Everton v Sunderland
For the first time under David Moyes and the first time this century Everton have scored seven goals in a match.
This was a stunning annihalation of Roy Keane's Premier League newboys. The fact there could have been even more goals underlines that fact on a day when Everton played with class, gusto and finesse.
Listing the goalscorers alone will fill a standard match report. Yakubu and Tim Cahill netted twice - both getting one in each half - with Steven Pienaar, Andrew Johnson and Leon Osman rounding off the rout.
Everton have been impressively shifting through the gears in recent months - coinciding with the return to fitness of the majority of Moyes' talented young squad.
It was apt, then, that on the weekend every significant player was available the Blues produced a masterful display that will live long in the memory. Not since Joe Royle's Everton hammered Southampton 7-1 in November 1996 have the Toffees mustered such a display of scoring excellence. That was a squad with many of the players who had secured FA Cup glory in 1995.
If this team continues in this vein of form the 12 year wait for a trophy could yet end this season. But such talk is for another day - today the focus should be on the style and flamboyance of this thrilling Everton outfit.
Wave after wave of Everton attack began from the outset.
Pienaar fired wide from the edge of the box on five minutes, setting the tone as the home side started well. A Paul McShane block was required moments later to deny Cahill after a head back from Yakubu.
Cahill expertly despatches the ball past Craig Gordon
Indeed, so confident were the Blues at the outset of this game Nuno Valente was compelled to try from distance - with his right foot! He forced Gordon into a stop low to his right.
The Scotland international could do nothing to prevent Yakubu's opener on 12 minutes though. A searching ball forward caught the visitors flat-footed. Yakubu charged through and, with the help of a deflection from McShane, his effort looped over the head of the stranded keeper and into the net.
It was soon two - at the culmination of a thrilling attacking move. With just 17 minutes on the clock a stunning move down the right which started with Phil Neville included Yakubu and Arteta before Neville received the ball again to chip the most delicate of balls into the area. Cahill took the ball down with his back to goal and turned to unleash a low drive which flashed beyond Gordon.
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