Everton has scored and won twice in as many days away from home.
These are definitely exciting times.
Yes, the Toffees can make it three straight victories if they defeat newly promoted Luton Town at Goodison on Saturday and advance to the somewhat improbable position of mid-table.
Last week, Sean Dyche’s team dominated for a large portion of the game against Brentford, and it’s possible that they could have won by a score higher than 3-1. They then backed it up with an equally overwhelming performance—despite making five changes—against Aston Villa.
How uplifting is it to see the team perform well after months of either dirge or tense, tense play?
Yes, there could be some compensating circumstances; for example, Brentford missed a few key players, while Villa will have to deal with Europe this year. However, up until last weekend, the Bees were unbeaten in seven home games, while Villa had won eight straight games at Villa Park, including a 4-0 thumping of Everton in August. The Blues get praise for finally converting their superiority into goals and wins, as this has not been the case consistently all season.
The secret to unlocking those performances appears to be the presence of a target guy. Beto’s arrival and Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s steady return to fitness have given Everton the focus they’ve been lacking for the majority of the previous
two epochs.
Soon, two significant home games against Luton and Bournemouth will begin. Winning their “mini-league” against other teams who are expected to struggle is essential if the Toffees are to stay up. Two victories here would put them back on track and give everyone a chance to breathe a little easier. They dropped behind the pace after losing to Fulham and Wolves last month.
The first team to move from the top division of English football to non-league (tier five) and all the way back again, Luton stunned the football world when they achieved promotion to the top flight for the first time since 1992 after defeating Coventry in the first play-offs.
The Hatters really spent ten seasons in the top division before being relegated in 1992, the season before the Premier League was established. During that time, they even won the League Cup in 1988 and notably faced Everton in the 1985 FA Cup semifinal. Despite the fact that they have historically played in the lower divisions.
Since their promotion, their run-down Kenilworth Road property has attracted a lot of attention, especially its distant entrance that winds through a densely populated terraced neighborhood. The stadium, like our beloved Goodison, is beyond its prime but can still generate a terrifying atmosphere on occasion, and it’s probably one of Luton’s greatest chances of surviving.
It is obvious that it will be difficult, though. The disparity in wealth is enormous, and I believe Luton has played it smart by choosing to play the long game in the knowledge that they will be well off even if they are relegated rather than paying massive fees and wages in a last-ditch effort to stay up.
They arrive at Goodison with just one point—against 10-man Wolves—from their opening five games of the year and are the only team that hasn’t yet taken the lead at any point. In the EFL Cup during the previous week, they were again humiliated by League One Exeter City.
I understand what each of your thoughts is.
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