SILVA LINING FOR MARCO

Storm clouds over Goodison but half-time talk works wonders

with the half-time team talk he delivered. Whatever was said – and it is hard to imagine this mild-mannered manager getting too animated – it worked. Just.

Everton got lucky when the truly appalling referee Anthony Taylor missed what seemed a blatant penalty shout for Bournemouth when midfielder Andre Gomes appeared to lash out at Jefferson Lerma, with the score at 1-0.

Gomes was lucky to still be on the pitch at that point.

He was booked for a push in the face of Josh King and then pulled up for late fouls on Steve Cook and then King again.

You suspect either would have earned a yellow had he not already been booked – no wonder Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe was fuming.

But this was a game the Cherries should have won nonetheless, after mastering the biblical conditions and dominating the first half.

Typical of their form of late, however, they squandered chances and control.

The excellent David Brooks hit a post, King missed a fine headed chance, and Junior Stanislas saw a free-kick well saved by Jordan Pickford.

Everton showed far more character and organisation in the second half. More desire too, which was illustrated when Kurt Zouma opened the scoring on 61 minutes.

Lucas Digne sent over a delicious, curling cross from the left and the big centre-half made it his with a powerful header that flew into the roof of the net. On such moments are seasons transformed. The goal could not have come at a better time for Silva, with the fans clearly about to turn after questioning his approach.

In defence of Silva (above, with Theo Walcott), Blues were not helped by referee Taylor’s inconsistency in the first half, failing to spot a foul on Zouma, for instance, when Brooks hit the post.

But it wasn’t good enough, even if Nathan Ake cleared brilliantly off the line from the hard-working Richarlison before the break.

Sub Dominic Calvert-Lewin (far left) finally put the result beyond doubt in the final seconds with a fine finish from Ademola Lookman’s cross.

Yet Bournemouth had wasted three chances in stoppage time before that second, the best falling to sub Lys Mousset, who twice should have done better from close range, while Keane did well to block Dan Gosling.

For Everton though, the win was everything, pushing them into the top half of the table.

And an added bonus was the eye-catching performance of the excellent Lookman.