STAND AND DELIVERED
Goodison rises to acclaim two-goal Dom
THE roar that Dominic Calvert-lewin inspired as he left the pitch after a matchwinning display said it all. The young striker had ended a 443-minute Everton goal drought and the standing ovation from the jubilant fans perhaps betrayed their belief that the replacement for Romelu Lukaku had been at Goodison all along. Yes, this was only the Carabao Cup and, yes, Sunderland were distinctly ordinary, but after four games without a hint of a goal and 12 conceded by Everton, Goodison fans will take what they can get – and they got something special from the 20-year-old. He produced two fine finishes either side of half-time to prove that the promise he showed in the 1-1 draw at Manchester City earlier in the season was no flash in the pan. And the young England star so very nearly made it a hat-trick when he produced a stunning volley from Davy Klaassen’s cross that smashed agonisingly against the post. The pre-match talk had been all about apologies, with Wayne Rooney saying sorry for his drinkdrive conviction. There was also a rather shamefaced apology from a sport-based radio station after their presenter Joey Barton had falsely claimed Blues chairman Bill Kenwright had blocked the signing of a striker before the window closed. Barton had got it wrong, they admitted. Calvert-lewin is hardly an unknown quantity but his chances have been limited, with manager Ronald Koeman trying to protect a player he predicts could go on to great things. The kid certainly has a rare talent, and his strike here to end a desperate spell of 443 minutes without a goal for the Blues suggested that he could be the answer to Koeman’s prayers. The England Under-20 star looked menacing all evening and he showed the instincts of a natural-born-finisher to seize a loose ball and tuck it home. Relief was perhaps the strongest emotion of the Goodison faithful, but that turned to belief just after the break when their young forward showed his class with a quite stunning finish to kill off the game. Set free inside the box by Sandro, Calvertlewin (right) fizzed home an unstoppable shot from an acute angle. The ovation he received at the end was well deserved. This is a player Blues fans believe could go all the way to the top. Calvert-lewin was not the only star in Blue. Oumar Niasse, so long an outcast at Goodison but now almost a folk hero, came on to volley home a third late on.