Everton maintained their perfect start to the season with an emphatic 5-2 victory over West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League’s lunchtime kick-off at Goodison Park.
Grady Diangana gave the visitors a shock lead after 10 minutes, before Dominic Calvert-Lewin and James Rodriguez replied for Everton as the half drew to a close. Kieran Gibbs was then sent off for retaliation in injury time at the end of the half, with his manager Slaven Bilic then sent to the stands for his protests to referee Mike Dean at half time.
Everton cruise past Salford City in Carabao CupEverton cruise past Salford City in Carabao Cup
League Cup
Everton cruise past Salford City in Carabao Cup
Matheus Pereira equalised with a stunning free kick just after half time, before the ten men of West Brom were torn apart. Michael Keane soon tapped in to restore Everton’s lead before Calvert-Lewin completed his hat trick with two goals in quick succession just after the hour mark.
Both teams will be in EFL Cup action in the week before Everton travel to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace next Saturday afternoon and West Brom host Chelsea that evening.
TALKING POINT
Is something stirring at Goodison Park? Due to the immediacy of modern life, and the insistence of certain broadcasting giants in talking about English football history in terms of the Premier League era only, there is inevitably a generation of younger fans who might be unaware of just how huge a club Everton are in English football. The rapid succession of false dawns at Goodison Park in the last quarter of a century will not have helped either.
What’s happening there at the moment might just be a dawn that will not fade as quickly. Everton now have a world class manager in Carlo Ancelotti, who has injected a dynamic and modern approach to attacking football at Goodison. Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure were astute recent signings to bolster a midfield that allows their attacking players to flourish. Another summer arrival, the World Cup golden boot winner James Rodriguez, looks to be the sprinkling of stardust that can bring out the very best in Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin.
It’s infectious, to the point that their captain, the 31-year old right back Seamus Coleman, has rolled back the years and is a raiding right back once more. However, with a defence that still seems brittle when pressurised Everton cannot get too carried away and start wildly dreaming about a tenth championship. Critics might say that, so far, they have only beaten a stagnating Spurs and a West Brom team that look odds on to be relegated. While that’s true, the manner of dispatch has been undeniably impressive. Everton look likely to be one of the most eye-catching teams to watch this season and challenging for the top six and the European places looks well within the scope of their capabilities.
MAN OF THE MATCH – Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton)
It was a coin flip between Rodriguez and Calvert-Lewin, but with the match ball after a hat-trick that makes him the top goal scorer in these early stages of this Premier League season, Calvert-Lewin just takes it. After a dry run at the end of last season he is now benefiting from the creativity that Ancelotti has packed around him. If he can maintain this form his link play and eye for chances close to goal should definitely pique the interest of Gareth Southgate.
PLAYER RATINGS
Everton (4-3-3): Pickford 5; Coleman 7, Keane 6, Mina 6, Digne 7; Doucoure 6, Allan 6, Gomes 6; Richarlison 7, Calvert-Lewin 8, Rodriguez 8
SUBS: Sigurdsson 7, Iwobi 6, Kean 6
West Bromwich Albion (3-4-3): Johnstone 5; Ajayi 6, Bartley 6, O’Shea 5; Furlong 7, Livermore 6, Sawyers 6, Gibbs 5; Pereira 7, Robinson 6, Diangana 7
SUBS: Field 6, Phillips 6, Edwards 6
KEY MOMENTS
10’ GOAL! Everton 0 West Bromwich Albion 1 (Diangana 10) What a strike from Diangana! He picks up the ball deep in his own half and leads the break into Everton’s half. The Everton defence back off and, when Diangana gets 25 yards out from goal, he smashes a shot across Pickford and into the net!
33’ GOAL! Everton 1 (Calvert-Lewin 33) West Bromwich Albion 0 Excellent work from Coleman again as he goes past Gibbs and stands a cross up to the back post to Richarlison. It breaks to Calvert-Lewin, who back heels it into the net from what looks an offside position. After a VAR review though it deflected to Calvert-Lewin from O’Shea, not Richarlison, and the goal stands.
45’ GOAL! Everton 2 (Rodriguez 45) West Bromwich Albion 1 James Rodriguez gets his first goal for Everton, and it’s a beauty. Richarlison skips by a couple of challenges and drops a pass into Rodriguez just outside the area in a central position. Rodriguez shifts the ball to his left and arrows a low shot past Johnstone and into the bottom corner.
45+2’ RED CARD! Kieran Gibbs is sent off for reacting to a slight hip-bump from Rodriguez by slapping his assailant around the face. He doesn’t protest as he trudges off, and his team are really up against it now.
47’ GOAL! Everton 2 West Bromwich Albion 2 (Pereira 47) What a hit! West Brom win a free-kick just to the right of the Everton area, around 25 yards out. Pereira steps up and whips a vicious curling shot over the wall and high into the corner past a flailing Pickford. That’s a stunning hit.
54’ GOAL! Everton 3 (Keane 54) West Bromwich Albion 2 They’re back in front! Digne whips the free kick in to an unmarked Richarlison. His header from six yards out is well saved by Johnstone, but the rebound falls to Keane for a simple tap-in and Everton lead again.
62’ GOAL! Everton 4 (Calvert-Lewin 62) West Bromwich Albion 2 A beauty from Everton. After a spell of possession on the edge of West Brom’s area, Rodriguez lifts a lovely ball into the area to Richarlison to beat the offside trap. Richarlison volleys a cross to Calvert-Lewin, who slides in to prod the ball home from a yard out.
66’ GOAL! Everton 5 (Calvert-Lewin 66) West Bromwich Albion 2 Hat-trick for Calvert-Lewin! Rodriguez whips the ball in and Calvert-Lewin arrives onto it unmarked from six yards out, adjusting his jump superbly to guide the ball past a helpless Johnstone.
KEY STAT
Dominic Calvert Lewin is the youngest English player to score a hat-trick in the top division since Tony Cottee’s debut hat-trick against Newcastle United in 1988.
