liverpool boss has overseen a terrible run of form with the Toffees winning just 1 in their last 13 league matches. They have fallen from fourth in the table in October last year after a strong start but now find themselves in the bottom five. Yesterday's woeful 2-1 defeat was the last straw and the club have now parted ways with the 61-year-old.

Brandishing banners

The mood around Goodison Park had been souring for several weeks and his initial appointment was met with fury from the Blues faithful. Fans had turned on the Spanish coach in recent weeks and had been brandishing banners. Yesterday, one angry fan tried to confront the former Real Madrid and Chelsea boss at Carrow Road.

Everton are now searching for their seventh permanent manager since the departure of David Moyes in 2013. Club legend Duncan Ferguson could be asked to take temporary charge of the first team once again, just as he did in 2019 when Marco Silva was dismissed. For the majority of Everton fans, the former striker is their first choice to be given the job on a full time basis while Wayne Rooney, currently manager of Derby County, could be named as his assistant.