Remember the days when Manchester was the capital of North West football? Look again, because a new strain of blue and red is fleshing out the top four of the Barclays Premier League.
Down the East Lancs Road, the Manchester clubs prepare for Champions League games this week while wondering who stole their DNA over the summer. On Merseyside, meanwhile, they are closing their eyes and wondering if it’s the 1980s all over again.
It may not last. In fact, it almost certainly won’t. But at the moment Liverpool and now Everton are entitled to feel a little dizzy.
Main man: Romelu Lukaku scored two of Everton's goals to put Newcastle to the sword at Goodison Park
Here at a delirious Goodison Park, Everton played with a swagger. Gray, Lineker, Sheedy and Reid used to play like this here. On Monday it was Lukaku, Mirallas, Barkley and Barry. The result was the same — a victory to go with some dazzling football.
Newcastle were lamentable in the first half but made the score look respectable with a stunning 51st-minute strike by Yohan Cabaye and a late consolation for Loic Remy in the last minute. They even looked capable of an equaliser in four frantic minutes of added time.
But they had left themselves too much to do after an opening period that left them 3-0 down — and it could have been five.
Romelu Lukaku scored the first goal after just five minutes and set up the second for young Ross Barkley midway through the half. Later on Lukaku bustled his way through to score again.
With the Premier League’s more celebrated teams making such peculiar starts to the season, rare opportunities presented themselves for both these sides.
Everton had the chance to squeeze into the top four, while a Newcastle victory would have taken them into the top 10, something that would have sounded very acceptable after an opening-day pounding at Manchester City.
As it turned out, for the first half at least, only one team displayed the desire and ambition to win. Everton jumped all over Newcastle from the outset and were two goals to the good within 25 minutes of terrific blue-and-white football.
Opening salvo: Lukaku needed just five minutes to score Everton's first as they eased to victory
How miserable Newcastle were during that period; how spineless and defeatist. Assembled without a single British player, Alan Pardew’s side seemed not so much from other countries as from another planet.
Everton really were terrific. Roberto Martinez’s Wigan team used to play some good-looking football but this was a different grade. The big Belgian Lukaku was brilliant — his mother club Chelsea must not see what the rest of us see — while his countryman Kevin Mirallas was dazzling down the right.
Bright spark: Ross Barkley continued to showcase his potential with a calmly taken second goal for Everton
Within five minutes the two players combined to give Everton the lead.
It was a goal born of desire, determination and finishing proficiency. Mirallas beat Newcastle left-back Davide Santon to a loose ball simply because he seemed to believe he could get to it while his opponent didn’t. Once in possession,
Mirallas bustled past his man and crossed low for Lukaku, who connected sweetly with his right instep and saw Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul narrowly fail to keep the ball out. Already the night looked long for Newcastle.
Tears before bedtime: A young Newcastle fan looks for comfort as his side crash to defeat at Everton
Everton were rampant at times, passing the ball around precisely while awaiting openings. Another team from this part of the world — the one across the park — used to do that in the 1970s.
Newcastle, on the other hand, couldn’t keep the ball when they had it. Krul, for example, is an excellent goalkeeper but his pass to Cheick Tiote was simply horrible and when the Frenchman was robbed easily by James McCarthy his low shot was half-saved before desperate Newcastle defenders headed away Leon Osman’s subsequent cross with something less than comfort.
On and on came Everton and back and back pedalled frantic Newcastle. Seamus Coleman advanced to worry the life out of the hapless Santon in the 21st minute to win a corner and soon afterwards Lukaku slipped a perfectly measured pass between defenders for young Barkley to run on and score easily.
Barkley — at 19, such a prospect — celebrated wildly in the corner, and who can blame him? But the delight on Lukaku’s face said everything for the spirit that runs through this Everton team.
Soon after it was in evidence again and this time Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard was the man credited with an unlikely assist. The American’s long punt dropped in Lukaku’s range on the edge of the Newcastle penalty area and why defender
Fabricio Coloccini didn’t attempt to head the ball clear is anybody’s guess. Maybe he didn’t want to mess up his hair.
Back in it: Yohan Cabaye fired the ball home from outside the box just after half time to give Newcastle hope
It is always a cardinal sin to let such a ball bounce, and the South American was punished instantly as Lukaku muscled his way forwards, shrugged off Krul’s peculiar star-jump and smashed the third goal into the empty net.
On the far side, the smattering of Newcastle fans sang: ‘We want our money back.’ It was hard to blame them.
Pardew made changes at half-time. Had he been allowed to make 11 he may have. As it was, Yoan Gouffran ran clear to strike a post and then passed to substitute Cabaye, whose swerving, right-foot strike beat Howard from 30 yards.
Plenty to ponder: Newcastle owner Mike Ashley (left) and Joe Kinnear watched their side crash to defeat