Match Thread Everton V Southampton 3pm Monday 2nd January

[Encoder]

back to the good times of smacking down some no marks at Goodison

 

[moyes cardy]

The 2nd half today is why it's so frustrating to be a Blue. There is no reason we can't play that style, with those performances week in week out. I really hope this is a new start. Ross looks well up for it now. Rom is unplayable when we get the ball to his feet. And I love love love Tom Davies. He should start every week from now on.

I'm still not sure if I should be surprised we're 7th in a good way or bad way.

As well as the obvious new players needed we looked a lot better with a change in formation. Shame CL got injured as we started this way but reverted back - Valencia comes on and again we looked a lot better.

 

[Woolly Blue]

Game of two halves again?

We were poor first half and much better in the second, especially when Valencia came on for Lennon who was gash today. Mind you, Valencia was ineffective against Hull.

Barkley and Davies both played well and thankfully Baines took the pen. Though it looked like Rom had a bit of a sulk on because of that !

 

[hibbo'sclass]

Rom is a different player when supported by a secondary striker who's even competent.
Barkley played well, Davies did very well and for his brief cameo, DCL looked decent.
No real stinkers today with the exception of Lennon.
GazBaz showing skills - will the result be nulligfied when he fails a drug test?

 

[Stanley Parker]

The match was likely to be decided in the last twenty minutes. For seventy minutes, the teams matched each other error for error. The nicest thing you could say is that the play was competitive. Koeman was right to bring on Valencia as Southampton tired, and Everton increasingly took command.

 

[AndyC]

Poor hour, scintillating final 30 mins.

Everton 3 - 0 Southampton​

Brief Summary… A maiden goal for Enner Valencia, Leighton Baines laying down the law for the penalty taking responsibility and a right foot shot of raw power from Romelu Lukaku saw the numbing blandness of the first half forgotten as the Blues kicked off 2017 with a deserved win.

With Goodison bathed in winter sunshine and an almost full house attendance, Everton eventually overwhelmed Southampton with a tremendous last half hour.

Ronald Koeman looked to set his charges up in a 4-4-2 in selecting: Robles, Baines, Williams, Funes Mori, Coleman, Lennon, Gueye, Davies, Barkley, Calvert-Lewin and Lukaku.
Claude Puel picked his Saints as follows: Forster, Soares, Fonte, Yoshida, McQueen, Clasie, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Tadic, Rodriguez and Redmond
Kevin Friend was the man with the whistle.

Both sides were forced into early substitutions as Stephens replaced Cedric who’d crashed heavily into the advertising at the Gwladys Street End and disappointingly, Dominic Calvert-Lewin left the game barely eleven minutes in due to what looked an ankle injury, Kevin Mirallas taking over. Calvert-Lewin subsequently left Goodison on crutches, so let’s hope that’s just precautionary.

The first half was largely forgettable as neither side could find any rhythm and with the atmosphere somewhat subdued, the play lethargic and disjointed, there was little to get excited about.

Everton had more possession and tried to force things, but the only saves Fraser Forster in the visitors goals had to make were from an early Ross Barkley shot and then to deny Lukaku on the end of a flowing counter attack by the Blues.

At the other end, Joel Robles palmed away a deflected Rodriguez effort on 38 minutes and the same player blazed over barely 90 seconds later when a sweet turn on the edge of the box made space for the shot.

Half Time 0-0.

Neither side made any further changes at half time and despite a better effort, the play was still somewhat disjointed and not making for great yuletide entertainment.

That was to change dramatically on 61 minutes when Ronald Koeman sent Enner Valencia on for Aaron Lennon who’d worked hard, but achieved little of any note offensively.

The introduction of the West Ham loanee saw an injection of pace through the middle, a foil for Lukaku up front and allowed Ross Barkley to play a bit wider on the right flank to link with Seamus Coleman.

Tom Davies who'd had a decent showing began to grow even more into the game and a fine through ball for Valencia saw a cross go behind Mirallas as he looked to pull the trigger. A good through ball from Williams found Lukaku on the right flank, but he screwed his shot across the face of the goal, but the signs of improvement were showing.

Southampton replaced Tadic with Boufal on 66 minutes and the next action saw Robles stand firm to deny Redmond.

