Lukaku scores hat-trick in Everton win at Sunderland

LUKAKU

Romelu Lukaku reminded everyone that form is temporary but class permanent by demolishing Sunderland’s fast-folding defence courtesy of a second-half hat-trick.

Quite apart from pouring scorn on suggestions about Everton’s centre-forward possibly losing his domestic scoring touch, the excellence of Lukaku, Yannick Bolasie and Gerard Deulofeu left the Wearsiders with a solitary point from David Moyes’ first four games in charge. Their extraordinary collapse as Ronald Koeman’s team rose to third place does not bode well.

Things may have been deceptively even during a sub-standard opening period but Koeman expected much more. “There was a big difference later,” he said. “I was really disappointed with the first half.

Our concentration was poor. We lost so many second balls.” And Lukaku? “Romelu hadn’t scored and it was difficult for him. But he’s a fantastic striker, one of the best.”

Moyes punctuated his sentences with one word. “Disappointed, I’m very disappointed with our defending,” he said. “It was concerning. We couldn’t defend crosses. Our back four suddenly capitulated. It’s really annoyed me. Lukaku’s a top striker but we made it too easy for him.”

Can it really be four months since the May evening when Sunderland beat Everton 3-0 here to seal Premier League survival? Who can forget a jubilant Sam Allardyce ‘dad dancing’ across the pitch in a manner that made Strictly’s Ed Balls look a seriously slick mover?

Much has changed since then. Allardyce and Roberto Martínez, the men in charge that night, have moved on to manage England and Belgium respectively, leaving Moyes and Koeman filling their old seats.