No contract but Rom’s real deal
THEY sang his name and danced in the aisles as the net bulged. He responded by bowing and blowing them kisses. At the end of a week in which Romelu Lukaku questioned Everton’s ambition and let it be known he was not signing a new deal, this mutual display of affection showed that his bond with the Gwladys Street End had actually been strengthened.
Lukaku was always going to be involved but it wasn’t until the final moments that he took centre stage, scoring twice to move clear in the race for the Premier League’s Golden Boot.
His double saw him become the first Everton striker since Bob Latchford in 1978 to score in seven consecutive home games and the first since Gary Lineker in 1986 to go past 20 league goals in a season.
‘Does it surprise you?’ Ronald Koeman said when asked about the way Lukaku played. ‘He is a professional. All good professionals do their best for the club and for the other players. It was difficult for Rom but when he gets those chances you know he is going to score.’
If he keeps scoring, is it out of the question that Everton can sneak into the top four? They are now level on points with Arsenal, having played two games more, but, crucially, they have momentum going into two huge games with Liverpool and Manchester United.
Everton certainly have belief and they began briskly, as they looked for a seventh home league win in a row and struggling Hull, appeared ripe for the taking.
The hosts took an early lead. It was a fine goal, too. Ross Barkley set the wheels in motion, his ball inviting Tom Davies – another Academy graduate – to spring into life and scuttle into Hull’s area; he saw Dominic Calvert-Lewin waiting at the back post and his cross demanded the 20-year-old apply the finishing touch.
Calvert-Lewin, who only arrived at Everton last August after being plucked from Sheffield United, got his chance because Kevin Mirallas had returned to Belgium to be with his wife, who has just given birth to their second child.
This strike may yet prove the first of many. ‘He did well,’ said Koeman. ‘The whole team started aggressively. The first goal was great.’
Hull have not thrown in the towel yet and made things awkward. The hosts missed Morgan Schneiderlin’s influence after he went off injured.
The visitors should have gone in at the break level but Sam Clucas fluffed a chance after Ashley Williams made a hash of trying to shepherd a ball back to Joel Robles.
‘We came here to compete,’ said Hull manager Marco Silva. ‘We had chances to score. The first 25 minutes of the second half, we controlled the game. So I saw one game that lasted 70 minutes and another game after 70 minutes.’
The incident that prompted Silva to say that was the straight red brandished to Tom Huddlestone following a mistimed tackle on Idrissa Gueye. Silva may appeal and even Koeman said the decision was ‘harsh’. It led to Hull being routed.
Enner Valencia, on as a sub, scored with his first touch after swapping passes with Lukaku before the pair combined again with the roles reversed in the 90th minute.
Omar Elabdelloui’s woeful back pass allowed Lukaku to waltz around Eladin Jakupovic and finish the scoring before taking Goodison’s acclaim. And it was a moment that he and they enjoyed.