Everton got themselves back on track with a comfortable 2-0 win over Brighton.

It took until the second half for the deadlock to be broken when Yannick Bolasie picked out Theo Walcott at the back post to fire home the Blues’ opener.

Another January signing who doubled the scoreline as Cenk Tosun bagged his second in as many games when he curled superbly past Matty Ryan.

Sam Allardyce’s side missed the chance to make the victory even more leisurely when Wayne Rooney saw a late penalty saved by the Brighton stopper.

Here were the key talking points from Goodison Park:

Home form remains Blues’ salvation

 

It will have been no surprise to any Evertonian inside Goodison Park that their side were far better here than they have been in the last fortnight.

For whatever reason, this Everton team is a completely different beast at home than it is on the road. A succession of managers are yet to figure out why.

They were dominant from start to finish against Brighton, creating chances galore and worthy of the three points they ended up taking from this game.

Another win at the Grand Old Lady maintained the Blues’ status as the best side in the league outside of the top six at home, a record they held coming into this season.

It seems that only Everton’s home form will keep them away from the Premier League’s relegation scrap this term. Without it, they would be in deep trouble.

Baines return strikes a balance

 

To say that Everton have missed Leighton Baines would be a gross understatement.

He may not be the player that he once was but Everton have looked lost in the absence of the veteran left-back this season.

A hotly anticipated return proved to be a good one, with Baines looking like he had never even been away from the first-team fold.

More importantly, his return meant this side had more balance to it than previously.

Similarly, players like Michael Keane and Yannick Bolasie appeared far more comfortable and confident with him alongside them than previously.

Sam Allardyce will be praying that Baines’ injury issues are long behind him.

Old guard provide much-needed stability

 

For all the money spent at Everton since Farhad Moshiri’s arrival two years ago, it remains David Moyes’ bargains that keep performing best.

It has been a while since the Blues had Baines, Phil Jagielka and Seamus Coleman in the starting line-up and they have been a sorrier side for it.

Baines’ resurgence aside, Jagielka was equally excellent in central defence, relegating the in-form Glenn Murray to a bystander role for much of the game.

Coleman meanwhile, is proving that his own long spell on the sidelines has not slowed him down in the slightest.

Indeed, his budding relationship with Theo Walcott on the right wing will have many dreaming that another Baines and Pienaar double act is in the making.

Everton may be determined to spend big but at the moment, it is their old guard that are setting the standard.

Time for Bolasie to get going

 

This will go down as one of Bolasie’s better performances in an Everton shirt.

A danger down the left throughout the first half he made it count in the second with a superb whipped ball in to set Theo Walcott up for the opening goal.

That assist was the kind of moment of class that everyone knows what Bolasie is capable of producing. The problem is he doesn’t produce often enough.

Against the Seagulls, there was a distinct sense of frustration on more than one occasion when the winger tried too many tricks and brought an Everton attack to an end.

Yet he made up for that with a moment of brilliance that ultimately ended up setting his side on their way to a valuable victory and so all previous transgressions were forgiven.

Now that he is fit, it is time for Bolasie to start producing these moments on a regular basis and get his stalling Everton career back on the right track.