Our Everton jury have their say on the big talking points from Goodison Park ahead of the game against Liverpool
Sport
Comment
Everton ended a five-game Premier League winless run by hammering Wolverhampton Wanderers at Goodison Park on Wednesday night. The Blues racked up their biggest home win since April 2019 to ease some of the growing pressure on manager Sean Dyche.
Ashley Young opened the scoring before Orel Mangala added a second 12 minutes before half-time. Craig Dawson was then credited with two second-half own goals after coming under pressure from the impressive Dominic Calvert-Lewin on two separate occasions.
The victory lifted Everton up to 15th in the Premier League table, and next up is the final Premier League Merseyside derby against Liverpool. And with both Wednesday's win and Saturday’s clash in mind, our Everton jury has returned to have their say...
READ MORE: What former Everton target did at full-time as transfer deal finally kicks inREAD MORE: 'It actually makes you wonder' - national media on Everton win as Sean Dyche point made after Wolves
Paul McParlan - Back on track
There is only one way to bounce back from a 4-0 defeat, and that is to win your next game by the same margin. Everton did exactly that, crushing Wolverhampton Wanderers with a superb exhibition of football to earn a well-deserved 4-0 victory.
The pressure was on Sean Dyche after a series of uninspiring displays, with some fans starting to turn against him, but last night he made all the right calls. You could feel the bubble of anxiety burst when Everon went ahead with Ashley Young’s expertly executed free kick.
The side created chance after chance, and if VAR had not intervened and Jack Harrison had not blown two gilt-edged chances towards the end, then the margin of victory could have been even greater. And although it was only a limited cameo from Armando Broja, he showed that he can add firepower to Everton’s attack.
Dwight McNeil was superb; every time he touched the ball, he made something happen. His set piece deliveries caused chaos in the opposition defence and played a part in three of our goals. It was the biggest league win that Everton have achieved under Sean Dyche, and those four goals meant we scored more in one match than we did for the whole of October and November combined.
It made such a pleasant change to see the players leave the pitch with joyous applause ringing all around the stadium. The mood of pessimism enveloping Goodison recently has been dissipated, and at exactly the right time with the Derby match up next.
Nobody is expecting to see a similar free-flowing Everton side on Saturday. What they want to see is a battling, resilient performance. From the first minute, they want Everton to be winning tackles, closing down their opponents relentlessly, and using set pieces to unlock the Reds defence.
The fans will play their part by turning Goodison Park into a frenzied, hostile bearpit of pulsating passion and vitriolic venom, the likes of which Mr. Slot has never seen before. The onus will be on Sean Dyche to select the right team and the right tactics, and perhaps last night was a taste of that.
He did it last season when Everton produced a memorable performance to defeat Liverpool and made Klopp’s last visit here a distinctly unhappy one. Sean Dyche has shown he can find a winning formula before; he needs to repeat that feat again. And let’s not forget he has a 100% record in Goodison Derbies so far!
On 13 October 1894, Everton crushed Liverpool 3-0 in the first-ever league derby to be played at Goodison Park. On December 7, 1992, Everton beat Liverpool 2-1 in the first Premier League Derby at Goodison. There is a proud history to be maintained here.
Saturday’s encounter is a fixture like no other in the history of Merseyside football. There will never be another league derby played here. Every player has to give everything for the cause. Nil Satis Nisi Optimum.
Daniel Smith - There were signs of encouragement
It has been a long time coming, but Blues supporters were finally able to walk out of Goodison Park on Wednesday night knowing their side had picked up three precious points.
We have to be honest: the performance was far from vintage, and we still have major issues that need to be addressed, but winning was the only thing that mattered on Wednesday night. Three points were simply a must.
However, there were signs of encouragement. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was excellent. He tormented the Wolves defence, and the only thing missing from his display was a goal - although on another he could have had two!
The two real stars of the night, though, were Ashley Young and Orel Mangala. The England international has shown in recent weeks that age really is just a number, while it is baffling why Mangala is not starting every week. He offers everything we need in midfield.
The only positive to Wednesday night is that Wolves will probably sack Gary O’Neil. The reception he received from his side’s supporters spoke volumes, but his sacking would be a shame because he looked like he was taking them to the Championship.
This weekend sees the Merseyside derby take place. The game that every Evertonian dreads. However, we have nothing to fear heading into this weekend; most people expect us to get beat, so that should be the perfect motivation to cause an upset.