Gerard Deulofeu came off the bench as Everton beat Sunderland.
Everton’s Gerard Deulofeu in action with Sunderland’s Jan Kirchhoff
Gerard Deulofeu proved to be a key figure as Everton recorded a 3-0 win over Sunderland.
Deulofeu was a half-time substitute on for the ineffective Ross Barkley, with the game goalless at the interval.
Striker Romelu Lukaku fired in a hat-trick to see off the Black Cats, but it was only when Deulofeu came on that Everton began to click.
Everton’s Romelu Lukaku scores their second goal
It was a bold decision from manager Ronald Koeman to take Barkley off after just 45 minutes but it was one which paid off.
Deulofeu created one chance, and had two shots at goal, although narrowly missed the target with both of his efforts, including one late in the game which would have taken the scoreline to 4-0.
He dribbled past an opponent on two occasions, with the only player to surpass this predictably being Yannick Bolasie (4) who played all 90 minutes.
Everton’s Gerard Deulofeu
Defensively he was also alert, making two interceptions – more than the usually prolific Idrissa Gueye (0) managed.
The Spaniard is still trying to work his way into Ronald Koeman’s good books and show that he should be a regular starter for the club, and did himself a favour last night by contributing to a match winning performance.
Here is a look at how Everton fans reacted on Twitter to his performance…
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