Romelu Lukaku scored four goals, including the fastest at Goodison Park in the Premier League era, as Everton defeated Bournemouth 6-3 in a breathless encounter.
Lukaku’s first, a ferocious left-foot finish from the edge of the box, eclipsed by a couple of seconds David Unsworth’s famed 32-seconds strike in the first game under David Moyes in March 2002.
The Belgian then added a second after James McCarthy had also scored to cap a blistering first half, only for Bournemouth to pull it back to 3-2 through Joshua King’s second-half brace.
Lukaku settled the nerves by adding another two in as many minutes to move within one goal of Duncan Ferguson’s Premier League scoring record for the Blues.
And though Bournemouth again rallied when Harry Arter netted as the clock struck 90, Ross Barkley rounded goalkeeper Artur Boruc and celebrated in front of the Park End before slotting into an emply net to complete the scoring with the final kick.
With Idrissa Gana Gueye back from international duty at the African Cup of Nations with Senegal and McCarthy back to full fitness, Ronald Koeman had choices and decisions to make ahead of the game.
Gana had a place on the bench, while Irish international McCarthy came into the starting line-up alongside Ademola Lookman, making his first Premier League start since his transfer from Charlton, and Gareth Barry. Kevin Mirallas, Tom Davies and Mason Holgate were the players who made way.
“Sometimes you need to protect young players,” the Everton manager explained. “We know we have big competition in the midfield so I can make changes. Lookman deserved to start today. He has brought some energy to the team after coming on and I wanted to see the boy from the start.”
And what a start. A quick free-kick inside the Everton half and a mislaid pass by Coleman preceded Tyrone Ming’s loose clearance which was intercepted by McCarthy, with Morgan Schneiderlin playing in Lukaku whose exchange of passes with McCarthy culminated in the Belgian’s stunning strike into the far corner off the inside of his left foot from more than 20 yards. It prompted the kind of eruption of euphoria around Goodison that spoke volumes of something memorable. A goal after 30 seconds is indeed a rarity and, ironically, it came against opponents responsible for the fastest goal ever scored at Goodison back in September 1985 when the then English League champions were hit by a goal from an acute angle by former Tranmere forward Colin Clarke after a mere 11 seconds. Harry Redknapp was then Bournemouth manager. Eddie Howe, the present incumbent and an Everton fan from childhood, may not have appreciated the irony immediately.
If Koeman wanted to see young Lookman from the start, he was not the only one. The 19-year-old prodigy has excited in each of his appearances from the substitutes’ bench, scoring on his debut against Manchester City and providing further promising cameos at Crystal Palace and Stoke in midweek. When Lukaku, who has taken the little dynamo under his wing, played him in on the edge of the penalty area, the dexterity of his footwork effortlessly outwitted Arter to create space before he shot narrowly wide of the far post. Getting people off their seats seems to be second nature to the likeable Londoner.
Soon the fans were off their seats again when Barkley’s pass and Lukaku’s muscle combined with McCarthy’s marauding run into the Bournemouth box and, though his initial effort was blocked by Steve Cook, the rebound fell for him kindly and the visiting goalkeeper, Artur Boruc, could do nothing to deny the Republic of Ireland international from close range.
The class of Barry and especially Schneiderlin was there for all to see as Everton maintained a grip on the game with the lightness of touch of a champion jockey on a winning thoroughbred. Schneiderlin’s cleverness, assured touch and all-round anticipation and reading of the game meant that everything for Everton appeared to be effortless. Bournemouth were impotent by comparison and it was hard not to feel sympathy for Howe’s admission that his team’s confidence is at the lowest ebb of their season.
Everton’s, on the other hand, is sky high and when the third goal went in off the boot of Lukaku, the Belgian striker capitalising clinically on a bad back pass across his box by Bournemouth skipper Simon Francis, a sixth win in nine Premier League games, supplemented by two draws and a solitary defeat suffered in the dying seconds of the Merseyside derby, was assured. Jack Wilshere had a shot deflected for a corner and Joel Robles had to save from Cook but Bournemouth’s assaults lacked bite.
To their credit, however, Bournemouth were not done and they galvanised their efforts in the second half. Arter fired over the crossbar in a clear sign of intent and the visitors drew clear hope from King’s cool finish from Wilshere’s ball over the top which reduced the deficit on 59 minutes.
But there was clear daylight still between the teams. Barkley rolled the ball to McCarthy whose shot was blocked by Boruc and the rebound fell to Lookman who shot into the side netting. Davies replaced McCarthy just after the hour and almost set up Lukaku for another shot on goal before the Belgian was brought down by substitute Brad Smith.
With a stealth akin to a thief in the night, Bournemouth managed to turn a clear inevitability back into a genuine contest. Robles had to deny King again at the expense of a corner before Ryan Fraser’s strong effort down the right created the opportunity for King to turn his shot past Robles and, from being virtually dead and buried after half an hour, the Cherries were suddenly breathing heavily down the Toffees’ necks and the anxiety that gripped Goodison, filled with 39,026, was palpable.
Then Lukaku restored order. With clear vision and purpose, he fed the ball to his right to Coleman and continued his run to the back post where the Irishman’s pinpoint cross was converted efficiently past Boruc. He was not done either. Another one-two, this time with Barkley whose back heeled return pass sent Lukaku clear, produced another summary execution, the striker’s shot slipping past Boruc. Four goals - the first such haul in a royal blue shirt since Louis Saha struck the same number against Blackpool almost six years ago to the day.
There was still time for Arter to temporarily quieten Goodison once more by netting as the fourth official’s board indicated four minutes of added time. But in the final of those, Barkley broke from halfway, galloped past the onrushing goalkeeper Boruc and lifted both arms in celebration to the Park End before sliding the ball home into the unguarded net. The victory moved Everton to within two points of sixth-placed Manchester United, who face the champions, Leicester City, at the Kingpower Stadium on Sunday.
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