It was a fantastic performance but it could have been much better, increasing our goal difference over them counts as an extra point. I'm a moaner I know but your only as good as your next game.

A lot of you will be thinking why don't I piss off, but thankfully I think RM and Dunc will not let them dwell on this game to much. Every game we win now leads onto another final.

Like him or not but Mirallas makes things happen, so glad he got the nod over Delboy.

I've had my issues with Mirallas' temperament at times this season – like Deulofeu, a bit too much of the "Billy Big Bollocks" attitude and moaning at teammates at times when passes fall short – but when he's been on his game, as he was yesterday, he has been superb.

He is much more than a flair forward when he's prepared to put a shift in and his role on the third goal was a great example of that: first muscling Sagna into the error and then having the desire to get to the loose ball that Arteta poked into his own net.

A superb performance one that is as good as I can remember against such quality opposition, there were times when we broke forward that it was like watching flies on a carcass as Arsenal were swamped.

And oh my was that 3rd goal sweet I was hoping it would be an own goal before I saw the replay, you can have that you badge grabbing injury feigning little snide.

Great piece Lyndon, Martinez can apply all his adjectives after that. I had high expectations but that was just brilliant!!

Yep.

Many believe this to be a transition season for the team and while there is no doubt that the players have been asked to approach games with a very different mindset, most of them have played together long enough. I think we were entitled to expect them to be able to take different ideas into their stride

I would argue that the biggest change we have witnessed has been in our manager and I would argue that recent results and performances prove it. . Of course I'm not suggesting Martinez has changed his personality. If anything his outlook now is even more positive than it was when he first Breezed into Goodison - if thats at all possible.

Martinez in my eyes was rather naive when he first arrived, his promises of standing eyeball to eyeball with the other teams in the top six, sounded great, but the reality is, he was like a naive young boxer walking onto knock out blows from a seasoned counter punchers, by going after them, he was simply playing into their hands.

These matches may have appeared close, we had enjoyed by far the greater possesion, but in my opinion teams like Spurs and Chelsea allowed us to have it, they simply lay in wait and ambushed us.
Of course these matches didnt all go that way, some teams repeatedly counterd us and we were battered. . . .

Fortunately these lessons have not been wasted on our boy, this time it was us doing the battering, this time it was us allowing the opposition to have the Lions share of possesion in area's that didnt concern us. WE were the preditors lying in wait. . . It may not have been to the liking of the "educated" statos, but in terms of possesion we seem to have recently traded quantity for quality. There is a drive and purpose to our play, we seem to have rid ourselves of the habit of walking aimlessly forward onto cagey counter punchers . .and in the process of doing so, we have laid waste to the argument that the only alternative to purposeless "TikaTaka" is the big boot.

We've had a positive, innovative, intelligent manager all season . ..now we've got a street wise one too who is begining to come to terms with life at the very top end.
How wonderful was it to see the boys get the tricks out once the result was secured.

Great article by the way Lyndon, but I don't agree with you're last point about Arsenal having a soft run in, we are all assuming they will win all of their remaining games, but I watched them at the end on Saturday, they couldnt get off the pitch quick enough. Wenger has got his work cut out trying to get that group of players to believe any game can be easy

We would have bottled this game year with an all too familiar defensive strategy that would have maybe gained a point at most, and saved a hammering at the least. Big games require big decisions and big performances and non came more so than from Naismith. His first touch isn't great, but is improving with every game and his confidence must be soaring. He is also proving to be the perfect foil for Lukaku and with the space his running leaves for others, Mirallas and Barkley are also benefitting. It also worries defenders into having to defend. This is probably why Baines and Coleman are becoming more effective again marauding up and down the flanks. Any lose balls are then tidied up by Reid and Bracewell....sorry I mean Barry and McCarthy and given back to the flair players. It's great to watch, is producing results, and with players like McGeady, Jagielka, Gibson, Pienaar, Del Boy, Hibbert and Alcaraz yet to come back or not getting much game time, the future is looking good. As a few have pointed out before, Big Dunc has been on the bench for the last few games and I think his presence has given the whole place a big lift. I see this as similar to when Kendall promoted Harvey to the first team.....let's hope it has the same overall outcome.

Yes, we worked our socks off from the very first minute and got the tactics right all over the pitch. All we need now is a plan to score from corners.

Brilliant read Lyndon, it's nice to savor such a win with a well written account. Good point Harold. We never look like scoring from corners. Any successful team get a fair few goals from corners and free kicks. So you football pundits what is the answer, bring on Big Dunc for corners???