Blackburn Rovers manager Sam Allardyce has asked referees to watch Everton's Tim Cahill closely in Wednesday night's clash. Allardyce believes Cahill gains an unfair advantage in a lot of his aerial contests and wants the referees to keep a close eye on him.

"Most of the time you see Cahill playing the man before the ball, but it's not often he is pulled up for a free-kick," said Allardyce.

"Every player commits fouls, but it is down to whether the referee spots it.

"Sometimes it goes unnoticed if a player is as clever as Cahill is in the way he uses his body. I'm not saying he is a dirty player, just that he uses his assets extremely well."

Everton boss David Moyes defended the way the Socceroos star plays.

"I think the remarks are down to Tim's importance to us than anything else," Moyes said.

"He can take the fight to people all right, but there is nothing about his record to suggest he goes about his job the wrong way.

"He sometimes jumps early and hangs in the air, but I would always be happy to trust the referee to make the right decision and judge whether a foul has been committed."