Everton ran riot over Manchester United with an emphatic 4-0 victory.

Richarlison opened the scoring with an acrobatic bicycle kick early in the first half before Gylfi Sigurdsson doubled the advantage through a long-range effort.

Matters worsened for the visitors after the break as Lucas Digne swept home a left-footed shot outside the penalty area after David de Gea had punched clear.

Theo Walcott rounded off the Blues’ third straight home win over a Premier League top six side with a superb solo effort from a threaded Sigurdsson pass

Here were the key talking points from Goodison Park:

Gana shines in the sunlight

 

Paris Saint-Germain’s left-field targeting of Idrissa Gueye in the January transfer window raised many eyebrows, not least among the Goodison Park crowd.

Although the midfielder has often been a solid performer, he never appeared a viable candidate to rub shoulders with the likes of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

If the Ligue 1 champions were not already plotting a new approach this summer, Gueye offered them the most compelling argument against Manchester United.

His assist for Gylfi Sigurdsson was second only to an ability to shift the play with clever passes while keeping his opposite number Paul Pogba heavily subdued.

A standing ovation as the Senegal international departed was the least he deserved.

Blues finally filling Lukaku void

 

Romelu Lukaku’s 2017 departure left a gaping hole in Everton’s forward line.

Replacing a 20-plus goals per season striker is easier said than done. His former club have learned that fact of life the hard way over the previous two seasons.

But the Belgian’s return to his former stomping ground showed why Everton are able to supplement the shortfall which fell on his shoulders in a royal blue shirt.

Driven on by Sigurdsson, Richarlison and Bernard, the hosts appeared destined to score with every shot they peppered at David de Gea’s goal in this encounter.

Lukaku, conversely, toiled for a fifth barren outing for the Red Devils as he struggled to handle Kurt Zouma’s imposing presence in central defence.

Fittingly he was able to witness Everton solving his own two-year conundrum.

Goodison slays the top six

 

Let it never be said that the Grand Old Lady cannot hold its own against the elite.

Everton have now taken 10 points in their past four games against the Premier League’s top six – a stark contrast to being win-less run in their previous 26.

Denting the hopes of a title-chasing Liverpool as well as the main contenders for Champions League qualification shows that Marco Silva’s side are no pushovers.

Sub-par as United had appeared, their hosts were still impressive in an exhibition-like display which put some of their contemporaries to shame.

More importantly, Silva has set down a base for the Blues to kick on in the long-term.

European dream is back in contention

 

Anyone backing Everton to sneak into a European place in the midst of a recent malaise would have been considered naive, mad or a combination of the two.

Yet the final three games of the season could see Silva’s side back in contention for a Europa League return if results in midweek fall in their favour.

Dropped points for Watford and Wolves would allow Everton to run largely unopposed in the battle for a previously unlikely seventh-place finish.

On this evidence, they are looking incredibly well-positioned for another continental adventure.