Big Sam works his magic for the Toffees
Sam Allardyce probably can’t believe his luck.
Everton owner Farhad Moshiri felt he had no option but to bring in survival specialist Allardyce after the 4-1 defeat at Southampton last Sunday left the Toffees teetering just above the bottom three and staring at a grim fight against relegation.
Now after overseeing a routine home win in his first match in charge, the ex-England manager sees his new club in the top 10 and looking upwards.
After just 90 minutes, Everton are closer to a European place than a spot in the bottom three and if this game is anything to go by, Allardyce’s proud record of never being relegated should not be in peril this season.
Second-half goals from Gylfi Sigurdsson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin secured the points as Everton recorded successive league wins for the first time this season.
So after beginning his reign with a win, it was no surprise that Allardyce was upbeat afterwards.
“It took me six games at Palace to get a win,” he said. “Everyone was telling me I was coming back too soon and I was not the man I used to be.
“If I take a job, it’s because I’m 100% committed. I turned down many a job but I felt this job was right for me. It’s a dream job.
“We have moved up the table which takes the pressure off. The fans and staff and owners can breathe a little easier. Let’s hope it’s onwards and upwards.”
Allardyce had waited until the very last second before emerging from the tunnel to receive a warmer than expected reception from the Goodison faithful.
His long-time assistant and former Liverpool favourite Sammy Lee was alongside him on the touchline, while ex-Leicester manager Craig Shakespeare was in the stands, miked up to Big Sam down below.
Allardyce had been enjoying himself at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last weekend, but he had swapped a bit of Middle East sunshine for a cold, damp December day.
But he was quickly back in the old routine here, berating the fourth official after Jonjoe Kenny had been booked.
However, apart from one shot from left-back Cuco Martina which was saved by Jonas Lossl, there was little to excite him in the first 45 minutes.
Things had to improve in the second period and Allardyce could celebrate when his new side took the lead immediately after the break.
Aaron Lennon came in from the wing and played it to Calvert-Lewin, who back-heeled it into the path of Sigurdsson and the Icelander coolly beat
Lossl as the Huddersfield defence appealed in vain for offside. Tom Ince shot into the side-netting from a rare foray at the other end but as they pushed forward, there were more gaps to exploit and CalvertLewin had an effort parried following a backheel from Lennon.
But the 20-year-old did put the game to bed with his next chance.
After Ince had lost the ball in midfield, Wayne Rooney supplied a delicious pass through the middle which allowed Calvert-Lewin to beat Lossl via a deflection off a sliding Mathias Jorgensen.
While Allardyce and Everton can start to look upwards, this was a fourth successive league defeat for Huddersfield.
Their good start is fading into the distance as they slip down the table and they have not scored a goal on their travels since the opening day in August and that rarely looked like changing here.
And their toothless attack is a concern for Terriers manager David Wagner.
“It was a disappointing afternoon,” he rued. “We didn’t perform, especially in attack.
“Everyone is aware of our away record. We have played more than 10 hours without scoring, but we have to make ourselves independent from this circumstance, and we have to keep fighting.”