An inspired substitution and touches of ingenuity by Ross Barkley and Romelu Lukaku especially created the opening for Enner Valencia to score his first Everton goal as the Toffees saw off Southampton at Goodison Park.
Barkley played a fine through ball to Lukaku who showed great awareness to spin and spread the ball wide to the right to Coleman. The Ireland international captain’s cross was perfect for the Belgian whose header drew a great save from Forster, but Lukaku was first to the rebound to clip the ball into Valencia’s path and the Ecuadorian international buried his shot for his first goal for the club, 12 minutes after Ronald Koeman brought him on in place of Aaron Lennon.
Then good build-up play involving Barkley again, Ramiro Funes Mori and Leighton Baines culminated in a pass along the edge of the penalty area by Kevin Mirallas for Valencia who was upended by Maya Yoshida. Referee Kevin Friend pointed to the spot and Baines converted at the Howard Kendall Gwladys Street Stand end to give the hosts a commanding lead.
But there was still time for Lukaku to bag his 16th goal for club and country this season as he blasted a shot high past Forster and into the roof of the net.
Through the Christmas and New Year period, the Blues have picked up 10 points out of a possible 15 since the 2-1 win over Arsenal.
Goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenberg missed a third successive game because of the dead leg he sustained in the Merseyside derby. Tom Davies, just 18, started his first Premier League game since the final game of last season at home to Norwich while 19-year-old Dominic Calvert-Lewin made his first Premier League start having made his debut as a substitute in the victory at home over Arsenal.
In all, there were four changes to the starting line-up from the team that drew 2-2 at Hull on Friday with Phil Jagielka, Gareth Barry, Enner Valencia and Kevin Mirallas making way for Davies, Calvert-Lewin, Ramiro Funes Mori and Aaron Lennon. “It’s a really tough period of games for everybody but we know you can’t play three games in seven or eight days with 11 players - you need to make some changes in the team,” explained Koeman. “For everybody in the Premier League it’s a tough period, so it’s more about freshness than tactics. You always have moments in the season where maybe you deserve more or maybe you deserve better results but we start the New Year positive. It’s special to come up against your former side. There are a lot of nice people and we had a great time down there but we changed club and I’m happy at Everton. But it is, of course, a little bit more special than a normal game at home.”
Southampton were without their suspended centre-half, Virgil van Dijk, and Claude Puel made five changes in total, Van Dijk replaced by Jose Fonte, while Cedric came in for Cuco Martina. James Ward-Prowse and Jay Rodriguez were restored to the starting XI and Jordy Clasie returned from injury, forcing Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Steven Davis and Shane Long out following their defeat to West Brom on New Year’s Eve.
Barkley had an opportunity in the fifth minute to draw first blood, almost exploiting the good approach work by Calvert-Lewin and Lukaku with a half volley inside the penalty area, but his effort was too close to Forster, the Southampton goalkeeper, who got down sharply to his left to make the save.
Two early substitutions, forced by injuries, then served to take some of the sting from the game. First Cedric came off in the sixth minute for Southampton having slid off the pitch following a challenge with Baines. This was closely followed by the unfortunate Calvert-Lewin who had tried to run off a knock to his leg but succumbed reluctantly to make way for Mirallas.
Nathan Redmond headed over at the far post after an Ashley Williams clearance fell into his path, while at the other end Barkley played in Lukaku whose effort was blocked by Forster’s boot. It was hardly end-to-end, however. The service was not good enough to the front players and the passing and movement of both teams was far from their best. The game lacked spark, ingenuity and any kind of cutting edge. There were semi-chances carved out with Baines and Coleman working hard and rampaging forward into the opposition penalty area, but there was little to show for all the effort.
Jay Rodriguez fashioned for Southampton the best chance of the half, spinning away from Davies and giving Williams the slip to stealthily find himself in the penalty area, but his shot was high and wide when he had only Joel Robles to beat and he ought to have hit the target. It had been more miss than hit throughout, with Sam McQueen’s cross from the left and Redmond’s glancing header wide representing a microcosm of the first half action.
Lukaku played a perfect pass for Mirallas at the start of the second half and continued his powerful run into the penalty area, but his Belgian international teammate’s pass came up short, cut out by McQueen. Somebody needed to make something happen to lift both the team and the crowd.
Valencia came on in place of Lennon after an hour and, within seconds, he got to the by-line and almost played in Mirallas for a tap-in, but the ball was in behind the Belgian. Then Idrissa Gana Gueye helped to set up Coleman for a cross driven low across the box but before it could reach Lukaku it was cut out again for a corner.
It was better though. Lukaku drove forward from midfield soon after, following an interception by Williams but his powerful run was not matched by his shot which he scuffed and dragged across the face of goal with his right foot and wide.
Valencia scrapped hard to reclaim possession and Coleman, continuing to drive forward, put in another low cross that was turned away again for a corner. Just when it looked like Southampton were betraying signs of buckling Rodriguez flicked the ball into the path of Redmond and his shot required a good save by Robles to deny him.
And finally the goal by Valencia arrived, soon to be followed up by Baines from the penalty spot and Lukaku’s thumping finish. Goodison erupted at the final whistle, as joy mixed with relief, with Everton now turning their attentions to the FA Cup, which begins Saturday against Leicester City.
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