Anichebe suffered a groin injury while on international duty in September and did not play for the rest of 2011. He made his return as a second-half substitute on 1 January 2012, against West Bromwich Albion and scored in the 87th minute to give Everton a 1–0 away win. He continued his comeback by coming off the bench to score the equaliser in a 1–1 with Aston Villa on 14 January. Anichebe continued his goalscoring form by scoring his third goal of the season as a substitute in a 1–1 with Wigan Athletic on 4 February. His appearance also meant he became Everton's most used substitute in the history of the club, breaking Duncan Ferguson's old record of 82.