Everton Win Again: Things We Learned

Everton began a potentially pivotal week in their campaign on a perfect note by beating Southampton 1-0 at Goodison Park on Monday night.

Richarlison's ninth-minute strike – the Brazilian's 11th goal this season – settled the contest to make it successive wins for Carlo Ancelotti's side following victory at Liverpool nine days earlier.

Everton resisted late Southampton pressure for a first Goodison Park Premier League success in six games, raising the possibility of a climb into fourth position when Ancelotti's team go to West Bromwich Albion on Thursday.

Here, evertonfc.com picks out some of the things we learned from an efficient performance against Ralph Hasenhuttl's team.


Everton’s Reward For Starting On B Of The Bang

The sprinter Linford Christie would talk about the imperative of leaving his blocks on the ‘B of the bang’, the first noise generated by the starter’s pistol.

In a sport where the margin between success and failure is measured in hundredths of seconds, Christie reasoned, there was no time to hang around.

Everton adopted a similar approach, here, determined to put some distance between themselves and Southampton as early as possible.

The pre-match momentum was all with the home team, fresh from a comprehensive Merseyside derby victory and facing a side searching for their first win in nine matches.

Anything other than a quick start, however, would have amounted to encouragement for Southampton – especially in light of Everton’s recent fortunes at Goodison Park.

Everton hadn’t won any of their previous five home Premier League games. That statistic painted a slightly misleading picture, given Carlo Ancelotti’s team’s progress through three FA Cup ties at Goodison.

There was an issue that needed addressing, nevertheless, and Southampton would have fancied keeping the game tight and banking on Everton creaking under the weight of pressure.

But Everton were immediately into their stride, Fraser Forster saving at the feet of Dominic Calvert-Lewin following Abdoulaye Doucoure’s sixth-minute through ball.


The first shot on target arrived three minutes later, Richarlison skipping around goalkeeper Forster and arrowing in from a tight angle.

It was the fourth time this season Everton have broken through with the first shot of the game.

On each occasion, they have gone on to claim three points, after beating Fulham, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool following fast starts.

There are different means of calculating a team’s ruthlessness. And, on the face of it, ruthless is not a description you’d apply to Everton’s performance against Southampton.

The reality is different, however. For the second straight game, crack shot Richarlison gave his team control and, again, it was never relinquished.

Everton have dropped only five points from winning positions this season.

The value of getting out in front early is clear, then, given the prize typically waiting at the finishing line.


Sorted Set-Pieces Aid To Victory

Barely three weeks after Carlo Ancelotti admitted Everton needed to revise their approach to defending set-pieces, Everton weathered a late Southampton dead-ball barrage to seal this victory.

They were exceptional deliveries, too, every one of Southampton's 10 corners delivered right on the money by James Ward-Prowse.

It was Son Heung-min for Tottenham Hotspur whipping in the balls that disturbed Everton and led to Ancelotti promising a re-evaluation.

And here was evidence of lessons rapidly learned, the exceptional Ward-Prowse remaining stuck on five assists for the season.

Michael Keane, flawless again and bearing comparison with any Premier league defender this term, won numerous vital headers.

The 64 headed clearances he’s made this season is joint-third highest in the division.

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03:53

ANCELOTTI: EVERTON TEAMWORK WAS KEY

Blues boss reflects on deserved 1-0 victory over Southampton at Goodison.


Dominic Calvert-Lewin evokes memories of his mentor Duncan Ferguson in the way the striker protects his own penalty box and there were three headed clearances from the 23-year-old on Monday.

When Ward-Prowse aimed closer to goal, Jordan Pickford emerged through the bodies to apply a crucial touch.

On the one occasion Southampton converted a set-piece into a presentable opportunity, Pickford had the measure of Jannik Vestergaard’s attempt.

In the context of successive victories which moved Everton within one win of the Premier League’s top four, it is easy to overlook the fact Ancelotti’s side has recorded back-to-back clean sheets.

A four-match winning sequence in December was founded on defensive solidity – the only goal conceded in that period was a penalty for Arsenal – and Everton are rediscovering that quality.


Squeezing the life out of opponents is a collective effort and Ancelotti said Everton’s “teamwork” against Southampton pleased him above all.

All that plotting and grafting would have gone to waste had Everton wilted in the face of Ward-Prowse’s series of missiles.

Keane and Pickford and Co assuredly held it together and Ancelotti’s team passed another important test.


Carlo Counting On Influential Sigurdsson 

Richarlison’s goal drew comparisons with the Brazilian’s strike against Liverpool nine days earlier.

On this occasion, Gylfi Sigurdsson played the part of James Rodriguez, slipping an incisive, delicate pass into the forward's intelligent run.

Sigurdsson has eight assists for the season and is profiting from a run in his favoured advanced midfield position.

Collecting possession closer to the opposition goal, the Icelander can employ his vision and execution to inflict greater damage.

His contribution to Richarlison’s goal was illustrative of Sigurdsson’s strengths, the anticipation to fill space to collect Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s prod forwards and the quick and delicate killer pass.

The game against Southampton developed into an arm wrestle following Everton’s bright opening.

