Marco Silva’s competitive debut at Goodison Park saw his side take all three points against a resilient Southampton side as the Blues saw off the Saints with a 2-1 victory.
Everton fans will come away from their first trip to Goodison for the 2018/19 season happy with their sides performance. Despite having to navigate through Southampton’s second half pressure, the Toffees continued to attack and countered their opponents by putting on an offensive display.
Everton took the lead inside the first 20 minutes with a goal from Theo Walcott and they doubled their lead before half time as Richarlison’s made it three goals in two games for his new side. Richarlison continued to impress the Everton fans as he performed well in his home debut. His link up play with teams mates also showed how the Brazilian winger fits into Silva’s tactical style of play.
Sigurdsson was perhaps Everton’s most impressive player as his link up play in the Everton attack created plenty of opportunities in the game.
Southampton did provide an answer to their poor first half as Danny Ings got his first Saints goal early in the second half. Pickford was forced to make saves and had to stop a Ward-Prowse free kick form hitting the back of the net. The England number one also put in a challenge on Ings during a clearance that Southampton boss Mark Hughes felt should have been punished.
Everton did enough to withstand their opponents pressure and perhaps should have won the game by more than one goals. Theo Walcott had a goal disallowed and also missed a chance that he should have finished after being superbly assisted by Gylfi Sigurdsson.
Positives for both sides?
Despite Southampton losing the fixture, their attack looked sharper then it had done last season. Ings looked like a welcome addition to the Saints side and will look to find form in the Premier League; something that he had not been able to do in an injury stricken Liverpool career.
The Saints will look to gain their first win of the season next week as they face a visit from Leicester. If they show the ability to create chances that they did today, then they will provide their home fans with an entertaining fixture.
Although Everton could have finished the game in a more comfortable fashion, their fans will still be happy with the result and their performance. Silva’s team continued to attack despite pressure from their opponents. This attacking style of play provides a breath of fresh air and optimism at Goodison as it is something that hasn’t been seen at Everton in recent seasons.
Everton go on to face Bournemouth on the South coast next weekend. With the Cherries also starting their Premier League campaign well, with two wins from two, fans could be in for an exciting fixture between these two sides.
