Everton racked up a hat-trick of wins with a thrashing of Leicester City.
Abdolulaye Doucoure opened the scoring inside ten seconds after latching onto Beto’s knockdown inside the penalty area before rifling the ball home.
The Blues doubled their lead within a matter of minutes as Beto met a smart ball over the top from James Tarkowski to cut a fine finish in the box.
Beto added a third deep in first-half added time when a returning James Garner’s defence-splitting pass allowed him to stab home a second.
Iliman Ndiaye rounded off the rout at the end of normal time by recovering a failed one-two with Idrissa Gueye and firing into the Gwladys Street End’s net.
David Moyes’ side are now ten points clear of the Premier League’s bottom three places following victories over Tottenham, Brighton and now the Foxes.
Here were the key talking points from Goodison Park:
Moyes silences the dissenters
Everton found themselves pilloried in the wake of Sean Dyche’s sacking.
Dissenting voices argued that they had ‘opened the door to relegation’ after parting with him shortly before last month’s FA Cup tie with Peterborough.
The former defender’s legion of fans outside of Goodison Park believed no one could stack up to his record for their preserving Premier League status.
But in just four games across 17 days, David Moyes has already matched his predecessor’s three wins in his last five months and 19 games at the helm.
More than that, the Scot is proving that the Blues are capable of playing with purpose as they put Leicester to the sword in Saturday’s veritable six-pointer.
For a second home game running, his side were in cruise control before the half-time whistle sounded and looked even more assured after the interval.
Such was the level of command that fans broke into renditions of ‘Spirit of the Blues’ and even ‘All Together Now’ as the hosts maintained their firm grip.
Moyes knows his job is not yet done but with a 10-point safety cushion, Evertonians are again starting to see what purposeful football looks like.
Quickfire Doucs gets a boost
Some Goodison match-goers had barely reached their seats when Abdoulaye Doucoure opened the scoring just moments from kick-off against the Foxes.
Given his recent travails, the midfielder is unlikely to have been high on many supporters’ forecasts for a goal of any form – let alone a record-breaking one.
Official timing placed his effort at 10.18 seconds, making it the fourth-quickest goal in the Premier League’s history and the fastest by any home team player.
It was also the most rapid-fire strike in Goodison’s history while taking the title for the club’s earliest all-time goal from the late great Howard Kendall in 1970.
That instant impact proved to be a catalyst for the Mali international, who continued to resemble something closer to his peak form in a royal blue shirt.
Doucoure has been synonymous with a pivotal role in Everton’s recent history, not least the survival-sealing goal against Bournemouth in 2023.
Those heroics may not be required again anytime soon yet his timely boost may unlock that key influence again as Moyes aims to look up the table.
Beto can fill the striker void
By personal admission, Moyes is currently working night and day in efforts to source fresh squad reinforcements before Monday’s transfer deadline.
Injuries have made the case for new faces a compelling one and until they can be procured, if at all, he must use the hand which he has been dealt.
With Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Armando Broja both currently sidelined, the Everton manager turned to Beto to lead the line against a subpar Leicester.
To say that the statuesque marksman’s opening season-and-a-half in the blue half of Merseyside has been challenging would be a huge understatement.
Opportunities under Dyche proved fleeting and even when he lived up to hopes, such as a late leveller against Fulham, they were seldom rewarded.
Entrusted by Moyes, however, Beto showcased his best qualities with the swift follow-up to Doucoure’s opener illustrating a ruthless eye for goal.
His second of the afternoon, from a key pass by a returning James Garner, followed a similar theme as the Goodison faithful saw him operating at full tilt.
It may only be a short-term fix but Beto could be the answer to Moyes’ prayers for an attacking panacea before the January window slams shut.