Both teams aimed only one shot on target and time on the ball was at a premium.


Three chances were created in the opening 45 minutes and Sigurdsson was responsible for the lot.

The four key passes he made across the game amounted to three more than any other player on the field.

Sigurdsson’s position determines that he puts the ball at risk when passing but he recorded a 76-per-cent-success rate nonetheless. He connected with a teammate in the attacking third on six occasions.

Carlo Ancelotti is an avowed Sigurdsson fan and the 31-year-old has featured in all but one of Everton’s 32 matches this season.

His four Premier League goals – including nervelessly dispatched penalties against Chelsea and Liverpool – are directly worth six points.

Sigurdsson’s assists count for an extra four points, too, and the three he provided against Tottenham Hotspur last month – in addition to scoring another penalty -  were largely responsible for Everton booking an FA Cup quarter-final tie with Manchester City.

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WATCH VIDEO 03:17

DEPARTING MAIER & SEVECKE THANK BLUES

Defender duo Leonie Maier and Rikke Sevecke reflect on their final Everton match as the pair are set to depart the Club this summer.


Ancelotti cited the player’s workrate, in tandem with forwards Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison, as a major asset following Monday’s game

He chased and harried to recover possession on four occasions, made two tackles and completed one interception.

Sigurdsson has earned his standing as one of Ancelotti's go-to men.


Allan Key To Everton Balance

Everton have coped admirably without their midfield linchpin Allan, claiming 17 points from 11 games in the Brazilian’s absence.

A lot of credit for that belongs to Tom Davies, who is growing into a mature and dependable footballer under Carlo Ancelotti.

That Davies was missing with a training ground knock just as Allan stepped back into the team epitomised this breakneck campaign.

Injuries are an inevitable consequence of an unusually crowded fixture schedule and Everton have worn theirs lightly.

There was no navel-gazing when Allan sustained a nasty hamstring problem back in December, right when the team’s form was picking up.


Equally, Ancelotti resisted the urge to rush the player back into action, despite Allan being fit enough for a place on the bench a fortnight ago.

It was instructive listening to Ancelotti post-match on Monday, however.

The manager alluded to Allan’s value to this Everton team when he revealed a commitment to pressing Southampton deep in the visitors’ territory was possible because of the South American’s presence as a defensive fail-safe.

Allan was stationed in front of Everton’s centre-backs, providing an extra layer of protection and squeezing the supply to Southampton’s front two players.

He picked his moments to rush forwards and force opposing midfielders to pass backwards and intelligently retreated to plug gaps when Southampton were on the front foot.

The 30-year-old scurried across to prevent Mason Holgate being outnumbered on Everton’s right, with Southampton launching the majority of attacks down that flank.

Allan resisted any urges to dash over halfway and we didn’t see any of the forceful ball carrying synonymous with the player when he is at maximum power.

This wasn’t a night for that. No, at the outset of a busy week, Everton wanted a controlled and efficient and unfussy performance.


Allan’s contribution fitted the bill. His passing accuracy of 86.5 per cent was bettered only by Ben Godfrey (93.3 per cent) and reflected an economical use of the ball.

He snapped into three tackles – Allan was particularly keen on keeping forward Nathan Redmond under lock and key – and smothered Southampton when they reached Everton’s defensive third.

It would be easy for the casual observer to view Allan as a midfield attack dog – especially with a newly-shaven head playing to stereotype.

But the South American is much more than a destroyer. He is a shrewd operator who appreciates the mood of a game and what is required in any given moment.

“It was really important to have him back because we know how important he is for us,” concluded Ancelotti.


Home Remedy

High on Everton’s priority list as spring dawned was to discover a cure for the home ills complicating a bid for European qualification.

A position on the edge of the Premier League’s top-four positions is largely due to the 26 points accumulated away from Goodison Park.

There have been shoots of home promise in cup competitions, most notably last month’s astonishing FA Cup victory over Tottenham Hotspur – a fifth win from six knockout games at Goodison this season.

Equally, three of the current top-six – Leicester City, Chelsea and Liverpool – have failed to win league matches in L4 this season.


Defeats by Newcastle United and Fulham since the turn of the year, however, have tripped up Carlo Ancelotti’s team just as they appeared to be hitting their stride.

There is scant room to make amends for any slips as games begin to rush past and, accordingly, reduced margin for error at Goodison.

Clearly, the absence of fans in the ground is being keenly felt. But, as Ancelotti and his players have pointed out, this is a level playing field where every team has been dealt the same hand.

The circumstances of this season dictate that if Everton are to achieve their self-set goals, they must find a way of winning in an empty Goodison.


Southampton are on a poor trot but notoriously awkward opponents, nonetheless: energetic, in your face and boasting match-winning individual talent.

Everton, then, overcame a physical and mental test to draw level on points with Liverpool in sixth.

There are 18 points still to play for at Goodison, with Burnley the next visitors in 12 days.

It was imperative Everton followed their latest away-day success – at Anfield last week – with a profitable return home.

They got on top early and made it count. Carry on like this at Goodison and we might be saying the same about Everton’s season come the final reckoning.