Everton briefly moved up to fourth place with a narrow win at West Brom.

The breakthrough arrived midway into the second half as Gylfi Sigurdsson’s cross was converted by Richarlison for his fourth goal in as many games.

Mbaye Diagne thought he had equalised for the Blues’ struggling hosts during injury time with a close-range finish, only for it to be ruled marginally offside.

Here were the key talking points from The Hawthorns:

Slow start but Blues buck trend

 

As their previous two games showed, an Everton victory this season has usually been characterised by them coming flying out of the traps.

Ten of their previous 13 league victories this term, in fact, have seen Carlo Ancelotti’s side take the lead during the first half-hour of those matches.

They went against type in that regard at The Hawthorns, overcoming a below-par beginning at lowly Albion to plunder three priceless points.

Ancelotti will not be fully satisfied with his team given Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s poor miss was their only real chance they fashioned in the opening hour.

In fact, they could have had few complaints had they fallen behind, with Mbaye Diagne especially rattling Everton’s defence on numerous occasions.

But they say that to win when not at your best is the sign of a good team, so perhaps the performance will make Ancelotti more delighted by the outcome.

And of course, a third straight victory propels Everton further into the thick of things in the race for the top four – no matter how long they occupy the spot.

Change in shape does the trick

 

Ancelotti mixed things up in Everton’s recent wins to great success.

But another initial alteration to the setup against West Brom didn’t pay dividends.

He deployed a back five in the win at Liverpool and a midfield diamond against Southampton, but their traditional 4-4-2 shape looked an uneasy fit.

Andre Gomes meandered sluggishly through the game in central midfield, while Bernard and Alex Iwobi provided little inspiration on the flanks.

It came as no real shock, then, when Ancelotti replaced Iwobi with the more tenacious Allan just before the hour and saw Everton revert to that diamond system.

The Brazilian only returned from a two-and-a-half-month layoff on Monday, so may have benefitted from more recovery time. But his arrival became a case of needs must.

Gylfi Sigurdsson’s introduction for the jaded Abdoulaye Doucoure soon after, meanwhile, also had the desired effect.

The Icelander has his critics but has turned a corner lately, and recorded a second assist in as many games almost immediately after entering the field.

That extra creativity and industry provided by Sigurdsson and Allan from the bench was the ideal antidote to Everton’s limp initial 4-4-2 setup.

Stunning away form continues

 

Though aided slightly by the absence of crowds, Everton’s improvement away from home since Ancelotti arrived over a year ago is impossible to ignore.

They have now taken 29 points away from Goodison Park this season alone – the best return in the club’s history after 13 league games on the road.

By avoiding defeat here, they extended their unbeaten away run in the league to nine matches for the first time since their title-winning season of 1984/85.

Victory at The Hawthorns also saw them equal their Premier League record of nine away league wins, a feat they haven’t reached as far back as 2008-09.

In some ways, despite West Brom’s struggles, this felt a particularly crucial win, not only for where it propelled Everton in the table’s reckoning.

They have excelled against better sides, winning at Tottenham, Leicester City and Liverpool already, but when facing the basement clubs, they’ve toiled.

Newcastle United, Fulham and Burnley have all taken points off them this season, for instance, either at Goodison or on their own turf.

West Brom, despite being desperate for points themselves, were similarly uncompromising at times, so to pass this test felt hugely significant.

Sparkling from front to back

 

Few Everton regulars have garnered more criticism at times this season than the two at opposite ends of the pitch – Jordan Pickford and Richarlison.

Yet both continued their respective renaissances with fine individual performances once again at West Brom, which were key to sealing the win.

Pickford, so often skittish and erratic, exuded the sort of calmness seldom seen in him and made a fantastic save at full-stretch to stop Diagne’s looping header.

And in shutting out West Brom, he achieved his third consecutive Premier League clean sheet – a feat which he had not managed since May 2019.

Richarlison again proved the difference on his 100th Everton start, netting for a fourth successive game for the first time for Ancelotti’s side.

His goal against Manchester City showed a knack for finding the right place and time, while his Liverpool and Southampton strikes demonstrated a killer instinct.

This, though, was a reminder of his terrific aerial ability, meeting Sigurdsson’s ball perfectly in a crowded penalty box and nodding past Johnstone.

In Pickford and Richarlison, Everton have two rejuvenated individuals whose form will be have a massive say in the course their season takes.