Fantastic young Blues roast City and Stones

Inevitable.

Davies hasn't had a great game so far but his through ball for Mirallas was simple but brilliant.

After our goal, we dropped deeper and the usual gaps are creeping in due to Barry's mobility issues... I'd hook him now for Schneiderlin.

More of the same energy please, with more accurate passing. I hope we're not in for our customary game of two halves. They are rattled.

Baines needs to get closer and stop crosses , it is a huge weakness in his game.

Funes Mori has been careless a few times as has Barkley.

Barry and Williams are our cheerleaders without being out standing.
We need to maintain and better our effort in the second half and if we get another chance – take it!

I hope Clattenberg doesn't choose to "give one to City"...

Just great to finally see a TEAM performance on the pitch at long last. Every single one of them out there gave it their all. Lukaku running back and even getting involved with Otamendi.

More of the same for the rest of the season and we will be in the running for a Europa League place easily.

I knew he was young but blimey, is that even legal?

Well done to all the lads, top shift. Same again next week please.

Another clean sheet with Holgate in the starting 11. Fantastic result. A midfield three of Davies, Schneiderlin and McCarthy next game

Tom Davies growing every extra minute he gets on the pitch.

Hopefully Barkley's confidence will start coming back because he played some awful passes today but looked calmer and more composed when we went 3 up. Great assist too.

Thought Holgate was great today too.

Good lads!!!!

I honestly don't know where it has come from, but I am chuffed to bits.

Halftime chat on the forum was mixed. Plenty of criticism of Ross... well he was getting on the ball and in the end a couple of his passes came off. He's not there to pass backwards, he's there to create and he'll miss many more than he makes. Making two against City isn't a bad return!

Plenty of chat about Davies too. Obviously his effort is brilliant and just what we need. Myself and others were maybe doubting his quality a bit and pointing out weaknesses in his passing. Well I thought he was flawless in the second half. Showed everything and topped it off with an absolute beauty (Rom isn't getting that).

Right, three hours sleep before my first day back at work. Not going to be the struggle it could have been!

Ha!ha! What a performance, everyone was fantastic. :)

But Wow. Hard to not get carried away with that!

COYB

COYB

Particularly noticed how Ross was throwing in sliding tackles and being stronger in the challenge, Baines and Coleman looking excellent as wing backs and midfield looking stronger than it has for years.

Looked like he did – even though it didn't look like he managed to touch the ball.

If Sky must highlight stats how about this one; played Mega bucks City twice, 4 points taken, 4 goals for, none against.

Start coming back? Tom, he played an excellent game today. He made no more "awful" passes than many people's God, David Silva. Barkley made several top class passes amongst all else that he did.

Just about the whole team played well today – and just about every one of them made a mistake or two. Same for City's players, that's football.

A glass half-full approach can make all the difference.

The best complete 90 minute performance of the season, without question.

Praise to Koeman. His line-up and tactics overwhelmingly bettered Pep's. If this is the start of where we are going with Koeman and how he wants to get there, I'm on board.

We pressed well in the right areas at the right time. We defended with discipline and tight lines that City found hard to get around. Our counters were rapid and purposeful. Our finishing both cool and clinical. Our youngsters played with a swagger (and abrasiveness) so lacking in Everton sides in recent years. I like that both Holgate and Davies appear mouthy little buggers who step in and go eyeball to eyeball with the opposition. Even Lookman got in on the act in his brief cameo. What a gem of a goal by Davies. Time for a variation on the Barkley song? 'We've got a diamond called Tom Davies...'

I thought Schneiderlin showed signs of ring rustiness and lack of match fitness, but he'll be a good addition in the long run, of that I'm confident.

With Lookman and Lennon preferred on the bench to Deulofeu, you have to believe the Spaniard's days at Goodison under Koeman are numbered. Disappointed by that personally, but – hey-ho! Plenty more to be excited about.

The league form is really picking up, which makes the meek exit to Leicester last week all the more galling.

Glib comments about sacking Koeman are pathetic, he fully deserved the flak he came in for with our season being over in January. When he puts in a consistent season, never mind 90 minutes, that's the time for proper celebration.

What a joy to behold.

Rightly praise the team for this great performance. Keep it up for God's sake.

Pep looked like he was on the edge of a breakdown on their bench. He looked a very broken man.

COYB! Onwards & upwards!

The grass isn't always greener...

Alan was also a product of the Everton youth academy and he must be chuffed to bits to see his nephew emulating him. A great Everton Story. I would love to have seen him in the crowd today. I hope he was there; I'm made up for him and what a game.

It's a crying shame that we are out of the cups but at least you can see the nucleus of a team forming. You can't blame Rom trying to claim the goal. He's not a monocled city gent. He's a mercenary goalscorer and you'd expect that. Chuffed for the team – now get a few more in and ship a few out before January finishes. NSNO

Perhaps Lookman is effectively the replacement for Deulofeu – he started off well!

Special mention for the defence, who can't have had an easy game – good to see young Holgate racking up some minutes too.

We seem to have plenty of midfielders now – what's next? Another centre-half, winger or striker?

Williams a great organiser at the back.

I think that game must have cemented Tom Davies's place in our starting 11. Do we really need to buy another central midfielder now? We have Gana, Schneiderlin, Davies & Barkley.

Davies looks the complete midfielder, and can do anything. He's got high energy, he can defend, he can move the ball forward. He looks a special player.

I was gutted after the Leicester defeat last weekend. How quick things can change in football...

This was aggressive, but skillful football with barely a weak link throughout the side. With oldies like Mirallas rejuvenated and young talents coming through, we have a lot to look forward to.

Well, he did it until the 90th minute today. He can do it... just sometimes he doesn't.

Just reading today's 4-0 tanking is Pep's heaviest EVER defeat in a league game.

Sweet!

Could anyone think we would have been capable of that type of controlled performance under Martinez? That performance was Koeman all day long. So please, for some, let's move on from Koeman is no better than Martinez and what does he do for his salary.

You saw how he's changing our team today. And just look at the effect Koeman is having on Barkley; tough love is working.

Every player did well today, not a passenger among them. It showed me that Barry still has a role to play, and it was good to see Baines put in a very good performance, his first in a while.

As for Tom Davies – well the comparison with Alan Ball is a bit silly at this stage, but he reminds me a lot of the Master, whom I saw regularly at his peak for Everton. Tom's presence as a local hope will also take some of the pressure off Ross, which can only be good for him. I reckon the first rumours of a move by the big boys for Tom will be coming soon. But he seems a level-headed lad.

Pep will now see what it means to manage in a league where there are more than two decent teams.

At such a tender age he is starting to look like the player senior players are looking to depend on. Koeman must be chuffed with this lad.

We did sit back a little at 2-0 but Davies was magnificent for the third. That is a glimpse what Koeman can achieve when he has everything in place.

Brilliant Everton today, every one of them – just brilliant.

Bradley Lowery, from Blackhall Colliery near Hartlepool, was cheered as he was carried onto the pitch by Toffees striker Romelu Lukaku on Sunday.

Before kick-off, Bradley kicked a ball into the Goodison Park net.
God bless Bradley, the real hero of the day.

Robles – Commanding performance. Had little to do, but what he did, he did with confidence. A far better option than Stek at this point.

Holgate – Got caught out once, but when playing three at the back, he really fits into the system well. Gets about the pitch and does the simple things well. Real prospect.

Williams – A real leaders performance today. Best in a blue shirt.

Funes Mori – Lad has had some criticism. Was poor last week. Solid today. Took on responsibility well and physically was excellent. If he can iron out the maverick streak, I feel he is a good defender.

Barkley – Not everything come off for Ross, but I thought it was an assured, mature performance. Looks a lot, lot fitter under Koeman as well. The ball for Mirallas sums up what he offers though. I think he will shine with Schneiderlin, Gana and Davies around him regularly.

Davies – Now he needs to consistently do it. I thought he gave the ball away a bit in the first half. He is a little raw. He will make mistakes, but God, what a prospect for this club he is. What a second half for a teenager.

Lukaku – A leader's performance. His goalscoring record is phenomenal and we are so, so lucky to have him. Don't care what anyone says.

COYB

A word too for Robles who was very important in the first half. I thought Barry had a very good game, as did Coleman. A brilliant, crucial finish from Mirallas and what a joy for young Lookman.

Too much to say, really, but it feels marvellous to come away from Goodison after a game like that.

It's against the lower sides we always seem to get it wrong!

Frankly though, I could go through the whole eleven, and I include Barry in that.

Great performance and quality subs. We look a lot better with Holgate at the back and Davies playing forward passes.

John Stones looks like he's not going to learn. He's just incapable of smashing it away. Rio Ferdinand was a similar player at West Ham – but by the time he got to Leeds Utd and Man Utd, he knew when to play the percentages. John just can't or won't. I can see the pressure building on this one.

I thought Barkley was everywhere and looking to create all the time.

Barry was effective at breaking up play and relieving pressure, the back three were immense.

Holgate looks so cool for a young lad. Mirallas was lively and showed what he offers when he's on it.

Robles was solid and commanding, the full backs were energetic.

Lukaku was working hard and linking well and finished his goal sweetly.

But Davies. Tom Davies. What a complete performance from the lad. At 18, running rings round Toure and Zabaleta, world class showing. I was so glad Rom didn't nick the goal! Great stuff.

