Everton dominated for most of the second half, with David Moyes’ charges happy to soak up the pressure and attack on the counter. We didn’t always pick the right pass. Physically I needed one more week (before the worldwide break) but I’m happy, I’ve got the goals flowing now. Duncan [Watmore] was a threat.
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Jermain Defoe spurned a clear opening for the home side early in the first half, but chances were few and far between in an end-to-end opening period before Lukaku took centre stage on Monday.
Sunderland – with Northern Ireland’s Paddy McNair on the bench – gave as good as they got before the break despite having to defend resiliently, but were torn apart after it as Lukaku ran riot in front of a largely horrified crowd of 42,406. We need more points and we are going to try to do that starting with Tottenham.
“We have to make sure we win some games and get the confidence and belief going”.
The shackles were off the bustling forward now as he buried his second header past Pickford, this time from a Yannick Bolasie delivery – and Lukaku showed no sign of relinquishing, on for his hat-trick with over 20 minutes still to play.
“We didn’t stop the crosses, didn’t defend the crosses”.
Koeman: “I did not have doubts about him”. It is unbelievable how good he can be.
Everton striker Romelu Lukaku believes he must have the instinct of a serial killer to score more goals after his hattrick. “It was a great performance”.
Former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann was also full of praise for what he saw from Ronald Koeman’s Everton side and stated his belief that the Reds’ rivals could get close to a top four finish in the Premier League. You have to give Everton credit.
The DR Congo global terrorised Sunderland right back Javi Manquillo throughout the second half, and laid on an inch-perfect cross for Lukaku to head the ball home for his second goal.
“At half time I told the players I was really angry about our team. We just didn’t do the basics in defence correctly and because of that we got punished”. “We had one or two opportunities ourselves”, he told Sky Sports News.
He said: “The target for this season is European football – that, in my opinion, is realistic”.
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“We were really poor in the second half, but I thought, in the first half, we showed some good things. We need to fight for European football”. “That was the level in the second half”. “The players are not stupid – they know what they can do”.
