RODRIGUEZ ROARS AS TOFFEES WRAP IT UP IN FINE STYLE
EVERTON brought Real Madrid galactico James Rodriguez to Goodison Park to make things happen but even they could not guess his first home outing would be this incident-packed.
Rodriguez shared top billing with team-mate Dominic Calvert-Lewin, whose first senior hat-trick enabled Everton to maintain their perfect start to the season.
But every twist and turn of a memorable game involved the Colombian including red cards for West Brom defender Kieran Gibbs and their manager Slaven Bilic at the end of the first half.
It didn’t start well yesterday as a misunderstanding with team-mate Andre Gomes led to Albion going ahead. But he made amends with an exquisite finish to put Everton 2-1 in front and then provoked Gibbs into pushing him in the face which saw Albion reduced to 10 men.
The pass to Richarlison in the build-up to Everton’s fourth was world class and naturally it was also Rodriguez’s corner that set up the hat-trick goal.
‘James is showing the quality I saw in Real Madrid and Bayern Munich,’ said Ancelotti. ‘His goal was fantastic and the key goal for us. I’m not surprised by how quickly he has adapted. Football is not complicated for him.’
Albion led after 10 minutes, Grady Diangana beating Jordan Pickford from the edge of the box. But the home side levelled after 31 minutes when Calvert-Lewin’s backheel was given after a lengthy VAR check.
If the game was already lively, it exploded shortly before half-time.
First, Rodriguez claimed his first Everton goal when he cleverly bent in from Richarlison’s pass, with his trusted left foot, from 18 yards.
He was then involved in controversy when he gave Gibbs a shove by the touchline with the Albion defender reacting by catching Rodriguez in the cheek with a raised arm. Rodriguez milked it with a roll and clutch of the face and Gibbs was dismissed.
Bilic argued with Mike Dean as they walked off but later admitted his player ‘had given the referee no choice’ and said Gibbs would have been better falling to the ground himself. Bilic would have initially enjoyed his view of the second half from the stands when Pereira curled a brilliant free-kick past Pickford to make it 2-2.
But it proved a false dawn as Everton proceeded to make their class tell against 10 men.
The third arrived after 54 minutes when Michael Keane prodded home. From then, it was a romp with Calvert-Lewin claiming his first senior hat-trick.
He turned in Richarlison’s crossshot after 62 minutes and claimed the match ball with a header from Rodriguez’s centre shortly after.