And then Lookman comes on to finish it off with a smashing goal. Things are looking up now, let's not cock it up!

Clearly Davies had cured him of a broken leg or maybe he was a double amputee or something. No question about it being a miracle, and loads better than some floaty statue.

Seeing Davies take that goal was special. But then hearing the roar coming from all four stands, singing as one after the final whistle had blown, that was something very special.

Nobody can expect results like that every match. But seeing the positive results and performances more often than not, that's what is needed. And that is why I'm hoping that something has clicked with this team and we see that growth over the second half of the season.

Confidence and unity, that's what I saw by the end of that match. Brilliant stuff, keep it going Koeman.

Palace have been our bogey team for years....

Time to put that to bed and build on our performances.

Tom Davies was magnificent today, as were all the team. So proud of the team and manager. Things are looking really bright. The future is bright, the future is blue.

So much for my predictions! What the odds were of us winning 4-0 must have been bloody astronomical.

A good performance I thought by all the players, give Robles the shirt permanent – he's plenty good enough and will only get better with more games.

I'm made up for the younger players, Davies has that edge about him that good players need. Holgate has plenty natural talent and should start every game, I'd like to see Galloway brought back into the squad as well I just hope he doesn't slip though our net, we'll regret it if we let him go.

A dream debut for the kid Lookman, you couldn't make it up.

Proud to be a Toffee tonight because of the result and more so for making a special day for little Bradley Lowery.

To get 㿛½ million for a defender as poor as Stones is unbelievable.

Well done to everyone today, some really exciting reasons to be cheerful with the youngsters, and Tom Davies, well, if anyone playing for Barcelona had won the ball deep in his own half in the first place, then run through most of the opposition and showing such a moment of ball control magic at full pelt, and then recovering to skilfully chip the keeper, well, we'd all be having to watch it again and again for weeks! Fantastico!!

NIL SATIS NISI OPTIMUM

Great to see the team so united and happy even if some of them know they don't have a future with us.

As for us, full steam ahead!

COYB!

Well done, Unsy. He's developed some real gems. More to come as well. COYB.

David Barks used an appropriate word - unity. That, and the players clicking. The right frame of mind and atmosphere within a team is vital.

I think Koeman has been guilty in respect of unsettling too many, too quickly, but maybe in the last month, a corner is being turned with the management as well as the players.

Pretty damned positive today!

I thought we were, to a man, superb and stuck to the task admirably even with City dominating possession and popping it about without really testing Robles.

Will (@39), criticism of Barkley is par for the course irrespective of any positive contributions he might make, but I too struggle to see how anyone can claim he lacked composure on the ball until after the third goal went in, when he himself set up the second and third with sublime touches. He very nearly slid Lukaku in for another and was clearly making a concerted effort to put himself about.

Then again, I'd defend any of our players against criticism of their performances today. Everyone (even Schneiderlin who looked a bit rusty when he came on) played their part. That applies to the manager too, who was more vocal and animated than I've seen him thus far and who made common-sense subs and changes at exactly the right times.

If, as some claimed, the season was effectively over after last week, then why do I feel so enthused off the back of just one game?

Anyway, inspired directly by Ademola Lookman's wide grin of sheer, unadulterated, delight at the climax, I'm off to lock Rigsby and Mel Gibson (not the real one's, our two dogs) in a room downstairs, while the wife rifles through her lingerie closet.

Just as spot on was everything Everton did on the pitch. When I saw the pre-game line-up, I was happy – that's our strongest available 11 at the moment with Gana off dodging bullets.

What a game from Davies. I am a little biased when it comes to Lukaku, but I think you can see him just stop his foot in time for the goal to go over the line for Davies to get the credit he deserved. As has been said though, when you're standing where Rom was standing, you make sure it's in, first and foremost.

The goal from Lookman was a cracker too. Sharp angle, confident strike, what a boy.

I am over the moon for Mirallas too. He is such a talented player and today was one of his finest games for the club.

I said it in the forum, but since I started supporting the club in 2002, that is the best game I've seen Everton play.

Also interesting to note, that was Lukaku's 300th career club game. At 23 years of age, that is incredible.

Sorry, Jay, but it is you who is looking stupid. We called for Davies – despite Koeman insisting he wasn't ready

We knew how good Holgate was and called for him – despite Koeman insisting he had this imaginary dip in form and dropping him (have we lost when he's started?)

We insisted these players were good enough despite all claims to the contrary. They have just mullered probably the most expensively assembled team in history.

This was NOT Koeman's team. it was the a team made up of players he has slagged off. He only brought in one of the starting eleven.

Why cant we just enjoy a great day instead of trying to score cheap points right at the start of your post???

The season does not start here. Bad management has seen to it that the season is well and truly over.

I'm made up about today's performance, I'm made up for the fans, the players and the manager. Don't try to spoil it with this I-told-you-so shite. You'll only end up looking far more stupid than those you want to attack.

The season does not start here (a half-witted claim) but we can build on today. We can stop crying over spilt milk and move on...

If the manager eventually gets this right... nobody will care about how long it took him.

Davies reminds me of an 80s style Everton player. That was an immense box-to-box display and a never say die attitude to get his goal.

Special mention for Tom Davies. He was excellent in the middle and his goal was taken with the coolness of a veteran.

City were pretty average but that shouldn't take away the fact that we made them ordinary. The bar has now been set.

Well done, Blues – we have been waiting for something like that for quite a while.

Money can buy you Stones.

There will then be 1.25 minutes of the useless wingnut crisp salesman going on about Leicester and a discussion about whether Lukaku should be banned for life or for eternity because of his vicious assault at the end.

The remaining 15 seconds will show the Everton goals (with the titles rolling over them).

I'm glad Koeman is coming out fighting regarding the squad if this is the result.

The criticism of some of the performances until this point have been well justified.

It's now clear that he doesn't fancy Jags (age) or Deulofeu moving forward. Niasse and Cleverly also on their way. Yet to be seen what happens with McCarthy but perhaps he'll be here until summer.

Kone, McGeady, Gibson... Are they actually sale-able?

Barry, Oviedo, Lennon still have a part in the squad, I guess.

Someone said that Davies reminded them of Alan Ball and that is spot on. Ball was like that as a young player with Blackpool and Everton – all fire and in your face.

Believe me: Koeman is the man... He just needs a few more Koeman players. In spite of some woeful results, this team has been playing a lot better since the Arsenal game. Ecstatic.

Interesting that we scored a few with the current squad even before the new lads came on – so the future augurs well.

So much energy introduced when Schneiderlin and McCarthy came on.

I see Paul Gallagher on the Live Forum said when we were 2 up something like "imagine what it would be like if we scored 4"! Very prescient, Paul.

Can't she just put her Everton kit on, though?

Davies, Gana, Schneiderlin, Barkley will probably be the first choice midfield. I hope we can get at least two more quality players in.

These are the times to enjoy. I look forward to MotD more than for a long, long time. Who would swap being an Evertonian?

I hope this win doesn't mean that we don't strengthen in this window. Things are looking better though. I've always been supportive of Koeman and I thought his outburst last week was exactly what the club hierarchy needed to hear.

That was City's biggest defeat since 2008 by the way; let's hope we've turned a corner, albeit a week too late.

And then there was a first-time reaction shot from one of the Premier League's leading scorers and a cracking attack finishing with an accurate and deliberate shot following a storming run.

Yes, I can hardly wait for the excitement of watching whichever dull ex-footballers they dig out for the event.

Just in case we don't. I'm savouring every minute of this one, well done the whole team, now keep it up – and Ibrahimovic has just put some icing on the cake.

If we could bottle Davies's streetwise attitude, nous and skill, we'd go a long way. Please be kind to him when he has the inevitable dip in form that young players have.

I still think we need to strengthen. We know these players can be good, it's about playing with that intensity and attitude consistently.

I'm imagining that intensity, with a real playmaker and a second striker. No sitting back, keep looking for these players.

A great display, onward and upward for Koeman and HIS Everton team!

We were always going to get chances against a weak City defence. I think we did well in selling Stones, yet another very poor performance in a season full of them from him.

I didn't understand how one or two on ToffeeWeb labelled Stones the new Bobby Moore. I didn't rate him at all and was happy we sold him. A poor centre-half who won't be playing for Man City next season.

The work rate and spirit was fantastic to see. I have never wavered in my support for Koeman. He will be a great Everton manager. He has had stick off a couple on here. They will slowly but surely change their tune.

Sitting on the left side of the Gwladys St, I got full view of the Davies's trick... That's the best 1st first team goal from an young Everton player since Rooney! Made up for him!

Funny, I thought there were 2 games in the Premier League today. I wonder will we get a mention on MotD2 tonight.

If we get nearer to those above and further away from those below, you can't deny we are going in the right direction. A couple more quality signings for January, please, Everton.

COYBB!

RUBBISH! We defended like Trojans. The game of football is as much about defence as about attack.

Now, now. No point scoring please. :-)

Koeman's fault when we lose, but not to his credit when we win eh?

Go on, try giving Koeman a bit of deserved credit for once, it won't kill you!

He's changed our shape, is clearly getting more out of Barkley and other players. There are definite signs of a change of player mentality as well as tactics. That's down to the manager.

Okay, sometime it was played a little too often, but you could see how well the tactics worked over all. The whole team worked their socks off and dug in when necessary.

