Sigurdsson at the double as Everton ease past Cardiff

Everton eased the pressure on manager Marco Silva as Gylfi Sigurdsson scored twice and Dominic Calvert-Lewin added another in a 3-0 win at Cardiff.

Sigurdsson started the game with boos ringing in his ears from the home crowd given his three-year spell at Cardiff ’s rivals Swansea.

But the Iceland international ended the night with his name being sung loudly by the away fans after smart strikes in the 41st and 66th minutes.

Calvert-Lewin added a third in stoppage time when he raced on to a through-ball from Idrissa Gueye.

Both sides came into the contest low on confidence, with Cardiff only one point above the drop zone after Friday’s 5-1 humbling at home to Watford.

Three successive defeats had left Silva feeling the heat from an increasingly sceptical Everton fan base, and the Portuguese was in desperate need of a victory ahead of Sunday’s Merseyside derby with Liverpool.

Everton appeared to be unsettled by their defensive reshuffle, after five changes, inside 90 seconds when Phil Jagielka under-hit his back pass to goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

Kenneth Zohore raced on to the loose ball, but his square pass across goal lacked conviction and Lucas Digne prevented Nathaniel Mendez-Laing from firing home.

TheoWalcottflashedacouple of volleys wide as Everton dominated possession and Cardiff pair Sean Morrison and Leandro Bacuna collected cautions for mistimed tackles.

Zohore rushed one angled attempt after Aron Gunnarsson found him unmarked, before a rare moment of quality saw Everton strike four minutes before the break.

Cardiff defender Joe Bennett was culpable on two occasions within a matter of seconds, his wayward pass gifting Everton a throw-in before the full-back allowed Seamus Coleman to run in behind him and burst on to Morgan Schneiderlin’s pass.

Coleman delivered an intelligent cross which Sigurdsson swept home with aplomb.

Zohore’s cross into the sixyard box signalled danger for Everton, but Schneiderlin was back to clear.

It was to prove a decisive moment as Everton substitute Bernard proved too elusive for Bruno Ecuele Manga and Neil Etheridge could only paw his cross into Sigurdsson’s path.

Sigurdsson took aim with his trusty left foot, dispatching his 11th league goal high into the Cardiff net, and he had taken his leave before CalvertLewis applied the final gloss.