Into the last twenty minutes and finally, the breakthrough came as Forster saved awkwardly from a Lukaku header and Enner Valencia was on the spot to sweep home the loose ball inside the six-yard box on 73 minutes.

Saints sent on Shane Long for Clasie in an attempt to worry the Everton back line.

Mirallas rode a midfield challenge to feed Rom only for the shot from 20 yards to go just over, but Everton now seemed eager to stamp some genuine authority on the game.

A move started way out on the wide right by Barkley eventually worked its way to the left and when the ball came into the edge of the box, Valencia was bundled over and the ref earned 38,000 new friends as he duly pointed to the spot. Seamus Coleman presented the ball to Romelu Lukaku, but stand-in skipper Leighton Baines literally ripped the ball out of the Belgians grasp to claim the rights.

Lukaku looked somewhat taken aback, but Baines proved his point by comfortably firing home to the bottom left hand corner while Forster went in the opposite direction.

Gareth Barry replaced Ross on 83 minutes who got a standing ovation for a hard-working performance that hadn’t always gone the way the Wavertree born player had hoped. But, whatever criticism Ross faces from time to time, the one thing he could not be accused of today was hiding. He constantly wanted the ball, and constantly looked to make things happen, sometimes they didn’t come off but, he kept on going and his effort level will surely have been noted by the manager.

Ashley Williams made an outstanding goal-line clearing header to protect the clean sheet and the Blues wrapped up the three points with a crunching third marker on 88 minutes.

Bainesy broke up Saints in their own half, the ball falling nicely into the path of Tom Davies who played an instant pass into the right flank channel for Romelu Lukaku to run onto and smash an unstoppable right foot shot high into the roof of the Gwladys Street goal giving Forster absolutely no chance.

Full Time 3-0.

For certainly the first half and the early stages of the second, this game failed to excite the Goodison faithful, but once we got rolling following the introduction of Valencia, there was only one team that looked like scoring and winning.

Choosing a MotM today could be tricky. Ross worked hard, Gana Gueye was combative as ever and Tom Davies certainly staked a claim for a starting role while IGG is away at the AFCON tournament.

We can and must play better, we must and can play with a higher tempo and intensity – the last half hour proved that.

Seven points from nine over Christmas and New Year is not to be sniffed at, and most probably were not expecting that haul in the aftermath of the ‘derby’.

Everton need to build on this Yuletide; the FA Cup begins next week, and Goodison will surely be up for that.

 

[BigDunc'sFod]

Barkley all day for me, though undoubtedly some will trump for Davies because of his energy and assist or Valencia for his contribution and the difference to our play.

 

[wainy]

Lukakus goal only went in coz their keeper was shattered.

 

[Dario Terracotta]

It was all very sameish to many games this season for 65/70 minutes,Valencia certainly changed things for the better,overall Gueye/Davies had decent games,Barkley out a shift in although the "spark" hasn't yet returned,downside,Mori,just looks an accident waiting to happen unfortunately.

 

[AndyC]

Lukakus goal only went in coz their keeper was shattered.

Yeah right.

 

[BigDunc'sFod]

RFM broke up Saints in their own half, the ball falling nicely into the path of Tom Davies who played an instant pass into the right flank channel for Romelu Lukaku to run onto and smash an unstoppable right foot shot high into the roof of the Gwladys Street goal giving Forster absolutely no chance.

Full Time 3-0.

Good review mate but this was deffo Baines with a sliding challenge that broke for us

 

[wainy]

Yeah right.

@davek says this is true.

 

[Dutch Toffee]

Don't know who to vote for as man of the match, as I was only able to watch the last 30 minutes. Good write up though Andy

 

[AndyC]

Good review mate but this was deffo Baines with a sliding challenge that broke for us

Can't read my own notes, corrected, cheers

 

[mlyons]

Don't know who to vote for as man of the match, as I was only able to watch the last 30 minutes. Good write up though Andy

You didn't miss much. The last thirty minutes were when all the good things happened. Almost inclined to vote for Valencia -- he certainly had a huge impact when he came on. Went for Ross, though. Probably the best I've seen him do at just running the game through the midfield.