Tom Davies scored his first goal for Everton as they dented Manchester City’s top four hopes with an emphatic 4-0 thrashing at Goodison Park.

The young Blues midfielder had set the wheels in motion for Romelu Lukaku to open the scoring after his incisive pass allowed Kevin Mirallas to tee up the Belgian.

Just minutes after the interval, Mirallas found himself on the score sheet after Ross Barkley pounced on a poor Yaya Toure pass to him up for the hosts’ second.

Davies later rounded off a brilliant move which saw him dink the ball over an advancing Claudio Bravo and into the Gwladys Street end’s net.

Everton new boy Ademola Lookman scored his first goal in the final minute of stoppage time as Pep Guardiola suffered his heaviest league defeat as manager.

Here were the key talking points from Goodison:

Remember the name

 

Eight days ago, Ronald Koeman had highlighted Tom Davies as Everton’s best player in a meek FA Cup exit to Leicester City as cause for concern in his squad.

That the 18-year-old comfortably retained that status against Pep Guardiola’s side should be viewed as a positive rather than a fresh slight on the player.s

He had already fulfilled the role of an all-action midfielder in cutting out City’s play with incisive challenges before clearing Bacary Sagna’s goal-bound header off the line.

But it was his influence at the other end which had Evertonians salivating with an instinctive defence-splitting pass which allowed Mirallas to tee up Lukaku.

Even when walking a disciplinary tightrope, later, little appeared to phase the latest jewel in Everton’s home-grown crown as he opened his account with a floated finish.

In front of the same Gwladys Street end where Wayne Rooney had etched his name into Goodison Park lore, Davies began writing a history of his own.

‘Remember the name’, commentators said of Rooney’s wonder strike against Arsenal. There is now another to sit alongside the current England captain’s.

Clinical Blues: a sign of things to come?

 

Another bone of contention during Koeman’s maiden season at the Goodison Park helm has been the lack of conviction his side have often lacked in key areas.

He claimed that not enough second balls had been won nor ample goal scoring opportunities taken when they presented themselves for the Blues.

But after hailing this performance as ‘perfect’, it is easy to see why Koeman’s previous misgivings appeared to have finaly been acknowledged by his players.

That all four of Everton’s shots on target saw Claudio Bravo plucking the ball out of his net underlined the intensity of their renewed high-pressing approach.

Koeman and the Goodison crowd will hope it is a definitive sign of things to come.

Lukaku strikes back

 

He may go down as Everton’s most prolific marksman of his generation but the accusations levelled at Lukaku in recent weeks show no signs of dissenting.

Supposedly, the towering Belgian does not work hard enough and instead allows his ability to break goal scoring record upon record to instead do the talking.

Few would have claimed that the likes of Bob Latchford and Gary Lineker did not put a shift in during their respective spells of wearing in the royal blue shirt

To his credit, Lukaku is offering a sign of his full capabilities with a well-rounded performance as he notched a 12th Premier League goal of the current campaign.

Not only did the 23-year-old find the target in the first half but also offered himself as an outlet for Everton to launch waves of attacks throughout.

Lukaku’s final Goodison epitaph will remain unwritten until the years after his eventual departure but he is at least attempting to silence his doubters.

Mori exposes need for new CB

 

Ramiro Funes Mori had insisted that pleasantries would go out the window when he came up against Argentina team mate and City striker Sergio Aguero.

The defender’s movement during the first half suggested otherwise; in a game where Everton required calm heads, Mori’s up-field marauding was mindless.

His penchant for moving higher up the pitch almost came at a cost as Mason Holgate was forced to make up the distance left in the gap alongside Ashley Williams.

With Phil Jagielka’s career on a downward spiral and his immediate replacement appearing incapable of holding his position, adding a new a centre-back this month has become imperative for Koeman.