Our best performance since...?

Just watched the game again, tremendous performance. No pointing out mistakes, leave that to Ron, but thought Barkley was immense, Robles was quality.

But Davies, fuck me, got a man crush (is that legal?). I actually welled up watching his celebration, you could see how much it meant him and everyone else for that matter.

I posted on the match thread that Alan Whittle once give my arl fella a lift the match, Tom Davies (if you read this), carry on the tradition for the Palace Match... I live in Kent now. Not far from the ground.

Here's to the future (raises glass, necks rum). Happy days!

So our problem is to get these very good players gelling as a team, consistently. To do that, you need a recognisable system that works, rather than the hoofball to Lukaku approach we've seen too often. Well, yesterday gave us such a display.

There's been a lot of talk on TW about the importance of transfer windows, and opinions expressed that we need a complete overhaul of players. However, the reality is that, although transfer windows are important, for us they are to strengthen an already fine squad, rather than to replace players like Barkley, Mirallas, et al, who are excellent.

The trick, surely, is to utilise the more solid defensive set up that Koeman has injected, and combine it with the attacking flair that we have so often seen (in the Martinez era) from these players. Again, I believe that's what we saw yesterday. Pressing, which Koeman has always reiterated, but pressing on the back of an effective system.

And to see Holgate and Davies performing like this, and Lookman scoring, was the icing on the cake. Using youngsters in the tradition of the best Everton teams. Fantastic.

It clearly works well against the stronger sides. There just seems to be more space... I think it allows Baines and Coleman – in fact the whole midfield – to move up the pitch.

If we persevere with this approach, I think Lookman will be intended as a Number 10. Suddenly, I am looking forward to the next match.

Best performance since Spurs in the 1995 FA Cup Semi-Final!!!
COYB

I remember a performance like that a few decades ago when an all-dominant Liverpool team sank under a performance from a new Everton team that had them giving up the game long before the final whistle. I had never seen that before. Ole! Ole! Ole We won a few cups & Championships after that so fingers crossed..

Last week aside, we have been developing nicely since the Christmas period and confidence is on the rise. Those clubs that pick up form over Christmas generally do well in the Premier League so I'm looking for over 60 points this season now.

What a great weekend to be a blue.

Only joking about the beers Andy Wheeler love reading your reports.

My MotM Gareth Barry the kingpin of our performance.
Lookman could be our new Inchie or Cottee, as soon as he is out of nappies.

Give us that performance every week; if a defeat follows, it won't be lack of effort.

Barry was excellent also, gets far too much stick on this site.

Great to see the young lads do so well and there are more diamonds in that Under-23s side still to come through.

Happy days.

Poxy spellchecker no doubt. Even so that's a strange one.

Tony (#11) – Thank you. There's a thin line between bravery and naivety!

Overall, one of the better refs we've had. I'll probably not get many agreeing with me, but I thought he had a decent game.

Anyway nothing would have put a dampener on Tom's and the fans' sheer joy in scoring that goal.

Some outstanding performances and what a refreshing sight to see the lads enjoying the day like us fans. Perhaps having the youngsters with there raw talent and enthusiasm in the squad is rubbing off on the rest of the team.

I just want to mention Robles, he has had a run of games and stepped up to the mark. For me, he needs to keep his place and have a real good run of games – he has kept 3 clean sheets out of 5 league games since he stepped in.

I can recall a similar stat under Martinez when Howard got injured and he stepped up then only to be dropped as soon as Howard recovered. A true test of Koeman's character to keep the faith in him.

It certainly puts the Moyes era in perspective; with 4 minutes of added time left, Moyes would have brought on Jags instead of Lookman.

I am presuming you gave Mirallas and Lukaku 8 because they scored a goal? There is no way that they out-performed Ross on the day.

Ashley @19, why can't Barkley get 9? Tom can have 9.5! Or, why not 9.8?

How often do we see a decent performance from him? With him, it's the odd great game and the rest are poor; if it was the other way round what a star, but alas...

How many of us have the feeling that this is the start of something new? Even with a few setbacks along the way, we know we can do it. Not just a fortunate 1-0 but a slam-dunk!

Well done, Ronald, support group, and all of the players!

The midfield was excellent. Gareth Barry is such an intelligent player and Tom Davies was a revelation.

Barkley looked good, I would love to know how far he travelled during the game.

Mirallas made a very useful contribution to the team effort: one cracking pass to Lukaku for the opening goal and a great strike for the second.

I think, as many do, that Holgate is a player of immense talent.

Williams made some really good interventions but he so poor in the air for a centre-half.

What we did was defend well and made the most of the chances we had, the team worked hard and on chances created deserved to win. But best performance in years??

Yes, he lost the ball a few times in the first half but they were moments that were potentially match opening. He saw passes that others just didn't. In the second half, he ran the show. Deserved a 8.5-9.