BERGEN, Norway (AFP) - Everton secured a record sixth successive victory in Europe when they beat Norwegian side SK Brann 2-0 here in their UEFA Cup last 32 first leg match.

Second-half goals by Leon Osman and substitute Victor Anichebe were enough for the 1985 Cup Winners Cup champions to see them past the Norwegian champions - for the first time in 44 years - who to be fair to them had not played competitively for two months.

Osman refused to concede that with the two away goals that Everton were through to the last 16.

"The job is only half done," said the 26-year-old. "We knew we had to be patient as European football is like that, a lot different to English style.

"What's good is that we don't have an FA Cup match this weekend so we can focus solely on the return leg next Thursday."

Everton started brightly with England striker Andy Johnson forcing a save from Hakon Opdal - making his 150th appearance for the club - in the second minute.

However, the hosts could well have gone ahead in the ninth minute but Azar Karadas' header from Jan Gunnar Solli's freekick went over the bar, though the former centreback may have been put off by a touch from a team-mate in the penalty box.

Everton pushed and probed without much success and only had a weak shot from Osman which was easily gathered by Opdal in the 25th minute, however, the Norwegian 'keeper had to be much more agile to tip away the same player's effort from a wide angle in the 33rd minute.

The hosts thought they had broken the deadlock at the end of the first-half when former Leeds United midfield star Eirik Bakke forced Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard into palming the ball into his own net, but it was ruled out because Bakke had clearly hindered Howard.

Everton, though, came closest to legally breaking the stalemate when Australian midfielder Tim Cahill let rip with a right footed shot from outside the box in the 53rd minute only for the ball to ricochet off the post.

The visitors, though, made no mistake in the 59th minute as Osman unleashed a stunning right footed effort which curled into the net past a well beaten Opdal, after a Brann defender's header fell to him outside the box.

The Toffees almost stuck it to the Norwegian side a second time in the 75th minute when hardworking midfielder Manuel Fernandes - who had been booked earlier in the second-half - struck a good shot on goal which Opdal saw late and just managed to turn aside for a corner.

Brann came close to levelling the match in the 83rd minute as Njugo Demba-Nyren let fly from 25 metres out and forced Howard into a fingertip save for a corner.

The American had to be just as alert from the resulting corner as Thorstein Helstad was left umarked and his backpost header was just held by Howard with the referee waving away the hosts players protests that the ball had crossed the line.

Despite the Norwegians reviving interest in getting a goal it was Everton who added a second as Anichebe tapped home - for his fourth goal of the season - following Joleon Lescott's superb crossball into the box which went behind the defenders.