Tom Davies deserved his MotM award; for a young man of 18, he was outstanding in the 2nd half. Encouraging to see Rom having a word with Lookman when coming on, the pep talk obviously worked! Well done EFC, a day to remember.

So the big question is, what are the anti Koeman whinging brigade going to write about now. I mean, come on; I've never read so much shite in years on these forums against a manager in such a short space of time at the realm.

At least for a week anyway the "happy crowd" can crawl under a rock FFS.

But wow, that was some improvement. I wonder will Pep resign.

I save that stuff for FA Cup wins so I'm safe again for another year.

Meanwhile, since Christmas it is 10 points from 12 in the league for the mighty blues with 11 scored and 2 conceded. Who knows, maybe we are capable of stringing a run together to catch the line of Man City after today's result?

Now I can't wait for Saturday at Palace. Paul Smith – will I see you there? Knowing my luck, we'll be shite!!!

Davies was fantastic and should have a glittering career in front of him.

Yes, we look sorted in midfield now. We need two more quality signings besides the Belfodil deal.

Prior to the game, I would have said one of the signings would need to be a quality winger like Depay, but I now think we should be playing 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 with wingbacks.

Buy a top goalkeeper if any are available and a good young centre-back. I have no expectations that we'll sign Van Dijk but let's go for Michael Keane from Burnley. There's been talk that we'll sign him in the summer for 㿀m. Let's sign him now and offer Burnley Jags and money, now it looks as though Jagielka's 1st team days are numbered.

Rock me baby like a wagon wheel.

Great win for us.

Stones sounds like he had a nightmare – 㿛½m a steal as it stands.

And Man Utd getting a late equaliser was an added sweetener.

Everybody was up for it today. Obviously the first goal was crucial and it was great to see Romelu score another tap-in! After that we controlled the game without controlling possession.

The main question now is whether or not we can maintain this level against Palace, Stoke, Bournemouth and the rest of the teams below us in the table. Let's hope we can.

Those calling out Koeman sceptics would do well to reflect that this was the first complete performance we have managed this season, after 20 games and after we have exited both cup competitions swiftly.

I am thrilled by this win, as I have said above, and by what it promises but let's not pretend that anyone who has been critical is a fool. We need to keep it going, for the rest of this season (in which we are playing only for 6th at best) and for next season and the one after that.

As for Tom Davies, a goal, an assist, a goal-line clearance, MotM display – not a bad day at the office. In fact all our players scored eight or more in my book.

Just got home and still buzzing – going to look on the Citeh fan sites and feel even better.

Jay (#138), I think Pep seriously underestimated our league. We might not have the quality the Spanish and German leagues have but every single team will give it a go and won't roll over to the richer clubs.

Pep is a top, top manager but very highly strung and high maintenance. I don't think he will resign but he could have a breakdown of some sort.

City look like a Martinez team with better players. It gives us a glimpse of the future if Martinez had been kept on and given Moshiri and Usmanov's money.

Guardiola's system looks flawed in our domestic league. I could see him resigning before the end of the season.

Yes that about the size of it, Rank bad management made us ugly and got us knocked out of both cups

And unless you know different, The starting 11 was made up of ten players who were here before Koeman..

I wasn't passing an opinion, I was stating a fact..

Koeman now knows he isn't managing a club supported by just-Glad-to-be-here south coast Hobby fans. Thankfully he has " changed his tune" on many fronts.

The club doesn't pay him for one match. We pay him £6 million a year and we expect massive improvements.

Koeman is clearly listening and learning about this club. This was a massive step in the right direction. I'm more than happy to give all the credit he deserves for today's performance. I'm made up.

We have to try and win every game now till the end off the season. If we play like that, then we will beat anyone

Ciaràn, I'm surprised that you did not come back on after your half-time uncharitable comments (especially on erm, Davies) to congratulate Koeman and the team on a superb victory.

So, alas, it does matter.

Just curious whether there is anyone out there who still thinks we should have turned down 㿛½million for John Stones?

That system or its players are certainly not firing on all cylinders right now... and yet, his previous teams almost always had the upper hand in European football against Premier League teams. Maybe harder to play against more industrial opposition than other teams of quality. Complex game, this footy.

There won't be anyone taking you up on that question.

It's demeaning, unfair and dishonest. They aren't pundits, they are fans of other clubs who push the agendas of those clubs.

Trivia question for the historians here... anybody know whether Lookman's goal is the fastest debut goal ever for an Everton player? Has anybody done it quicker than 10 minutes?

Many fans wanted younger players on the pitch to add pace and aggression; today we seen the fruits of playing the young lads.

Funes Mori is another that impressed, Robles too, them two players aren't kids, but they lower the age by over 15 years from Jags and Stek.

I've also been critical of Williams, but he seems more comfortable in a three man partnership, and today he looked like a leader.

Mirallas is frustrating in some ways as I feel he can do more, but in his defence he seems more suited to the roll of a second striker, more so than a wide man.

Last but not least, Lookman will be happy with his goal, and Schneiderlin gets a win on his debut.

Every player impressed today, no-one can be faulted.

Absolutely buzzing.

I had to smile at City, Guardiola reminded of Martinez with money but without Messi. All he thinks about is pass pass pass.

No credit given to the opposition. They are poor losers who act like they should win all the time. No class...

Still, a great day. COYB

Loved that Stones made a bollocks and loved that Davies went to the fans to celebrate after celebration with team mates, it's amazing how things can change!

Anybody done it faster?

Tony Cottee scored after 34 seconds on his debut vs Newcastle.

Holgate is a better defender than Stones – even at this early stage of his career. A Rolls Royce in the making.

They all did well today, good team performance, Davies is the catalyst, he's been outstanding. Well done, son!!!

Every player excellent. I was concerned when McCarthy came on for Barry who was having a blinder, but given his age understandable. Somebody said we were due to give someone a hiding – who'd have thought it'd be Citeh.

Duncan #(142) nah can't make it - working (gutted). Definitely be at WHL in March though. Say hi to the lads for me.

Of course, Cottee was a veteran already when he arrived... Lookman's goal is pretty astonishing too. By my count it was his third Premier League touch.

I thought Lukaku gave a masterclass in centre forward play today, I am some times critical of certain aspects of his game but when he plays like that he is worth every penny of the 㿷 million quoted. He bullied Stones and Otamendi, I don't think I have ever seen him put himself about so much. I think he really fancied taking on Stones and Otamendi, now he has to do it against bigger and stronger centre backs than these 2.

Tom Davies I think for an 18 year old to give such an assured performance in the hardest position for any body to play was outstanding. He looks a very good footballer but isn't afraid to put his foot in, and playing in central midfield these skills are essential.

A word for his partner Gareth Barry, he might not have the legs to get through 90 minutes but his reading of play to be in the right place at the right time is invaluable to Tom and the rest of the team.

Holgate another top class performance, alongside Williams and Funes Mori; apart from Silva finding a bit of room in the first half they marshalled City's forwards the whole game.

Although they had a lot less of the ball than City it was the best 90 minutes we have seem this season. Nice to see young Lookman come on and score at the end, there was a feeling inside the ground at the end were fans were thinking are they finally buying into what Koeman wants.

Playing Mirallas just behind Lukaku worked on two fronts: first, it brought out the best in Mirallas, rather than him being stuck out wide. Secondly, it definitely helped Lukaku; as I said earlier, that was the most aggressive I have seen him play for a long time.

You'd have to go some to beat the 34 seconds on the clock for Tony Cottee's debut, in a game where he also scored a hat-trick.

Today looked like many of the squad finally realised what the manager has been telling them, although some who were missing today could well be on their way out the door.

I wonder if some fans will catch up and realise that Koeman is a top manager and that his methods, although very different to what went before, are far superior? Time will tell.

Come on you blues, today was magnificent, let's just enjoy it.

Davies is a little bit special. Lookman took his goal brilliantly and Holgate is fantastic.

Speechless. Let's see how all this plays out. If something special is about to happen, I don't want to jinx it.

I will float to work in the morning.

I'm also impressed that Tom looks like he could be in a Nirvana tribute band!

I've nothing to add to the add to the comments above apart from this... Holgate oozes captaincy material.

Out of the blue (pun intended) I was treated by a mate to The Alex Young Suite. (I gave my ticket to a mate so it wasn't wasted.)

Free bevvy plus three course 'brunch' which included British colonial fave, Kedgeree (haddock, boiled rice, parsley, hard-boiled eggs, mild curry sauce).

Then we took our (padded leather) seats and instead of the usual display of depressing ineptness, we watched Everton run, chase and harry, then confidently stick four past Man City.

(Any manager calling himself 'Pep' deserves to get twatted 4-0.)

All our players worked like bastards but special mentions for Davies, Lukaku and Barry.

Local shitteratti on view in the suite?

Ricky 'tramp juice' Tomlinson.

Fat Joe, the mayor

Andy Nichols (these days I think he's now 'giving back to the community' or... some bollocks).

Mike Parry, apparently one half of TalkSport's 'The Two Mikes' (no idea but my mate had heard of him)

I sat next to him – a living cartoon of a British 'sports journalist', he did an entire bottle of white himself...before his full English (I live on sausage dinners and Quavers and he made me look like Mr Motivator).

That said, he was a nice enough feller and (as he mentioned 'Reidy' and 'Merse') I'm guessing he could tell many a ribald football-related anecdote.

