Swansea v Everton
@Everton
Everton produced the perfect away performance to inflict a rare home defeat on Swansea.
The Blues were well-organised, dedicated, committed and most of all, clinical in front of goal on their first ever visit to the Liberty Stadium.
David Moyes was even able to rest Marouane Fellaini and John Heitinga ahead of Tuesday's FA Cup replay, although both players appeared from the bench to help the Toffees secure the win.
Leighton Baines scored the key first goal with a brilliant free kick, while Nikica Jelavic provided the simple finish for the second.
David Moyes had clearly devised a specific gameplan to deal with the short, sharp, build-from-the-back football the Swans prefer.
Everton pressed high up the pitch early on and forced the home side into some errors on the ball.
Even so there was evidence as to why only two sides had won at the Liberty Stadium all season as Danny Graham, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Wayne Routledge squandered early chances.
The Icelander Sigurdsson was a particular menace and he had threatened again before Jelavic headed Baines' free kick wide with Everton's first proper sight of goal.
The returning Darron Gibson and Baines had volleyed efforts off target before the break as the Blues secured a much more solid grasp on proceedings.
The half-time message was presumably ‘more of the same' and straight from the restart Leon Osman forced Ashley Williams into a hurried clearance only for Jelavic to send the loose ball over.
For the first time Everton looked the more likely to open the scoring and they nearly did so when a searing left foot drive from Gibson was beaten away by Michel Vorm. Jelavic pounced on the rebound set himself up for an overhead kick which narrowly avoided the onrushing Tim Cahill.
The moment of class that brought Everton's opener arrived shortly before the hour mark.
Williams felled Baines on the edge of the box and the England man stepped up to curl home a trademark free kick in front of the travelling Toffees.
Fellaini was on for Cahill at this stage but it was Steven Pienaar who bent an effort just wide moments later.
Swansea took control of possession and threw on three substitutes but it was Everton who should have got the next goal.
Pienaar's clever pass picked out Jelavic but his shot was the wrong side of Vorm's post.
The Croatian made amends with 15 minutes left, side-footing in after excellent work from Fellaini.
Substitute Denis Stracqualursi should have made it three late on but in the end it mattered not.
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