Everton came out with a 1-0 victory over West Brom, managed by their former boss Sam Allardyce.

West Brom came out of the traps much quicker than the Blues as Jordan Pickford was forced into a miraculous save to deny a Diagne header that was destined for the top left corner.

Everton looked slow and lethargic for the first 10mins often losing possession with ease and offering no real threat to the Baggies defence and it was the opposition who looked much brighter and were playing better football.

The sloppiness continued for the Toffees as the likes of Gomes and Doucoure were constantly misplacing passes and the team in general looked miles off the pace.

Diagne was the man that they were aiming for as the on loan striker was dropping deep, holding the ball up well and using his strength to muscle off the Everton defenders to allow the likes of Periera and Phillips to attack.

The first clear cut opportunities for Carlos men fell to Richarlison after DCL fed the Brazilian winger who had his shot deflected over the bar by Farnell Furlong. Just a few minutes later came a golden chance for DCL who had the ball in the box only to smash the ball right into Johnstone. It was a chance that he really should’ve put away.

The second half started in the same vein as the first as West Brom were afforded far too much space all over the pitch leading to set pieces where the likes of Diagne and Bartley looked rather threatening.

One of the worrying signs was the lack of urgency in the Everton side. Not one player looked like running or pressing a defender to get the ball back. Despite playing on Monday, this can’t serve as an excuse for a team with European aspirations.

A common theme that was apparent was the fact that Everton couldn’t hold the ball after they won it back. The absence of players who are confident on the ball such as James and Tom Davies could be a reason for this.

The Blues finally found the breakthrough after substitution Gylfi Sigurdsson delivered a superb cross onto the head of Richarlison who powered home his fourth goal in four appearances to give Everton the lead.

Everton grew into the game after the goal, largely down to the introduction of Allan and Sigurdsson who helped sure up the midfield and bring stability in possession. The level of football increased and West Brom began to fade out of the game.

The Baggies thought they had their equaliser at the death when Diagne slotted in a well-deserved goal only for him to be judged offside. This comes as some much needed luck for Everton who haven’t seemed to receive decisions like that in recent years.

This spells a run of three wins in a row along with three clean sheets for the Toffees who now move into the top four (depending on the result of the Liverpool Chelsea game). Despite not playing to the best of their abilities, the Blues are now winning consistently and they are winning these games ugly, often having to grind out results against tough opposition defence. This not only shows the growth that Carlo Ancelotti has encouraged but also the adaptability that the players have learnt to be able to deal with different styles of play.

Carlo himself nailed the substitutions today, bringing on Gylfi Sigurdsson and Allan at the correct time, giving them enough minutes to have a positive impact. The two brought experience and a sense of comfort into a match that was begging for someone to just hold the ball rather than try the extraordinary.

Players who failed to impress today were Alex Iwobi and Andre Gomes who both have struggled with maintaining consistency this season. They were the main culprits in turning the ball over time and time again.

The Blues now face Chelsea on Monday and will hopefully have the likes of James Rodriguez and Allan back to full fitness.

Player Ratings:
Jordan Pickford – 8
Lucas Digne – 7
Michael Keane – 7
Ben Godfrey – 8
Mason Holgate – 6.5
Andre Gomes – 6
Abdoulaye Doucouré – 7
Bernard – 5
Alex Iwobi – 5
Richarlison – 8.5 (MOTM)
Dominic Calvert-Lewin – 7

Subs:
Gylfi Sigurdsson – 7
Allan – 7
Joshua King – N/A