Ex players on display – Jim Pearson and Paul Power.

Power talked about his career and came across as a very intelligent, articulate feller (lives in France now, near the Spanish border)

Only downside, my usual seat in the corner of the upper Gladys/Bullens provides me 'cover' for smoking my e-gigs (which are ludicrously not allowed).

Here I felt a bit exposed though I still managed a few drags, so Everton – Link

Got to the alehouse for the second half of their game with Man Utd and was praying for Rooney to break the Utd goals record with a last-minute winner but, as I said, almost the perfect day.

Up the Toffees!

Hopefully the new signings will give us something different, and more players in the team will become a threat to the opposition.

Our pragmatic boss is discovering his best team, and we are improving. I have been a backer all the way through (with my own misgivings), but it is so great to celebrate this superb victory.

Good for McCarthy, and Schneiderlin coming on and shoring us up. And so marvellous to see Lookman in his cameo, put the icing on the cake.

Now let's get behind the "project" and be happy!

My only disappointment were the boo boys treatment of Stones, I don't think he owes us anything and I thought that's what set us apart from the others in being fair minded.

Will Charlton fans do the same to Lookman if we play them in the future as it's no different. But still a great day to be a blue.

On the "down" side, how long before the media decide that Man Utd are "interested" in Davies and Holgate? Go find your own talent, you unspeakable vultures.

Today's Man Utd - Liverpool game will, I hope, have killed off any notion of Rooney spending his twilight days at Goodison.

Plus, if we are going to be more direct (nothing wrong in that Pep), his kicking is far superior to Howard's and gets us a further 10-20 yards down the pitch straight away.

I was also made up at the apparent unity in the team. Little things like Robles running the whole length of the pitch to celebrate, Lukaku properly celebrating a goal in the centre circle (not even his own!), the sheer delight on Davies's face when he scored, the elation of Lookman when he buried his third touch are all indications that the dressing room is a very pleasant place to be right now.

Incidentally, Lookman's first touch was impressive too. He put a crucial foot in on the edge of our box to dispossess a City player. Maybe not many people noticed that.

I'm going to enjoy MotD tonight! The only pity is that I'm in the middle of dry January!

Not really... but this was a display of determination, guts, will to win and some decent skill too and only one Koeman buy on the pitch until young Lookman came on at the end.

Kev had his best game in an awful long time and Rom actually grafted throughout. I thought Funes Mori was outstanding, attacking the ball and making sure he got there first, the whole defence was good against a very skillful City front four. Barry was rock solid but the stars have to be the teenagers who so many of us have been calling for all season.

Holgate stayed calm despite being faced with Aguero and okay he was beaten a few times but so would most players faced by those four – I thought he was very decent.

As for Tom he played better as the game went on and his goal was outstanding but what a great celebration to see how much it meant to him. No pre-meditated posturing, just the sheer joy of scoring for HIS team in front of the Street. I have to confess it brought a tear to my eye.

Perhaps the manager has started to get the message through to them – roll on the next game!

In my opinion we will finish roughly where we are now in the league. If we give our kids a chance they may save us a fortune. The more opportunities we give the kids the more they'll come on as players.

Another plus today was having 3 locals on the pitch. Think if we could get another 1 or 2 local lads either in the team or on the bench.

Tap-ins are goals from one to two yards out generally into an open goal or with a stranded goalkeeper – and most welcome they are too, nothing wrong with great goalscorers making a career out of them.

Arrow-like first-time shots just inside the post from 12 yards out, slipped in between a covering defender and the despairing dive of a goalkeeper, are NOT tap-ins by any definition. Said shot executed after the scorer stops his run at just the right time to fool his covering marker and create a split second of time and enough space to take a quick pass. They are the mark of a lethal instinctive finisher in peak confidence at the top of his game.

City a bunch of shiny trinkets, no team spirit or work ethic, welcome to your new surroundings, John Stones, I hope that you continue to thrive amongst this collective meffery.

Not comparable with Stones. He has never played for a manager who insist he plays out from the back... every time, whereas Stones has never played for a manager who didn't.

No English centre-half (ever) has been put under so much scrutiny as Stones, even though he his still a baby in centre half terms... I think that's because his ability is unquestionable.

When he matures into a player who makes his own decisions rather than a boy who follows instructions, the blind will begin to see.

Funny how some people will still post 2-3 times a thread about him even though he has long since departed. Tells you a lot that does.

The fact that Michael's article is titled, "Fantastic young Blues roast city and Sones" probably invites comments about him.

Credit to Koeman for playing a balanced side. Many on here suggested a 3-5-2, it definitely benefits several of our personnel better.

Coleman and Baines look less exposed, Williams of the player at Swansea. Good mix in midfield, perhaps all three are different.

So winning at Palace next week is the only way to consolidate today's excellence.

Take our 4th btw beautifully put away by Lookman... Stones turned into traffic and got caught; how many seasons has he been doing that? His decision making and positional play is poor and not getting any better

IMO Stones flatters to deceive; he moves like a thoroughbred but forgets the basic reason why he's on the team and that's to defend.

Great piece of business to get the money we got for him.

Wow! We plastered them-absolutely wonderful moment! Davies running into the crowd shows his love and heart for this club. Lookman scoring just brought me to my knees at the end. I'm a grown man but I choked up. Everton was in my soul today and it feels magnificent.

Thank you Everton!

Darren, if you saying Stones never makes his own decisions, I would have to disagree.

One result couldn't change your mind, surely? Because if it did, what would that say about your opinion?

Come on, let's hear you call for Koeman's sacking. You know who you are. Have some balls.

I realise that 1 or 2 are injured and a couple are on loan but all show plenty of promise. I'd prefer to wait till the summer and then splash big money on 2 or 3 serious players.

Ross has to be signed up and Robles is looking very confident, sharp and absolutely enormous in goal! He could yet be the answer if given a decent run.

Great feeling inTDH after the game... Yahoooo – more tomorrow.

Spectacular performance by Davies, Ross did really well but needs to work on instinct which is when he really can cause trouble and hats off to Rom for a complete 90 minute performance and not fluffing his lines to get us off the mark. AND a goal and assist from Mirallas – swoon .

Please let this be a glimpse of the future. Add Gana and Bolasie to that with a few more quality options and we could have a real team on our hands – all brought to life by the spark that is Tom Davies.

Oh, and yes, take a bow, Joel Robles!

Fella behind me had 3-0. He still celebrated like a proper blue when the 4th went in.

Incredible shout from him, even more incredible from you

Ray@188: It's dry January for me too. Drinking only well-hopped, dry beers, several of which will be consumed during MotD.

Davies – MotM. How many of us said he should have been playing months ago!

We played 'football' today – more like it. Holgate & Davies give energy & verve to our play.

Barkley was good in patches, but when he had time, he gave the ball away with appalling passes, the lad is thick.

Fantastic display, enjoyed the game so much. 😀 And brilliant for the new lad as well, everyone's beaming! COYB.

Stones is, in my view, a top player and I will always wish him the best. What did you think of the mighty Lukaku, by the way?

There just aren't many better moments than Tom Davies' goal and his leap into the arms of the Gwladys Street or our new baby-faced assassin Ademola scoring at the end. The only thing that could top this is an announcement of the new ground on the waterfront tomorrow.

The most striking thing was the togetherness of the team when they scored and at the end. Sheer joy and brilliant to see.

I hate Clattenburg with a passion ever since the derby when Carragher threw Lescott down in the penalty area and waved on and when young Tom scored that beauty and embraced the Gwladys Street.

I could cringe if he bought out a card but no, he had some decency there; otherwise, I think he wouldn't have got out of the ground in one piece but oh, just a perfect day.

Of course city could have won a penalty but to say that things went Everton's way is to undermine the performance of the whole team, they worked their socks off when it was needed and then added the killer punches when required, that isn't being lucky – that's being very good at what they were trying to do.

In fact I would say it was one of Everton's best victories over a 'superior' team in the last 10 years, perhaps longer. We weren't hanging on by our fingernails we had a plan and executed it almost perfectly. It was one of those games where you can say, if you were lucky enough to be in the ground, "I was there!" – that matters and hopefully there'll be many more such days to come in the future.

We were up at 5 am here to get organised for the 8 am kick off and boy was it worth it, must admit after the Leicester disaster we weren't too optimistic but being real Everton diehards we lived in hopes that City would have an off day and reckoned if we could get a point we would be happy.

Suffice to say that the Grand Old Lady came good big time and showed why we love her, courtesy of a performance both on the field and from every vantage point occupied by the faithful inside her, you guys were absolutely FAN-tastic!!! COYB

Can't be many. Good piece of business. The difference between Holgate and Stones IMO is decision-making. Holgate already looking cool (as Stones can look) but also has better decision-making.

I couldn't agree more. Easily 6 if not more could have walked away with MotM. Unbelievable performance, unbelievable day... to slaughter a side a like that was sensational and I mean that was a slaughter.

I'm so happy tonight. I'm passed out now and I'm up for work in a few hours.

Everton, I love you!!!

I think NBC said the first time "for Everton" that 2 teenagers scored in the Premier League. At least I think that's what they said, as I was delirious at the time!!

Superb feed, whoever recommended that, by the way.

