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Everton’s Romelu Lukaku back in the goals with a hat-trick

ROMELU LUKAKU hit a sensational 11-minute hat-trick away at Sunderland to end his goal drought and seal a 3-0 win that lifts Everton to third in the Premier League.

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The second half was however a capitulation, with Toffees’ hitman Romelu Lukaku scoring thrice in the space of 11 minutes to stun Moyes and his charges.

“I might be exaggerating but I think, with a top centre-forward, we would have been close to winning the league; we were that good. We need to fight for European football and the players showed the level they can be at”. The team is stronger than it was previous year in my opinion and we need to fight but I think [Europe] is a realistic target that we’ve set for everyone.

“But tonight after we lost the second goal certainly, there was no chance, so that was the disappointing thing tonight”.

A dressing-down at half-time was the catalyst for Everton’s 3-0 Premier League victory over Sunderland, according to manager Ronald Koeman. Up front we didn’t keep the ball and we didn’t create enough chances.

“The gaffer asked us to raise the tempo because the tempo we played at in the first half suited Sunderland”, Bolasie said.

Barkley’s demotion from the national team came after he was overlooked at Euro 2016, failing to play a single minute, and leaves him facing a fresh challenge. I had a budget of £5million a year but we got there in the end.

“It was coming. When I went to Belgium, I said it was about my fitness levels, which weren’t as good as I wanted them to be”.

Lukaku’s header was the last clear sight of goal in the half as the Blues dominated possession but lacked objective and concentration going forward against a well-drilled and organised Sunderland defence. “That’s what we saw in the second half”.

“But the second half was what I like to see”.

Everton had already had one attempt through Gueye, but their next attack was much better, with Lukaku’s header saved well by Jordan Pickford after Bolasie’s right-wing cross.

Sunderland manager David Moyes: “I see something similar between the clubs, but I don’t want to be banging the drum every day saying “Everton this, Everton that”.

Sunderland were again on the back foot at the start of the second-half.

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And Bolasie capped his best performance of the season at the Stadium of Light with his first assist for the club when he found Lukaku at the back post.

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