Result from Goodison Park: Everton 1-2 Swansea City
1. Swansea have what it takes to survive
It was a winless run that saw Garry Monk lose his job as Swansea manager back in December, and since then the Jack Army have done okay under interim boss Alan Curtis.
However, a 4-2 defeat at home to struggling Sunderland just under two weeks ago had the Swansea fans fearing the worst – relegation back to the Championship.
But their last two Premier League games have ended in victory after they defeated Watford 1-0 at the Liberty Stadium, before new head coach Francesco Guidolin won his first game in charge at Everton.
The team from Wales are now four points clear of the bottom three and look in good shape to pull clear of the drop zone.
2. Martinez under pressure
Until today, Everton hadn’t lost to Swansea at Goodison Park, in fact they hadn’t lost to them in the league at all.
But now that it has happened, the statistics don’t lie. Everton have won only one of their last 10 fixtures in England’s top flight.
Questions are starting to be asked and the Toffees’ chief Roberto Martinez must be starting to feel the pressure after his team were booed off after the final whistle.
You have to wonder, if Everton weren’t in such a strong position going into their League Cup semi-final second leg against Manchester City, would the Spaniard still be in the job?
3. Swansea showed great unity
Unlike their relegation rivals Aston Villa, Swansea are showing all the signs of a strong team mentality; a willingness to work and graft for each other in order to get a result.
Their attacking players are using their talent and playing to the level that we know they can reach. Gylfi Sigurdsson and Andre Ayew were back on the score sheet today, replicating the form that they both showed early on in the season.
And they were resilient at the back too, club captain Ashley Williams kept his side organised as they saw off wave after wave of attack from Everton.
If there is one thing that Alan Curtis should take credit for it’s the re-introduction of experienced players such as Leon Britton and Wayne Routledge, who know the club inside out and have performed exceptionally since being recalled.
4. Gerard Deulofeu is a steal
Even though his team lost, the former Barcelona man was given the Sky Sports Man of the Match award.
At just over £4 million, Deulofeu is an absolute bargain and at just 21 years of age Everton have got a real gem on their hands.
The Spaniard has huge potential and can be a star of the game if he is managed correctly.
He provides excellent service to his strikers because his delivery is so dynamic and he has an ability to threaten any full-back in a one-on-one situation.
The winger was very unfortunate not to earn his team at least a point today.
5. Goals are a problem for Everton
Reflecting on the encounter in Merseyside, it would be more than fair to say Everton probably deserved all three points, never mind just the one.
However, they came out of the match empty handed and left many scratching their heads wondering how Everton didn’t put the game to bed.
They dominated large spells, especially in the second half. Overall, they ran the fixture statistically: 62% possession, seven corners to Swansea’s one and 20 attempts.
There is just one problem though, only two of those 20 shots were on target and only one of those two on target was converted into a goal.
The goal wasn’t even scored by an Everton player, it was put into his own net by Jack Cork.
The point is that Everton can’t turn their dominance into goals or wins and it’s becoming a major problem.
This was summed up when substitute Seamus Coleman had a chance to steal a point with the last kick of the game, but he put it over the bar from just a couple of yards.
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