Ronald Koeman avenged former club Southampton as Everton ran out 3-0 winners at Goodison Park.

The Blues manager handed starts to youngsters Tom Davies and Dominic Calvert-Lewin but the latter’s afternoon was short-lived after suffering injury.

A frustrating afternoon threatened to ensue before substitute Antonio Valencia broke the deadlock by tapping in from close range in the 73rd minute.

Valencia also had a say in Everton’s second afternoon as he won the penalty from which Leighton Baines converted before Romelu Lukaku capped off the win.

Here were the key talking points from Goodison:

Davies deserves game time

 

With Everton’s under-23 side currently topping the Premier League 2 table, many have called for the youngsters to be given their chance in the first team.

Until now Ronald Koeman had resisted the urge to do so, instead using the likes of Tom Davies, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Mason Holgate sparingly.

But both Davies and Calvert-Lewin were handed their chance from the start in this game, though, and did little wrong in their time on the pitch.

While the latter was forced off early with an injury, Davies’ performance in the middle of the park was impressive, to say the least.

At no point did he look out of his depth against a more experienced Saints midfield and even managed to bag himself an assist in setting up Lukaku’s late strike.

With Idrissa Gueye now off to the Africa Cup of Nations, it would not be a surprise to see him handed a more regular role over the coming month.

Deulofeu on his way out

 

As the Blues faced a second match in four days, it was inevitable that manager Koeman ring the changes from the line-up that drew with Hull City.

Yet it was still a surprise to some that Gerard Deulofeu was still missing from the match day squad for a second successive game.

Instead, Aaron Lennon and Calvert-Lewin were picked in the starting line-up while Kevin Mirallas took up a place on the bench.

The Spaniard has been linked with a loan move to AC Milan in recent days and his absence from this game hints there may be some truth to those rumours after all.

Time for Blues to practice crosses

 

It’s fair to say that Everton’s current squad is not blessed with a plethora of options when it comes to wingers.

Indeed, that may be why they have been linked with moves for several wide men in the January transfer window, especially with Yannick Bolasie’s long-term absence.

That lack of quality out wide was evident in this game as the current sides’ inability to put a ball into the box continually frustrated not only Romelu Lukaku but also the watching fans.

Seamus Coleman was particularly frustrating in this regard and a bit of work on the training ground could go a long way to improving the current goal tally.

4-4-2 could be the answer

 

Ronald Koeman has changed his formation throughout this season, opting between a 4-2-3-1 and a 3-4-3.

However, it is 4-4-2 that may be his best option.

The introduction of Enner Valencia in this game saw the Blues switch to that formation and it turned the game in their favour.

The Ecuadorian not only provided Romelu Lukaku with added support up top but also opened up the final third for the rest of the team to play in, something that resulted in all three goals.

It may be a formation that’s dying out in modern football but 4-4-2 appears to be the Blues best option, at least for the rest of this season.