An odd game, but ultimately the result is what mattered. Let's hope that's our "hangover" game out of the way after the excellent last two away results, and we'll be back on form in Wales next weekend.

The Deulofeu injury is unfortunate for the lad; but in much the same way that Baines' injury allowed a fringe player to really step up, let's hope Gerard's disappointment will bring the best out of Mirallas, and perhaps even Gueye could get some game time off the bench and show what he can do. New Manager, new ideas, so who knows – perhaps we just haven't seen what he can do yet.

The injury to Geri was unfortunate - he could have been an important weapon for us in the upcoming fixture list and given Pienaar/Mirallas/Barkley a bit of a breather. Ross, Romelu & Geri are guilty of poor decision making in the final 3rd; but I guess this is part of their learning curve. I only hope that after their apprenticeship with the Blues, they help Everton on to win some silverware!

Roll on, Boxing Day: a few pints of Guinness, a couple of brandies (just for medicinal purposes), and curry and chips, 3 points off Sunderland and hopefully second in the table – a little slice of heaven.

Thanks again, Ken. Also for me, Leon was MotM: a great goal and performance on his 300th appearance. Keep it up, lad – and you may go to Brazil.

I thought they played really well and reminded me of what we were like this time a year ago when we were playing some nice football under Moyes but a bit powder-puff up front. These were the games we struggled to get results in, always raising our game for those big games with the likes of Spurs and Man City.

After 34 years down under, I am making the trip back home and hope to see my beloved Everton v Southampton at home and it was back in 1971 when I stood in the Gwladys and witnessed an 8-goal romp.

Barkley seems to be learning more than the others to share but his final ball needs a lot of work... Deulofeu has no final ball to the extent I wanted us to stop passing to him... And Mirallas wants to be the hero (I have an unresearched theory about his impact on Jelavic drying up).

It can be very frustrating like yesterday ... But then when they pull off something it does lead to the spectacular .... The decision-making needs to improve if we are to keep the momentum.

Having never seen us play such a formation before Roberto's arrival, I've been pleasantly surprised at how much more comfortable we look than with 2 central defenders.

Steve, I thought Pienaar was generally fantastic. Ossie put in a good performance as well capped with a superbly taken goal, but also got out-muscled too many times.

I think the opposition go for Osman on purpose because they know he is weak and slow. Pienaar, who is equally as weak and slow, seems to suffer less because his technique, balance and awareness are sufficient to get him out of those situations on most occasions.

Romelu; ALWAYS, ALWAYS, make the run to the optimum position, then worry about the ball being there, or not. If the supplier does get it right, there are still other factors that might prevent it getting to you... but if you aren't there, it will NEVER get to you.

Howard; don't just dive one way on a whim, you're supposed to be a reflex shot stopper, wait as long as you can... until just before the none striking foot is planted... 19 times out of 20 the none striking foot will indicate which side the ball is going... honest.

As always a great read Ken. Was at staff Christmas Party so missed the match but from what I saw in the highlights it looked like Howard had another good game?

Funny reading all the reports, quite negative. There are always going to be dodgy games, but winning the games you don't play well in by 3 goals is not to be scoffed at.

I'm coming out of my self imposed exile for the Boxing Day game with my lads.

I vowed never to go again while OFM and Black Bill where at the club but Roberto has restored my faith In all things blue.

Any theories on why the support was so muted? Even when we were playing well, things sounded unusually quiet on TV... several folks on the Live Forum commented on it. Raised expectations or just not much excitement over the opponent?

Did Howard see that pen vs Villa?... same corner, did he just play odds or evens, shut his eyes and hope for the best... no matter. Back yourself and leave it as long as you can... and look at the non-striking foot.

Why Jim? basic anatomy, if your non-striking left foot is pointing to the keeper's right hand half of the goal, because your legs are connected to your hips, unless you are have feet like Charlie Chaplin the ball will tend to go that way, try it just to humour me, go on I dare you.... and you.

I actually looked up the rules on the stutter run-up, or feint, after the match as I had thought it was deemed unsporting behaviour. Turns out it's not. The rule is that you can feint during the run-up but not at the end of the run-up – ie, if the kicker feints to kick it one way with his foot and then stops and kicks it the other. With Berbatov I think it's not really a feint anyway, I think he's just having a breather as it's further than he's ran the whole fucking game!

BUT having worked out which side the bloody thing is going how do we work out whether it's going High/Low or straight down the middle?

I suppose it was fairly simple in Berbatov's case to detect that it was going to be a dribble in due to the length of his run-in.

Freddie Truman used to run in from the boundary and having done that was pretty unlikely to pitch in a dolly.

Not being contentious just interested to learn more.

On another point, when are the refs gonna get a grip of goalkeepers taking an age to restart games? That Fulham goalie was nearly as bad as Begovic of Stoke. I don't watch 'togger' to see goalies arsing about with the ball, I go to be bloody entertained.