Four-goal Lukaku steers Toffees home with ease
STRIKER Romelu Lukaku scored Ever ton’s fastest Premier League goal after just 31 seconds on his way to grabbing four in their high-scoring triumph.
The 23- year- old struck almost straight from kick-off and was gifted another – after a fortuitous second for James McCarthy – as the hosts raced into a 3-0 half-time lead.
However, a Josh King double set up a tense r-thanexpected finish before Lukaku added two more late on, becoming Ever ton’s second- highest Premier League goalscorer. just one behind Duncan Ferguson ( 60), only for Harry Arter to tap in the visitors’ third ahead of Ross Barkley scoring Everton’s sixth.
Manager Ronald Koeman had hailed the “different spirit” within the squad following a January clear-out, but, despite reducing numbers, new arrivals Morgan Schneiderlin and 19- year-old A demo la Lookman, handed his full Premier League debut, have brought a much- needed dynamism.
However, while Everton are still capable of secondhalf switch-offs like this one, cracking the top six monopoly may prove difficult – although if they are to do it, Lukaku’s goals are going to be pivotal.
Soporific starts have so often affected matches at Goodison, but not this one, with Lukaku and McCarthy exchanging rapid passes before the latter curled home left- footed to beat David Unsworth’s 32-second effort
against Fulham in David Moyes’ first game at the club in March 2002.
Lookman, who has settled quickly at this level, having played League One football for Charlton up until Boxing Day, then flashed a shot across Artur Boruc’s goal.
Bournemouth could not get a foot hold and Lu kuku twisted and crossed for McCarthy to bundle home after his initial shot rebounded off Steve Cook.
Evidence of how hard Koeman has got his side working was provided by Ashley Williams, who ran all of 80 yards to get on the end of a Lukaku pass, but ran out of steam as he bore down on Artur Boruc – and even Lukaku is running harder than he did last season.
There was not much movement required for Lukaku’s second goal as Simon Francis inexplicably passed the ball straight to him 12 yards out.
The striker now also holds the record for most career goals by a Belgian in one of Europe’s top five leagues, with his 74 eclipsing the 72 scored by Luis Oliveira in Serie A from the late 1990s to early 2000s.
Boruc denied Lukaku a hat- trick by rushing to the edge of his area and also parrying Seamus Coleman’s shot, with Bournemouth’s only effort from Cook batted away by Joel Robles before half-time.
The visitors, with just two points from five matches in 2017, finally sprung into life after the break, and King scored twice from close range before Harry Arter forced Joel Robles into a full-stretch save.
Everton’s talismanic striker came to their rescue with two more expertly- taken goals and, although Arter sneaked one in at the near post from close range, Barkley finished things off in added time to make it 17 points from Everton’s last seven matches, surpassing last season’s woeful home points tally, and with Manchester United firmly in their sights.