Everton suffer Italian job as they lose in Florence

David Moyes has been advising caution all along, warning that his side still have some way to go to challenge the established order at the top, and his words will perhaps be heeded after this UEFA Cup humbling by one of Europe's better sides.

Not the best, not by some distance. Always workmanlike and growing in confidence as a freezing Florence night wore on, Fiorentina, fourth in Serie A, were good value for a lead that should be enough to safeguard their passage into the quarter-finals.

There was little to suggest, though, that they would have struck terror into Manchester United, Chelsea or Arsenal — Liverpool either, for that matter, given their proud and enviable record in Europe.

Everton had stuck to their task and hung on gamely until being undone by goals from Zdravko Kuzmanovic and Riccardo Montolivo in the 70th and 81st minutes.

If the evidence of a one-sided last 16 first leg suggested Everton are on their way out, one stark statistic made it look a near certainty. Everton have never overturned a first-leg deficit of any kind in Europe, let alone one of two goals.

A despondent Moyes made no attempt to conceal his dismay at the way his side failed to show any of the purpose or urgency that has kept them at the forefront of the chase for the fourth Champions League spot.

"The better team won, simple as that. And, if we are being honest about it, we didn't play anything like as well as we can," said the Everton manager. "We handed the initiative to Fiorentina by not starting well, but at least we didn't concede. To allow them two goals after holding out for so long was particularly hard to take.

"They are a good team, and we clearly have a big job on our hands in the return game. We are going to have to do a lot better if we are going to pull it round.

"We had a couple of shots against us, as a warning, but it didn't make any difference. We still gave their midfield players the chance to shoot, and that cost us. I don't know if any of the players were overawed by the occasion, but I know some did not play to their potential. In fact, the majority didn't.

"We have got another match, and hopefully we can raise our game and try and make amends. But we are going to have to play much better than this. We just didn't get to grips with the pace of the game or the pitch, and I was really disappointed that we fell so far below the standards we have been setting over the past couple of months."

Parity lasted as long as it did only because of further evidence that Tim Howard is returning to the levels that made him one of the Barclays Premier League's outstanding goalkeepers in his first season at Old Trafford.

Florence may be famed as the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, but it was all about an American on the road to recovery as the indignity of being jettisoned by United manager Sir Alex Ferguson faded further into the past.

Howard had already saved routinely from Osvaldo and Martin Jorgensen when he excelled himself with a brilliant close-range block from Christian Vieri.

There was cause for believing the sluggish Vieri would have buried the chance in his prime, but it was still goalkeeping of the highest order. The Everton keeper was lucky to escape after a misjudgment, when a Montolivo shot deflected behind off his elbow, but there was nothing fortunate about a 61st-minute double stop that looked like keeping the tie on a knife-edge.

A brilliant reflex save kept out a right-foot shot from the lumbering Vieri, almost unrecognisable from the lethal marksman who terrorised the best defences in his heyday, and Howard was on his feet in an instant to produce another full-length stop from Kuzmanovic.

It all unravelled for Moyes' offkey team in the last 20 minutes, though, and there was nothing Howard could do as Fiorentina hit them with two lightning strikes.

A cross from the left deflected fortuitously into the path of Kuzmanovic, but there was plenty to admire about the way he set his sights from 20 yards before hitting a deliberate sidefoot finish beyond Howard's reach.

Little had been seen of Everton in attack, and they were found wanting at the back again in the 81st minute as a flowing move left them flat-footed before Montolivo volleyed past Howard.

As the final whistle was sounded, a purple carpet was rolled out from the tunnel to the touchline, and Fiorentina's players formed a guard of honour to applaud Everton off.

They may well have been signalling their departure from the tournament as well.

FIORENTINA (4-4-2): Frey 6, Ujfalusi 7, Gamberini 6, Dainelli 7, Pasqual 7, Kuzmanovic 6 (Gobbi 76), Donadel 7, Montolivo 6, Jorgensen 6, Vieri 5 (Pazzini 67, 6), Osvaldo 7 (Santana 74, 6). Booked: Ujfalusi, Gobbi.

EVERTON (4-5-1): Howard 8, Hibbert 6 (Johnson 73), Yobo 7, Jagielka 7, Lescott 7, Osman 6 (Arteta 56, 7), Neville 6, Carsley 7, Pienaar 6, Cahill 6, Yakubu 6. Booked: Yakubu, Pienaar, Howard.

Man of the match: Tim Howard.

Referee: Paul Allaerts (Belgium).