Everton vs Newcastle United match report: Ross Barkley turns on the style as Toffees get back to winning ways

Everton 3 Newcastle 0

(Getty)

Newcastle’s January spending proved utterly in vain as Steve McClaren’s side surrendered 3-0 last night to an Everton side who did not need their own key January signing.

Oumar Niasse, Everton’s new £13m striker, was unveiled before a huddle that had gathered to greet him in the fans’ zone before the match. The Senegalese’s registration had not been ratified by the Premier League and in normal circumstances Everton could have done with him being available, especially when you consider Romelu Lukaku’s back injury, which forced him off at half-time.

In the directors’ box, John Stones sat with his hands shoved into his pockets, his chin burrowed into the breast of his winter coat; contemplating perhaps, why Everton looked better without him. The reason lay in front of him: Newcastle United. Everton’s cause was helped by opponents as bad as this.

The visitors offered a debut to Andros Townsend, fielded two other new signings and named one on the bench. The good times will soon roll, came the resounding message from their manager, McClaren, who spent more money than any other Premier League club in the winter transfer window in an attempt to address a run of one win in eight league matches.

Andros Townsend was making his Newcastle debut (Getty)

Not on this evidence: not when they barely threatened to break into an amble against an Everton team in even worse form, having taken only nine points from their previous 10 games; a team, indeed, whose manager openly admits have struggled to deal with the prospect of playing in front of a frustrated home crowd.

Sympathisers – and there aren’t many – reason that Roberto Martinez has suffered for raising expectations in his first season when he transformed the style of play while simultaneously producing some outstanding results.

Critics counter-claim that Martíinez cannot complain about unreasonable expectations when he continuously uses the same superlatives to describe the performances of his players regardless of whether they win or lose.

Tim Howard’s presence has irked the most fervent supporters and Martinez has been stubborn in his continued selection of the American. A thigh injury suffered in training at Finch Farm on Monday afternoon took the decision away from him here and Joel Robles was chosen in a league game for the first time in 12 months.

Aleksandar Mitrovic missed the target for Newcastle (Getty)

As the first half progressed, it became obvious that Martinez could have called upon Neville Southall at the grand old age of 57 and it would not have mattered, such was Everton’s dominance and Newcastle’s submission.

Everton’s lead should have been three or four rather than one at the break. Tom Cleverley may have scored, Lukaku and Ross Barkley too. Instead, the margin of the lead was slender and delivered largely because Georginio Wijnaldum, the Newcastle midfielder, did not spot the danger when the ball ran loose to Aaron Lennon unmarked on the edge of the box.

That McClaren had used all of his substitutes by the 55th minute was telling. Arouna Koné, on in place of Lukaku, missed an opportunity to make Everton’s night comfortable before a Barkley rocket was tipped on to the crossbar by Rob Elliot.

For Newcastle, the new signings did not make a spot of difference. Jonjo Shelvey plodded about as if the game had inconvenienced an evening stroll; Townsend ran up and down the wing trying to keep warm and Henri Saivet was one of the players removed early by McClaren, possibly for failing to keep pace with Barkley, who was Everton’s most dangerous player.

When Paul Dummett did not reappear for the second half, McClaren elected to replace him with Rolando Aarons, a winger rather than a left-back. It showed, as Lennon raced past and the 20-year-old, unsure what to do, dumped him on the floor.

It was left to Barkley to seal Everton’s victory from the penalty spot. He then made it 3-0 with another spot-kick after his run was terminated by Jamaal Lascelles, who was sent off for the infringement as last man.