Ronald Koeman has praised Ross Barkley’s match-winning strike in Everton’s win over Watford.
Barkley’s long-range effort proved the difference for the Blues as they overcame Walter Mazzarri’s side in their final Premier League home game of this season.
The midfielder’s stand-out moment came as he continues to stall over extending his stay with the club, with his current deal set to expire barely 12 months time.
Koeman has set Barkley a deadline of next weekend to decide his long-term fate or risk being sold by the Goodison Park hierarchy during the close season.
But the Everton manager paid tribute to the England international’s moment of inspiraton in what could prove to be a penultimate outing for his boyhood club.
He said: “The goal was good.
“In the first half we didn’t have aggression up front; not from Romelu [Lukaku] or Ross. Kevin [Mirallas] yes, Idrissa [Gueye] yes and Morgan [Schneiderlin] yes.
“But like most of the players Ross did much better in the second half and scored a great goal.
“That is what you want to see from a player of his talent; the goal was good.”