March 11, 2017
Everton 3-0 West Brom
Everton: Joel, Coleman, Jagielka, Williams, Baines (Funes-Mori 45), Schneiderlin, Barry (Calvert-Lewis 84), Barkley, Davies, Mirallas (Gueye 71), Lukaku.
Subs not Used: Valencia, steklenburg, Holgate, Lookman
West Brom: Foster, Dawson, McAuley, Evans, Nyom, Livermore, Yacob (Morrison 79), Fletcher, Chadli, Robson-Kanu (Rondon 76), McClean (Brunt 75).
Subs not Used: Olsson, Wilson, Myhill, Field
The last time we met, the baggies were making a late-season fixture to Goodison Park, in a fixture that saw 7th and 8th place in the table battle in a pivotal game that would see who could get the final Europa League start, with Everton 4 points ahead of West Brom prior to kickoff. The game also marked a milestone for then manager Tony Pulis, as he oversaw his 300th game as a premier league manager.
The first half started in a style you would expect when playing West Brom, as Everton struggled to break down a baggies side that was content to sit back and look for their oppurtunities on the counter. Lukaku had two early chances, both heading and shooting wide of the posts, before the Toffees finally found a 39th minute breakthrough when Lukaku picked out Barkley who’s shot was saved but not held by Ben Foster, and Mirallas was on hand to poke it into the net making it 1-0. Then on the stroke of halftime with Everton still on the attack, Lukaku beat the defense and played a good ball to Schneiderlein, who made the scoreline 2-0 right before halftime.
The second half started with a tidy save from Joel Robles on a shot from Nader Chadli, one of only two shots on target the entire game from a Baggies team who struggled to break down the Everton backline. A quiet second half came and went, and Lukaku nodded past Foster on a nifty through ball from Ross Barkley, and Everton led 3-0. Idrissa Gueye rattled a shot off the post in stoppage time, the last action of the game which saw the Baggies shrink away, falling 7 points behind Everton and dealing a huge blow to their European hopes.
Saturday sees a West Brom team that seems all but bound for relegation square off against an Everton team scrambling for answers after hitting an extreme cold stretch in league play, A 0-0 draw away was a disappointing result for Everton the last time the toffees played Albion only a few weeks ago. However, in a game where Sam Allardyce played 5 at the back and seemingly played for the point, the fans discontent began to grow, foreshadowing the problems Everton have been facing on a game to game basis. With that being said, look for Everton to come out on the attacking foot, with new pieces Cenk Tosun and Theo Walcott seemingly a lock for the starting 11. Anything other than 3 points is unacceptable, so look for Everton to get it done in a big way.
Prediction: Everton 3-0 West Brom
Up the Toffees!!!!!
-Jacob
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