“The more space and time that he has to dictate play on the ball, the better, so if Lukaku stretches the game, he drives the opposition back four back, and their midfield have a real issue”.
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Sunderland manager David Moyes, meanwhile, says the job he has taken on reminds him of when he took over at Everton in March 2002.
Romelu Lukaku then scored three times in 11 minutes to give Everton the win.
“Let’s talk about Everton, because we are now behind, after the global break”, the Dutch coach said.
“I might be exaggerating but with that, we would have been close to winning the Premier League”.
Holgate is named among the substitutes but there is no place in the squad for new signing Enner Valencia.
Outside of final third concerns, there is a settled feel to the team and most selections are straightforward, though a potential dilemma exists in the right-back position due to the return of Seamus Coleman and the form of 19-year-old Mason Holgate.
The return of the Republic of Ireland worldwide means Mason Holgate drops to the bench for the first time this season after impressing in Coleman’s absence.
Certainly, the current Everton team is very different to the one that he left behind and which he faced in the 2013-14 season with Man U.
The midfielder, 22, was replaced by Gerard Deulofeu at halftime, at which point Everton and Sunderland were still goalless at the Stadium of Light.
Goals have been hard to come by for Everton at Sunderland, scoring just 12 times in 15 Premier League visits, with a 2-0 win in 2009 signalling the biggest Everton win on this ground in that time. The Sky Blues are ahead by two points of the two sets of Blues.
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Luke is ESPN FC’s Everton blogger.