I was made up with Lukaku. His goal was not as easy as he made it look. Great work from young Tom and Mirallas, but it's difficult to let a ball come across your body like that. You can look a twat if it doesn't come off, but he was emphatic. Gave us a terrific foundation to build upon.

I was delighted with a few today. I've criticised Funes Mori in the past but fuck me he was taking no prisoners today – loved seeing Aguero whine and bleat at the ref throughout the entire second half.

There are a few obvious candidates for MotM and I wouldn't argue with any, I think our Rolls Royce of a left back is beginning to purr again.

Darren re the questions asked by a couple of posters earlier.

1) Would you swap Stones for Holgate?

2) Do you think we should have turned down 㿛½ million for Stones?

Davies is a dirty fucker... Something we have been crying out for for years.

We have a serious player on our hands.

I'd love to see us barely drop a point for the rest of the season.

For all the modern football geniuses, there's something in just applying yourself to a task. Why on earth don't they get it?

In my opinion. Davies seems to illustrate this by attacking the situation at hand with immediacy and speed which shits the life out of the opposition because, once they've tried to work out what's going on, the moment has passed, and so has Davies. But then I might be talking complete bollocks.... :)

Magnificent stuff. Tom Davies looked class, and the team looked extremely impressive. Loved Davies's and Lookman's goals. This is why we keep coming back for more...

Davies was the catalyst and Barkley responded with Robles also playing a part at vital moments.

Let's hope now they can get a good run going and continue the good work against woeful Palace.

Schneiderlin will add more steel in due course. That's one of the things we've lacked most: presence in games, hard and edgy play. If we keep that going, then we will have a formidable base.

8 hours later I wake up and see the score. WTF?!?! Am I still dreaming?!

Just wow.

I'm now going to watch the game with a smile on my face, for once.

Thank heavens for Shearer – at least he called it as it is. Still, nothing can take away from our performance today, Davies's goal looks better each time I see it.

Ronnie, ffs, do not change a winning team; learn from your past two mistakes in changing a winning team.

Yes it is a special moment to savour but, no, it will take more than one result to change my view of Koeman. This is all about consistency, not individual results.

I loved this performance and the determination, industry, graft, organization and flashes of brilliance but I want to see this level of play more often before getting into full-fledged "The School of Science is Back" mode.

He needs two more windows to form the squad he can call his own. There are some reasons to be positive. We have tightened up defensively and we have a number of good young players coming through.

We didn't get kedgeree in the People's Lounge. Ham, mash, black pudding and beans was the rather strange fayre served up. And just for a change all the chocolate chip cookies had gone by the time I got down for my half-time cup of tea.

I'm not sure if you saw my post last week, when some were blowing a fuse. I said then, chill out, stop whinging and will only help in the transfer market and a bit of youth given a run, now our cup run is over.

He has bought well in the window, finally trusted in youth and a couple more signings will go a long way to building for next season.

By the way, for Koeman to give Lookman a chance today suggests to me we have made a special signing.

Mirallas and Barkley have definitely upped their work rate. I don't think you could accuse Barry of dragging his arse. He may not have the legs for 90 mins, but he has always been committed and given what his body will allow.

Also very well done to Clattenburg for not giving Davies a second yellow for his celebration with the St End. Sensible refereeing in a season blighted by some poor displays.

He was also aware of Otamendi's histrionics, booking Rom and the prostrate calamitous defender. Nice to see Rom bashing a few people.

Long may it continue!

The signs of something special are there but we still need more and better players to make this sustainable.

Koeman has made mistakes, but it's been great to hear our manager talking sense & speaking the truth – nothing wrong in saying there's players here who don't have a future at the club.

We do still need more decent players to compete in the top 6 – a class centre-back, a midfield play-maker who sees passes quickly and treasures possession of the ball, and an alternative striker.

I hope Robles becomes our No 1 – Roberto denied him a couple of seasons ago when unjustifiably recalling Tim Howard after he was beginning to look like a decent goalkeeper after about 7 games on the bounce – he could save us a lot of cash.

Koeman has handled Tom Davies & Mason Holgate well – no good overloading them too soon – we want 10 good years out of them.

Even though his days are numbered, Barry still has an invaluable contribution to make, as he showed today.

Re John Stones, the deal was right for us at the time, but he's still a top player – yes, he makes mistakes, but who doesn't and look at the rubbish defenders & organisation around him – and he's only been in the Premier League 3 years, at least 2 years less than some other grossly over-rated English players.

Of course, he started it. It goes past Rom to Ross. Rom sprints left calling for the ball. 3 defenders, THREE shift with Rom, leaving Davies all alone.

Ross holds the ball until Rom clears the defenders out and lays it on for the kid, who finished with the aplomb of a veteran predator.

Also, please Koeman stay with Kevin behind Rom. Let the other guy worry about Everton for a change.

I checked the score online. 4-0! Well, that was expected, wasn't it Wait a second 4-0 Everton!!!! It's a good thing I recorded the game.

Everything I could say, has already been said. A couple observations, though:

Man City reminded me of Martinez's Everton. Everything sideways and back. It was nearly all meaningless possession. At one point they completed 15 passes in a row, not one in the our half. Sound familiar?

We can beat the likes of Man City and Arsenal, now if we could manage a result against the likes of Burnley and Bournemouth of the league, we should be alright.

Without a doubt, the most enjoyable match in a long time.

100% penalty to City – nothing sensible about that decision.

Davies never received any yellow card, did he!

Let's hope we use today's result as a benchmark for the rest of the season and finish as high as we can in the table... COYB!!!!!

Great game in the end. I didn't like how we sat back so deep. Robles looked really assured. Impressed today, he looked solid. I thought Davies started slowly but got better as the game went on. The finish was really good, especially after a long run and getting off the floor.

Barry played better today. I thought the game passed Schneiderlin by a little bit when he came on but he is bound to be a bit rusty. Great substitutions though to be able to bring on quality for a change. And Lookman was the icing on the cake.

Baines also has his best game in a while. Helped by being able to play further upfield with Funes Mori covering. My only other gripe would be Robles playing too many long balls.

Also Mirallas had a great game, although he seems to make the same runs as Lukaku which doesn't help Ross. Let's hope we carry this into the next game. The players seem to have left the nervous endings to distant memory.

I admit I liked how Martinez 'wanted' to play football but he just couldn't get across to his players the importance of stopping the cross. Koeman demands more. From the players and the board. Now we have to keep this up...

On the other hand maybe Koeman is slowly getting it right... If so, everybody on the field yesterday must have it drummed into them that this is now the required standard, the benchmark, the bare minimum required... or else Palace will do their banana skin / Fat Sam inspired rope a dope trick on us.

29-71% possession – don't believe a word of it. Whoever is counting whatever it is they count needs to take off their Sky specs. This figure was flashed up after 20 mins. Was the game so standardised and evenly pace (in City's favour) that those 20 min figures remained the same until the end – total Bollocks. This is just the sky paid pass counters pushing the sky big 6 based narrative.

Pep has more problems than Koeman at the moment, but he has more money to throw at them as well. One being that his (and Martinez's) brand of possession football doesn't go too well in the Premier League for very long. If Koeman really wants Van Dijk, I think he will have to move soon before Pep does.

Tom Davies was booked in the 5th minute.

Gareth "Needs to be dropped" Barry.

Speaking about Davies, talking to my dad earlier and he told us once that Davies's uncle, Alan Whittle, whilst he was waiting at a bus stop for the ( the football match bus, back in the day , obviously) Alan Whittle pulled up and took him and his friend (a young lady, 18 years old, might of had something to do with it!) a lift to the match in his Capri. Good man. Better result.

We deserve a few more like that after a pretty disappointing, dire at times, first season for Koeman. Of course if we win all our remaining games who knows !!

Davies showed why many wanted him in the side two months ago. Similarly Holgate. Though I have to say both exceeded any expectations by a long long way.

Mirallas had a cracking game, Ross dink for Kevin's goal showed real class and tho I thought he had a decent game there were still a number of hugely frustrating moments but, there's a bloody voice screaming in my head, don't sell him, don't sell, give him these next few months with new players around him from further January purchases, and Morgan and Davies / Gana bossing midfield and creating space.

Days like this are sadly rare for us but boy – it was just so good to watch.

"A hugely enjoyable result but actually it all went our way. Getting carried away is as ridiculous, etc."

I see plenty in this thread celebrating a much merited victory in a single game. I don't see much in the way of 'getting carried away' with said single victory.

I'm puzzled by your claim (and 1 or 2 others) that "actually, it all went our way" which implies we were some how fortunate and denigrates the performance somewhat.

How did it 'go our way?' If it went our way it is because we MADE it go our way, not due to City's failings. Other than the Sterling 'penalty' incident, when else did they genuinely threaten our goal?

That was because our defensive lines, twixt midfield and defence, were tight and made it difficult for City to play through. When they did encroach and get into the penalty area, I thought Robles was superb in tidying up everything.

I liked the matter-of-fact way he gathered in the ball, tucked it under one arm and strode forward with it, looking to start a counter, with the air of "is that all you've got?" For possibly the first time since he arrived at Everton, for me he showed today he could be a genuine option (although I am not averse to signing a proven top-top goal-stopper, if possible).

