They certainly did, even after Swansea went 1-0 in front tonight, but for a third time this season, the Swans took the lead but still ended up losing the game. That’s now their sixth straight away defeat and confirms they’ll be in the bottom three come Christmas.
They started well to be fair and looked in control for quite a while, despite not creating too much but they also didn’t allow Everton to get on top of them either. With limited chances created, Swansea had to rely on scoring from a corner. On 35 minutes Carroll crossed it in, Fer lost his marker Ashley Williams by peeling off the back of him whilst he was ball watching and tapped it in unmarked from close range. Watching the replay back, it’s funny how the younger Everton defenders managed to mark and stay with their man, where as the experienced Williams lost his.
It does surprise me that the Welshman is still getting games with the amount of mistakes he’s made recently. New manager Sam Allardyce must know he can work with him though and get the best back out of him. It may have come as a surprise than Swansea had taken the lead but there was no surprise that Everton got back into it so quickly considering Swansea defense record.
Everton have won more penalties than anyone else in the league this season and after a quick throw in, Rooney controlled it and flicked it into Aaron Lennon. He’d lost his man and as he went into the area he was bundled over right on half-time. Rooney missed the penalty, for a second time this season at Goodison, but thankfully Calvert-Lewin was on hand to knock in the rebound.
Into the second half and just after the hour mark Swansea’s ex-player Gylfi Sigurðsson picked up a ball out on the left from Rooney, cut inside and curled a buetiful shot in from the edge of the area from the angle. No surprise he had a muted celebration against his old team but what a finish.
This was Big Sam’s fifth official game in charge but since his arrival as manager they’ve had a total of six games now and won five, draw 1 (away to Liverpool), scored 14 and conceded just two. Allardyce must be thinking this managerial lark is just so easy, or is it just that he’s so good at this man-management of players?
He’s certainly doing something right and tonight’s victory was sealed by his captain Rooney from the penalty spot, this time after Jonjoe Kenny was brought down. That’s his tenth goal of the season now and the twelve time he’s managed to do that in the Premier League. Can Wayne get another against Chelsea this weekend?
