REPORT: Southampton 0 Everton 3

Everton put three goals past Southampton to put their St Mary’s hoodoo behind them. Romelu Lukaku headed the Toffees into the lead midway through the first half before adding to his account just before the break with a smart low finish. Ross Barkley finished the scoring with a curling shot late on as Saints could not find their way back into the encounter with a static performance.

Both managers made changes to their sides from the opening weekend, as Jay Rodriguez made way for Shane Long, while Arouna Koné had a starting berth for Everton as Kevin Mirallas was only fit enough for the bench. In the opening proceedings, Lukaku made an early impression as he raced down the left-wing, bustling off the challenge of Cédric Soares before his run was abruptly ended on the edge of the box by Matt Targett who duly picked up the obligatory booking. Yet it was Saints who dominated the early proceedings as they looked to force the issue. On the quarter-of-an-hour mark, Dušan Tadić managed to find space down the right hand side and delivered an inviting cross however Graziano Pellè could not direct his header towards Tim Howard’s goal. Minutes later, Saints went closer as Sadio Mané was played through on the left side by Pellè but Howard diverted the Senegalese’s fierce shot behind for a corner with an outstretched leg. From the resulting corner, an Everton head got the ball clear and Barkley played an inviting ball down the wing from the right-back position for Koné to race onto. Everton’s number nine clipped the ball into the centre where Lukaku was waiting to head the ball back across goal and in off the bar past the helpless Maarten Stekelenburg. This proved to be the pivotal moment in the game as Southampton struggled to get back into the game after the archetypal counter-attack goal from their opponents. Everton were now in the ascendancy and Lukaku found Barkley by the penalty spot however he could only tamely hit the ball at Stekelenburg’s legs, before Tom Cleverley wastefully side footed the rebound into the side netting. Saints endeavoured to find some joy in Everton’s defensive third but they were thwarted by Gareth Barry playing just in front of Phil Jagielka and John Stones to protect them from Mané’s pace, while Tadić was subdued as he found it challenging to break past the impressive teenage left-back, Brendan Galloway. In the centre of the park, Victor Wanyama and Steven Davis were finding it difficult to restrict Barkley receiving the ball in dangerous pockets of space and Everton ruthlessly took advantage of this just before half-time. The Toffees robbed Saints of possession on the halfway line as Lukaku played the ball to Barkley before the young Englishman slipped the Belgian through on goal and he made no mistake as he slotted the ball past Stekelenburg.

Tadić did not re-emerge for the second half as he made way for Saints’ new midfield man, Oriol Romeu, resulting in Long switching wings, Mané going out to the right and Steven Davis moving forward to support Pellè. This seemed to pay dividends initially; Southampton were threatening in the opening ten minutes of the half with a series of corners as they sought a way back into the game. Though as the half wore on, Saints looked short of answers to Everton’s stubborn resistance. As Saints players received the ball deep, they would immediately attempt to find the head of Pellè but this was repeatedly to no avail – Soares was particularly reluctant to pass short or to run down the line. Rodriguez replaced Long however the England international could not pierce the Everton backline and in the final ten minutes, Everton completed the scoring. Seamus Coleman found space on the right side of the box to roll the ball to Barkley fifteen yards from goal on the left side and he moved inside before curling it into the far corner. Cue the exodus from the home fans as Southampton’s disappointing afternoon came to a close while Everton fans began their long journey back to Merseyside after witnessing an astute counter attacking display from their side. Ronald Koeman will have been worried by Saints’ inability to vary their attacking play to carve open opportunities.

Man of the Match

Romelu Lukaku - The young Belgian was a real threat as he constantly occupied José Fonte and Maya Yoshida with his pace and power. He seems to be fulfilling his potential and showed his maturity with two cool finishes to put Everton in control.

Teams and Ratings

Southampton

Stekelenburg 6 – Soares 5, Fonte (C) 6, Yoshida 6, Targett 5 – S. Davis 6 (Ward-Prowse 79' N/A), Wanyama 5 – Tadić 4 (Romeu 45' 6), Mané 6, Long 6 (Rodriguez 72' 5) – Pellè 6

Bookings: Targett, Pellè, Romeu, S. Davis

Everton

Howard 6 – Coleman 6, Stones 8, Jagielka (C) 7, Galloway 7 (Browning 89' N/A) – McCarthy 6, Barry 7 – Koné 7 (Naismith 80' N/A), Barkley 7, Cleverley 6 – Lukaku 8 (Delofeu 89' N/A)

Bookings: Barkley, McCarthy

Goals: Lukaku (22', 45'), Barkley (84')