Our 1st goal 'went our way' because, successively, Mirallas, then Barkley, then Coleman pressed the City man in possession so they coughed up the ball to Davies. Tom, Mirallas and Lukaku were all alive to the situation. Mirallas set off pointing where he wanted the ball, Davies delivered a perfectly weighted through ball, Kev's sharp turn and 1-touch pass into Lukaku (who held his position well in anticipation of the cross) who finished with a crisp 1-touch finish.

The 2nd goal had similar features. Lukaku and Barkley both press City players. Toure coughs up the ball to Barry who plays a very cute ball to Romelu. Rom almost puts in Mirallas with a through ball, barely cut out by City. Ross is alive to the situation, is 1st to the loose ball and plays a delicious 1st time ball into Kev who is equally alert, takes one touch and places a great shot across the keeper. 2-0. Nothing fortunate in that one either. Just good team play, pressing and technique.

The 3rd goal started with Holgate snapping at a City player which turns over the ball. Tom Davies picks up the loose ball deep in his own half and a Goodison eternal memory is created. His run into the heart of City's half. The deft flick whilst running at pace which takes him clear of 2 City players in close attendance. The pass inside to Rom-Ross. Tom getting clattered to the ground, but still with the desire to pick himself up off the floor to take advantage of Ross's (again...) vision and incisive pass. The composure to dink it over the keeper as he did. Nothing fortuitous about that at all.

In between the 3rd and 4th goal, who like me enjoyed when Sterling slyly left one on Davies how both Tom and Holgate confronted him? More of that please boys. Show the opposition we are not going to meekly accept such aggression and – as in the all-conquering side of the 80s – we have 'avengers' and 'enforcers' who will look after their mates in the team.

Then finally the 4th goal. Holgate plays a ball down the flank and Coleman sets off to press Stones. Even BEFORE Stones's attempted clearance ricochets off Seaumus into the City area, Lookman is alive to the possibilities. He sprints past the other City central defender and is rewarded for his anticipation. His 1st touch to control the dropping ball is sublime. His finish from an angle clinical.

There were other chances that fell our way other than the registered goals. Don't forget also the incisive move for Kev's offside 'goal' early on, again created by good pressing and incisive passing.

City gifted us nothing. It was our play that created the situation for all our goals. Having set a standard, the challenge is now to maintain and build on it.

Amazing isn't it, a lad like Tom Davies can make Rom and Kevin look like the class players they are and can inspire Ross, who so easily loses his way if the team isn't buzzing.

Tom will have to be protected, nurtured. City aren't a kicking team (Sterling did his best but he is just a kid) and he perhaps shouldn't start against some of the dirty bastards in the league. Not for a while yet anyway. But we can wait.

One game after 5 months of shite, and tamely exiting 2 cups doesn't make some of us forget everything. We all want Koeman to succeed and Everton to be successful, but we don't want the side to regress now.

It has to be a settled side, full of pace and fight, starting at Palace, then we'll know if he got it right today, or it was a one-off.

Pep. Poor guy gets another top job handed to him. Not a one- or two-horse race this league though! I'm sure it might be different with Messi, Iniesta, Xavi etc in his team. What will he do? Pretty interesting.

That playing around at the back including the goalkeeper. It probably seems like genius in his head... as long as the opposing team don't close them down. Did Aguero even play today? Always rated De Bruyne but where was he? Great performance!

City again did exactly what they did against Leicester and every other team. Tippy tappy and the whole team moves up the pitch. It's suicide to play against us or Leicester with that kind of high line. We've got the players to withstand and counter – as do many in the league.

So Koeman got it dead right today, but anticipating what Pep will do isn't exactly difficult. The performance still needed to be good and we were resilient and organised in defence and clinical in front of goal. Also, we had a bit of luck in the first half with the missed Sterling and Silva chances and the Sterling penalty appeal (I thought it was 100% a penalty on replay but couldn't tell what had happened in real time).

Onto Palace. COYB!

That Lookman goal was special. I remember thinking, when the ball deflected off Coleman's body and landed at his feet – "There's no way... there's NO WAY..." What a truly awesome moment – even Koeman was shaking his head and grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

No tears for Pep, who might have to do some honest-to-goodness WORK for once refurbishing City's roster, and even less for Stones, who's still out there doing the same silly shit he did for us (he should also ease up on the ink, as the tats don't suit him at all – what, is he supposed to be some sort of badass now? Come on).

Barry was captain and then passed it to Baines when he went off.

'Also had a bit of luck in the first half with the missed Sterling and Silva chances...'

Silvas chance was Robles saving our arse, that's what I witnessed anyway. He was also off his line and in Sterling's face for his two chances. Robles has never been given a run and deserves one after waiting in the wings for over three seasons.

As much as we all go on about the money they make etc; goalkeeper is the hardest position for me and you get crucified for a mistake while outfielders get more leeway due to the nature of the position. To keep your head down and sit on the bench season after season must be tough, no matter how big the wedge is.

Tom's goal came from Holgate dispossessing Sterling with a great tackle to set him on his way. Fan-fucking-tastic game.

Anthony Dwyer (#166); who would swap Stonesy for Holgate? Err... Man City.

They did have appreciably more possession (it was not 79-21 though). We had them comfortably contained for much of the time but they kept plugging away and trying to build, kept coming, ineffective or not. That kind of commitment should be a given for a serious team.

Have to say the unmentionables were the same today at the Theatre of Queens. buzzing around endlessly in those horrible barf-inducing luminous kits. Takes great fitness.

Important now not to make it just the one great performance followed by several average to poor ones which is what happened after beating Arsenal.

Others might say we got knocked out of the cup because the players didn't deliver and should take responsibility. Your own valid opinion on stuff doesn't make it fact.

673 passes for city. Everton 267 passes. Total 940 passes. Man City percentage: 71%. Everton 29%.

As many on here and various pundits have often said, it's what you do with the ball that counts. Tippy tappy stuff is fine if you don't want to lose possession. After all the opposition can't hurt you if they have don't have the ball. Blah blah blah.

However, sometimes, watch out what happens if you do give them the ball. :)

We know as much from the last season or two.

Also re assists. I have mentioned this before but there should be a stat recorded for the assistee to the assist. Tom Davies won't have his pass recorded for the ball through to Mirallas for Lukaku's goal. We know. He knows. But records don't. This type if pass is often the key to a goal, not the assist.

And well done to Clattenberg for not booking Davies for his audience participation.

Like most people, I Never saw that coming, but it was obvious from early on we just looked a lot more solid and organised.

James 257, I'm glad you brought that pass up. It was the pass of the match for me, very clever, and showed how valuable a three yard pass can sometimes be, but I don't think you can argue that Barry has looked very poor lately, and was lucky to start yesterday's game?

I think if you read Ken Buckley, he says that Barry needs to play every game, because when he stops, he takes a bit of time to get back up to "his speed" but he does bring a lot of order to Everton's play, and he's also got a great football brain as well.

You have four shots on target, you win 4-0. It's fair to say things go your way. That doesn't denigrate the performance, we fully deserved three points especially for the excellence of our defending.

And for getting carried away, I give you post #12.

First up let me say I have been a big critic of Lukaku and to a lesser extent Mirallas but it was those two who set us up for this great win. No doubt about it Mirallas is a top class second striker he took his goal beautifully and what a set up for Lukaku who took his chance with aplomb.

Lukaku looked to me for the first time for some time like he was part of the team. His reaction to his team mates goals was fantastic and the smile on his face when he congratulated young Lookman was priceless. Come on Romelu – more of that and we'll love you again.

By the way I thought the youngster deserved his goal – he was "lurking" for that rebound, beautiful first touch and finish.

Credit to Koeman also for starting Tom Davies ahead of McCarthy. That lad is royalty. One of the things I really liked about his performance was his headed clearance off the line. When that cross went over his head he made straight for the back post – well done Tom. He has got a bit of mongrel in him too as displayed when Sterling left one on him.

I was wrong – the season is not over – not by a long chalk if we keep playing for each other like that. As Ken would say – Oh the joy!

Great performance but Palace will play a lot more direct than City and won't leave those holes at the back. So it'll be interesting to see if the side can show some guile and break them down.

Did anyone see Sky Sports 1 last night where they did the final round up towards the end of the show? Thierry Henry asked Carragher if he was still an Everton fan live on air, Carragher didn't have a reply aside from pulling an awkward face.

Lolz.

I know Tom's no Lionel Messi, but if Messi had scored that, we'd be watching it on YouTube forever.

Lukaku gets some stick at times on TW but he showed another side yesterday, even carrying the mascot around before kick off. Well done, Romelu.

"You have four shots on target you win 4-0. It's fair to say things go your way."

That continues to imply (in the context of your earlier post) we got lucky. We didn't. I've given you detailed analysis of each goal that demonstrates we made our own 'luck.' It wasn't gifted. It was part of an overall game plan that the players, for the first time this season, successfully applied over the entire 90 minutes of the game.

Each goal we scored yesterday resulted from a mix of aggressive pressing, incisive passing, good technique, good awareness and clinical finishing that ripped City apart. Nothing 'lucky', or 'gifted', or fortune 'going our way' about the goals or the result, AT ALL.

As to your reference to post 12 as some sort of supporting 'evidence' that folk in this thread are "getting carried away" after a single decent performance, if that's the best you can draw on from nigh on 300 posts to justify your claim, for me, it only serves to negate it. It's clearly a euphoric one liner very soon after the final whistle.

Somebody said yesterday that the difference in Holgate and Stones is, Holgate wants to defend, Stones wants to look good defending.

