Everton continued their chase of the Premier League’s top six with a comfortable 3-0 win over West Brom.
The Blues dominated the first half, with Romelu Lukaku missing two glorious chances to put his side in front in the opening half hour.
He was spared his blushes by compatriot Kevin Mirallas, though, as the forward pounced on a rebound from Ben Foster to calmly put Everton ahead.
Morgan Schneiderlin increased the lead just before half-time when he forced his way in front of goal before calmly finishing past Foster for his first Blues goal.
Lukaku would add a third late on following excellent work from Ross Barkley to help the Blues move to within two points of Manchester United.
Here were the key talking points from Goodison Park:
Blues officially the best of the rest
The Premier League has been divided this season, with the top six competing in their own mini league and the rest doing left to their own business.
That situation has been frustrating for Everton who, despite just one defeat in the league this year, haven’t managed to move any higher than seventh place.
That position has afforded them the dubious honour of being ‘the best of the rest’ and this game certainly confirmed that status.
West Brom are the Blues’ nearest challengers for seventh place this season but Ronald Koeman’s team were able to dispose of them with relative ease at Goodison Park, showing a clinical edge that will have delighted the Dutchman.
It confirmed their status as the best of the rest and the next step must now be to firmly challenge those above, starting with trips to Liverpool and Manchester United.
Goals needed from more than Lukaku
An alternative league table released before this game showed that should every club to lose their top scorer this season, Everton would be in the top four.
It also showed that the Blues would only be seven goals worse off in the goal difference column without Romelu Lukaku’s 18 league goals, highlighting this side may not be as dependant on the Belgian as first feared.
While that is heartening, the fact that Ross Barkley is the second-highest goalscorer in this squad with five goals in all competitions is still a worry.
Some of those concerns will have been put to bed in this game as the rest of the squad found their shooting boots.
Kevin Mirallas and Morgan Schneiderlin got themselves on the score sheet, while Idrissa Gueye was unfortunate not to convert when he hit the post late on.
Goals from sources other than Lukaku would be a welcome addition moving forward.
Schneiderlin proving a smart capture
Given his lack of game time at Manchester United over the last two years, Morgan Schneiderlin was afforded a period to adjust himself to life at Everton.
The France international hasn’t needed it.
He has instead quickly established himself in the heart of the Blues midfield and is already becoming one of Koeman’s most influential figures this season.
His performance here was arguably one of his best to date as he not only provided the defensive stability that he was signed for but an attacking threat also.
The latter aspect saw him bag his first goal as a Toffee with a superb taken finish past Ben Foster. The Frenchman is looking like a real bargain for Koeman.
Fortress Goodison has returned
The most successful teams tend to make their home grounds something of a fortress and Everton are determined to ensure they are among the best of them.
After the 3-0 win over the Baggies, they now have the third-best home record in the division behind Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea. Last season they finished in 15th.
Under Koeman, they have so far managed to pick up 31 points at home, eight whole points more than they did in the entirety of last season, with five home games remaining.
With Hull, Burnley, Leicester and Watford all still to visit Merseyside, that tally could be much more impressive by the end of the campaign.
It has been a long time coming, but Fortress Goodison has officially returned.