I would concentrate on what I said, rather what you imply I said. I said 'we fully deserved three points'. You say I imply 'we got lucky'.

My only point was that to win 4-0 when you have four shots on target requires an element of good fortune. I suspect I haven't seen it happen before. That's completely different than saying we were lucky to win.

As for getting carried away, people should fill their boots but of course in the same way as losing the previous week didn't mean it was time to part company with the manager, this week's win doesn't mean we've got it cracked.

(And I have a date with a really hot girl tonight!)

And you should concentrate on what I said (and possibly acknowledge the implications of your own words as they could be legitimately read by others).

The very first lines in my post @ 284, first quoting your words in your post @ 276, were:

"You have four shots on target you win 4-0. It's fair to say things go your way."

(My words...) That continues to imply (in the context of your earlier post) we got lucky.
*****
My words reference the opening words of your post @ 236, in which your opening lines were: ""A hugely enjoyable result but actually it all went our way. Getting carried away is as ridiculous, [etc.]"

Yes, you acknowledge the pleasure you derived (like, I hope, all Blues) from yesterday's emphatic win. But twice, your words do serve to denigrate the result, unjustifiably IMO.

Are you hard of thinking? I could not be clearer.

Deserved to win, scoring four goals from four shots is statistically rare. Simple really.

Loved it when in injury time, he kicked the ball into the family enclosure instead of picking it up, great bit of time wasting and in no way can the referee add time on.

Davies' goal was sheer magic and probably would only come from a precocious teenager. And precocious I would call it – that cheeky knock inside to skin the defenders on him, and then when clattered to the ground by an enemy defender (don't know who it was) instead of staying down like he had been hit by a wrecking ball, as many older pros might have done, he was up and ready when the return came before the equally precocious dink over Bravo. It was almost like park football.

Brilliant. Will be our goal of the season I would wager.

You seem to be struggling with yours, focussing as you are on the '4 shots on target = 4 goals = rare phenomena = good fortune' equation, as if that is all that happened in the game. It wasn't.

As described in my earlier posts, there was a deliberate game plan and strategy that the players – for the first time under Koeman – successfully applied across the full 90 minutes of the game.

The four goalscoring incidents did not happen by chance, in isolation, outside of that overall game strategy. Rather, they were the accumulation of a perfectly administered plan.

As I wrote earlier, each goal we scored yesterday resulted from a mix of aggressive pressing, incisive passing, good technique, good awareness and clinical finishing that ripped City apart. Nothing 'lucky', or 'gifted', or fortune 'going our way' about the goals or the result, AT ALL.

There were other passages of play that contained elements of the above that for various reasons did not climax with your simple 'shot on goal = goal, etc' phenomenon, but might have. There were passages of play other than the 4 goals which neither resulted in either a shot on goal or (naturally!) a goal. Capiche?

Or ... is that too simple for you to follow?

What happened to the previous Everton teenage goalscorers

I clocked that as well – a lovely touch from Robles. I also liked Koeman rebuking Otamendi for his reaction to Lukaku's gentle shove.

Was he really? I cannot remember seeing that nor can I see it recorded in any reports...

Mind you, had it remained nil-nil at full time after the ref turned down Sterling's penalty appeal, she'd have been Cattenburg.

Once again, I was reminded of the tragedy that was Billy Kenny, a lad with a truly great career in prospect but which he threw away. It was also interesting to read about Michael Branch:

He served three years in prison, and in September 2016, he was training to become an accountant.

He was certainly getting his training in the right place. There's a job for him at Everton when he qualifies .

As you rightly say, that list only considers the Premier League era, here is a link to all those youngsters who have netted for Everton:

http://www.evertonresults.com/youngestscorers.htm

Can anyone remember a game the last decade that was better than what we saw yesterday?

I've the memory of a field mouse, but honestly that HAS to be right up there with best games of the last decade.

Marvelous! Utter joy yesterday.

Of particular note is Alan Whittle (Tom Davies's uncle), who in the 1969-70 Championship winning season scored 5 goals whilst 19, and 6 more after turning 20.

I recall he replaced Jimmy Husband mid-season, who had his ankle broken by hatchet-man Dave MacKay when we were playing Derby Co at home.

It was amusing to see the argument about him on MotD last night. Neville refused to answer Shearer's repeated question as to whether he thought Stones a good defender (not just a good footballer), which to me effectively answered No. Neville ought to become a politician.

I remember especially listening to my tranny when we won away 1-0 at Spurs in an evening midweek. At that point, I knew we would be Champions! We beat them 3-2 in the return at Goodison the Saturday after.

(Note to our younger readers: It was quite common in those days to play both home and away league games midweek and following Saturday. I remember us beating Man Utd home and away in the space of a few days at the start of that great season.)

God, I was spoilt as a kid! Still, Everton have got their own back on me in my declining years...

I think McCarthy will want to move to a club where he is playing regularly. I can't see him happy to sit on the bench and play a sub's role. With Davies rising up the ranks of late and showing he can play some good attacking football as well as defend, then I'd say McCarthy could find himself 4th or 5th choice.

It was good to see Mirallas raise his game yesterday as he saw another youngster maybe come in to add some competition for his place. I'd still like us to get a replacement for the right wing though as Deulofeu and Lennon are not good enough.

Yeah our home form with the exception of the derby and Leicester (FA Cup) has been excellent. We've only conceded 7 goals at Goodison and scored 19 in the league. That's better than Man City's and Man Utd's home records.

We seem to raise our intensity and workrate against the bigger teams but let it slip against the lesser teams... like our performances against Hull and Leicester in the cup.

Football matches are strange how they pan out sometimes. Had the ref have given that penalty and Aguero been a yard closer to the ball he slid in for, it could have been so different. But goals win matches and we were clinical yesterday.

I thought the ball in from Mirallas to Rom was amazing as he hardly looked up but still knew exactly where to put it. Days like yesterday will make it harder for Rom to not love life at Everton. Thoughts of him carrying out the young kid with cancer, then him acting as mentor to the young teenagers coming into the side whilst he continues to score goals.

He will probably become our top scorer in the Premier League this season with 5 more to beat Duncan's record of 60. I'd say he looks at Stones and thinks it all could go so wrong.

I have said the same about Stones for 18 months. He would be a decent player sitting as a defensive mid. He can see a pass and has a good first touch.

I am afraid he will never be a top class defender as long as he has a hole in his arse.

It's nothing at all to do with Kenwright. Even Moyes can't take full credit. He didn't want to sign Stones. His scouting staff had to fight with him to make the signing.

A better man than me said, "You can play... but you have to earn the right to play."

That's correct and in the previous home game against Barnsley, Danny scored his first league goal, as did John Oster, who was also a teenager when he scored.

I wasn't at that game but remember the Arsenal game as I was there and our comeback was great and Michael Ball was amazing that day and I thought we had a left back for many a year. Shame about his injury problems though.

I thought the ball in from Mirallas to Rom was amazing as he hardly looked up but still knew exactly where to put it.

Spot on, and for his goal he didn't look up at all, he knew just where to hit it. I've always had a soft spot for Kevin Mirallas and I hope Koeman keeps him.

🇯🇴 @Jordolenko
Can't wait for a John Stones defensive error that lets Lookman in for a debut goal in the last few minutes.

1:31 PM - 15 Jan 2017... Courtesy of the Beeb.

Great to hear a mature opinion re the booing of John Stones, which was not supported by the majority of Evertonians. He is a very good player & will get better who is surrounded by poor defenders and defensive organisation around him. The deal was a good deal for us at the time, but a real shame he wouldn't stay & learn under Koeman.

We need at least one decent central defender to join us before the start of next season, even if Funes Mori's confidence is re-built from the destruction inflicted on him & others in the 2nd half of last season.

It is quite clear that John had his head turned whilst on international duty and bought into the indulgent and self serving culture that persists in his pal Raheem Sterling. Stones began to believe in his own publicity, he thought he was bigger than Everton and is evidently hopeful that by joining City he was being fast tracked in terms of his development and quest for honours, fame and fortune.

Evertonians don't suffer fools gladly – you are either with us and one of us or against us. Stones was reminded of that yesterday and I hope he enjoyed his return as much as I did.

He seems a nice lad but from a footballing point of view no problem our fans booing him. Would I boo him, no, I prefer the senseless booing – I love booing those players who previously played for LFC, even if rubbish!

My opinion that rank bad management has made us ugly and got us knocked out of both cups can I guess be refuted... but only by you its seems.

I'm curious to know, do you blame the players for the imbalance and ugliness of the tactics employed this season?

Do you blame the players for us getting bounced out of the league cup? Seeing as it was Koeman who ripped a team in winning form to pieces leaving half of them out?

Do you blame the players for taking off our quickest center back against Leicester in the FA Cup only to be caught by two counter attacks?

The buck stops with Koeman and his rank bad management as far as I'm concerned. You disagree ? that's your prerogative.

Just noticed your challenge there. I don't know about having balls but you do have some front.

You are the guy that has repeatedly told us poor old Ronald has got nothing to work with, they are just not "good enough".

Now that the players who are "not good enough" the youngster who are "not ready" have murdered Peps superstars. what will you do for apologies/excuses in future?

We now KNOW they are good enough (as if there was a doubt) we now know they were ready (as if there was any doubt).

Let's hope the penny has finally dropped and Ronnie boy doesn't change a winning team – again.

Under Martinez, we often displayed tremendous attacking skill and flair, but were weak defensively, and of course everything went to pot. With Koeman, I was expecting the stronger defence he's injected, to be combined with the attacking flair we've seen in the past, using his 'total football' Dutch know-how. But it wasn't panning out like that, and we've been continuing to lack organisation, which has been disappointing.

So although I've supported him throughout, and although we expect time to be required to get to consistent top-6, I've been concerned by the lack of progress in organisation, and by the hoofball approach, but was hoping he had something up his sleeve besides reiterating a need for 'pressing'.

Well, after yesterday I've got more hope, although it's only one game. If we can get some consistency, more performances like yesterday's, then I'll be satisfied with Koeman.

I hope this regime still looks at strengthening the squad with better players. Under the old regime, this win would have created an excuse to sit back and do nothing. I'm hoping we see the difference in the next two weeks.

I thought you would at least have stuck to your guns mate.

Cue the "Prove to me where I've said I want him sacked" standard Dazza reply...

The fact remains, one win shouldn't change anybody's view if they want a manager sacked just seven days before. And yes, they need calling out.

As Koeman progresses the club, more and more will join the "I never wanted him sacked" gang.

I have backed him 100% from the off and continue to do so.

Or at least be big enough to point out your change of heart.

I wanted him to leave, I believe he should have fallen onto his sword – done the right thing...Not just for getting us knocked out of both cups, first time of asking, but for the sheer dross he has served up whilst blaming everyone else.

But here's the thing: Although I will stand by my earlier assessment. I will have the good grace to praise his victories and be prepared to admit I was wrong.

You on the other hand seem to think that by doing everything his critics have been calling for (for weeks/months) he has suddenly redeemed himself and your claims that everything was the players fault has suddenly gained credibility. Sorrreeee.

You've painted your self into a corner my old china plate, if the players now start producing they will have proved you wrong and if they prove you wrong, they will prove all criticism of Ronnie and his public declarations legitimate.

Will you admit that, if Koeman had selected the players his critics were calling for weeks ago, we may well be doing considerably better? After wiping the floor with the superstars of City, will you admit you were wrong about these players.

To reverse your question... Do YOU have the balls?

What do they think the next feller will have to do? It only took around 15 games before we heard Koeman wasn't the man for us. He may turn out not to be, but let's give him a fighting chance eh?

If it was that simple, we'd all be picking up ٤m a season.

ps: Fair play for saying you wanted him to resign.

Koeman has spent the past 7 months reversing the previous incumbent's culture that he embedded into the Football Club. A culture that pervaded like the stale stench of failure, keep possession at all costs and deliver the square root of fuck all whilst talking up his squad and blowing smoke up their arses.

It takes more than 7 months to eradicate and the irony is that we witnessed a similar strategy yesterday from Pep and his charges typified by the keeper trying to play from the back when it quite clearly needed hoofing away.

Not even those who have steadfastly claimed they are not good enough?

Seems you want to see other people's balls, Kev, but you're not prepared to swing your own.

I think the issue for me is how quickly some have called for Koeman to be sacked / resign (delete as appropriate).

We are literally half a season in. He made two significant signings in the first window, one of whom is crocked. Our actual results could be best described as average (or 'seventhish' as a certain poster likes to call it). Getting knocked out of two cups is disappointing but has happened for the previous 21 seasons l. It seems to me to be far too hasty not to give the guy a decent chance to build a side.

I think a number of key players under Martinez he's looked at and doesn't fancy such as McCarthy, Deulofeu, Oviedo. A couple are at the end of their careers, Jags and Barry, and there are some serial dross that need shipping out such as McGeady, Kone, Gibson and Niasse.

That's probably nine first team squad players need replacing either with signings or bringing through younger players. If we don't see a significant improvement by this time next year then maybe there is a case to reconsider but, having invested money into his contract and given him money to spend, it seems he needs time to make it pay.

Yes, I think that's always been most people's view. I must admit to getting very frustrated with some of our performances in the first half of the season, but calling for his head so soon was always going to be premature, even before any apparent turnaround.

And I don't say that just because we won handsomely at the weekend – we could go to Palace and lose, and it's still the case that the man needs time.

The money paid to Koeman so far is gone but it was well spent if work behind the scenes led to yesterday. I accept that it appears that Koeman is now doing what we all wanted but he had options to test, vagaries, personalities and nuances to figure out.

I gave Moyes and Martinez a lot more time. We pay him huge money; can you not accept that, for now he must be trusted?

What I have done is comment that I just don't rate his performance so far. Despite that great win against Man City, he still hasn't won me over.

So far his performance hasn't been particularly good in terms of team selection, tactics, in game changes. We've seen a team generally lacking commitment and motivation. A manager deflecting criticism onto his players. To top it all off, he's not particularly likeable in the way he talks about our club (which probably isn't an issue if you're winning games).

One swallow doesn't make a summer. He'll get time to prove he can do this. Despite that great win, the early signs haven't been anything special. Let's see what happens against Palace before declaring any corners have been turned.

I don't disagree that 4-5 maybe even 6 players needed to be moved on. I also appreciate that its easier said than done.

My point here is that the criticism of Koeman has been absolutely legitimate. He has made some howling decisions.

Some of us will make our decisions early – especially if we don't see the signs we are looking for. and some will want time to weigh everything up.

the problem with the patient ones is they tend to stick to their guns long after the game is up – see last manager.

Like I say, if Koeman proves me wrong, I will be man enough to come on and say so... but let's face it, its already too late for him to do it this season.

We can't all accept what been served up thus far this season – that would be just wrong.

Great to hear from you, mate, and well done for picking up the gauntlet elsewhere on the site.

Good luck and enjoy.

KT;

Look forward to it

I don't think anyone would claim to be happy with how the season has gone. Results have been a bit better recently but of course two real kicks in the teeth with the derby and the FA Cup exit. We need to maintain momentum for the remainder of the season and I would be looking for 30 points from our remaining 17 games.

For reference, Klopp got 31 points from his first 21 games.

We are just saying it is very premature to call for the manager to be sacked after a few months in the job having inherited a chaotic, unfit and disorganised squad.

Klopp inherited an expensively assembled squad and spent another £100m and it took him 12 months to make his mark.

We already knew this squad was inconsistent and Koeman needs time to mould and develop it in his image.

That change may well be down to Koeman working his magic behind the scenes. But I don't care about the reason if we play like yesterday, especially when it counts and the pressure is on, and over a long period of time to bring success, rather than just the occasional happy day.

Football is a very strange sport at times, one day you're flat on the floor – the next, you're walking on air.

What I hope that every Everton player takes from yesterday is what an arena Goodison is when everyone is pulling in the same direction, if they want to experience that sort of atmosphere more often, they have to produce performances similar to yesterday more often.

The team have to make performances like yesterday the norm and not the exception; we still have a long road to travel, but it will be fun to watch if the players decide they are going to put every ounce of effort into their game.

Perhaps the influx of youngsters has reminded the elder players that football should be enjoyed and not endured; perhaps the signing of a couple of new boys has made some realise that their place in the team is not guaranteed. Whatever the reasons we can only hope that everything combines to make Everton a good team that is worth watching and, with the Goodison crowd behind them, all things are possible.

'Koeman must go', means: '...must go to the top of the class, as he is clearly a genius'.

'Koeman is an idiot', simply means: 'compared to Professor Steven Hawking and Professor Brian Cox, he may be somewhat cognitively challenged'.

'Pasty-faced Edam-chewer' simply emphasises the lack of ruddy-cheeked good health, common in those from the Low Countries, with a penchant for fromage.

'Couldn't run a whelk-stall', means, Might have a slight difficulty marrying his avowed tactical genius to the marketing of fish.

'Has to go by the end of the fucking season', is clearly a reference to the 2019-20 season.

'As much chance of getting into Europe as Teresa May', is clearly a reference to the Prime Minister's surprise, soon-to-be-published book , 'Brexit, Schmexit'.

'Worse than Martinez', is merely a slogan asking Everton fans 'to boldly go' to an as-yet-undiscovered Universe, several trillion light-years away, where there is, allegedly, a life-form, which actually believes that!

They have also brought unseen mentoring qualities out of our established players, noticeable that Lukaku has taken Lookman under his wing. They have made bonds between us. Their sheer joy at playing has been great to see and the established players clearly want to help them.

They have brought camaraderie back into the first team and helped to unite us. Says a lot about their character and bodes well for the future; they are a credit to their coaches. Exciting times ahead?

Absolute folly.

Great game on Sunday, and I hope it represents a turning of a corner, but that doesn't detract from the reality. Obviously, we don't realistically expect every game to be like that (although it would be great if they were), but we do expect to see a developing system and consistency. Only time will tell.

All managers are constantly under review.

Sunday's game was one game, nothing more nothing less. It is though indicative of the potential of the squad. He has got us moving in the right direction.

That second paragraph if yours is brilliant. Us fans are probably too reluctant and our players have not fired us up. Ronald Koeman needs to work on unifying his players with his fans.

He got bloody angry last weekend and he also felt our anger but the response was exactly correct. Just hope that he has got the Goodison Bug from the City match because if he has then we are all finally in on something that has been absent since Joe Royle grabbed us by the scruff of the neck.